Oatmeal Nut Bars

     Who doesn't love the rich, moist, chewy goodness of oatmeal cookies? These, for me, are the ultimate anti-depressants. They're quick to whip up, and disappear even quicker. They're great as gifts too, just wrap 'em up and put in a fancy box. 

     Shaping/scooping cookies is time consuming and take a lot of space in the oven, plus they're dryer. You get these crunchy sometimes burnt edges which i don't really like. So I make mine in bars, and I make them thick. They may take a longer time to make, but they come out really moist and chewy. It's easier to store them, too.

     I use nuts instead of raisins because I prefer protein over carbs, and calorie-wise they're almost the same. Although high in fat (good fat), peanuts are high in protein and fiber, they fill you up easily and help curb cravings.

     This recipe yields 36 bars.

Ingredients:

Part A

  2 cups all purpose flour

  1 tsp baking soda

  1 tsp baking powder

  1/2 tsp salt

Part B

  1 cup butter, softened

  1 cup sugar

  1 cup dark brown sugar

  2 whole eggs

  2 tsp vanilla

Part C

  3 cups oatmeal

  1 1/2 cup roasted peanuts

Cooking instructions:

1. Sift Part A ingredients together and mix well. Set aside.

2. Cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and cream until light and fluffy.

3. Mix Part A with Part B until no more flour is visible. Do not over mix,

4. Fold in oatmeal and peanuts.

5. Pour into greased pan or shape into cookes.

6. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 20-30 mins, or 12 mins if you're making cookies.

Serves: 36 bars

Calories per serving: 172

ANALYSIS:

• Low in cholesterol
• High in sugar
• Good source of fiber

POSSIBLE MODIFICATIONS:

• To make the recipe vegan, replace eggs with mashed banana
• To make it sugar-free, replace sugar with Splenda or Equal
• To make the recipe fat-free, replace 1 cup of butter with 1/2 cup applesauce; eliminate peanuts or replace with raisins or chocolate chips