Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

This is a great recipe to use up any left over oatmeal.  It also makes for an incredibly easy breakfast for a few days, which I need on those early school mornings.
Recipe adapted from "The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes."

Oatmeal Bars

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup coconut sugar
3/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup cooked oatmeal
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins (or any dried fruit)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped


In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  In another bowl, combine applesauce and coconut sugar until well mixed.  Stir in coconut oil.  Add cooked oatmeal and mix until well combined. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  Stir in dried fruit and walnuts.

Spread batter into a lightly greased or parchment paper lined 8x8 pan.  Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until the center is set (do the toothpick test).  Let bars cool and then remove and cut.

**My favorite way to do flour these days is grind regular oats and buckwheat into a flour.  I like this simple combo for baking and it feels easy to digest for all of us.  It's also nice because I can buy both of those grains in bulk from Country Life.