Ingredients
Quick-cooking oats (or old-fashioned oats) |
2 cups
|
Whole graham crackers, crushed into crumbs |
3 each
|
Ring-shaped cereal (like Cheerios®), slightly crushed |
1 cup
|
Chia seeds (optional) |
1 Tbsp
|
Dried cherries |
1/4 cup
|
Almonds, chopped (or walnuts or peanuts) (optional) |
1/2 cup
|
Unsweetened applesauce |
1 cup
|
large eggs |
4
|
Vanilla |
1 tsp
|
1/3 Less-fat cream cheese, softened (or Neufchatel cheese) |
3 Tbsp
|
1% Milk (skim or 2% milk will work as well) |
1.5 Tbsp
|
Directions
- HEAT oven to 350°F. SPRAY 9 x 9-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- To a large bowl, ADD oats, cracker crumbs, cereal, chia seeds, cherries, and nuts; STIR.
- In a medium bowl, COMBINE applesauce, honey, eggs, and vanilla. WHISK together with a whisk or a fork. POUR over oats mixture and MIX thoroughly.
- SPREAD mixture into prepared baking pan; FLATTEN gently with the back of a spoon or rubber spatula. BAKE about 20-25 minutes, or until the middle is set. (Bars should still be soft, not golden brown.) COOL.
-
MIX together cream cheese and milk with a fork. DRIZZLE over cooled bars. STORE in the refrigerator; EAT cold or microwave for about 10 seconds on HIGH. Or FREEZE for busy mornings; MICROWAVE about 45 seconds on LOW/MEDIUM.
Nutritional Info
Per Serving:
Calories |
190
|
Total Fat |
5 g
|
Saturated Fat |
1.5 g
|
Sodium |
95 mg
|
Carbohydrates |
32 g
|
Dietary Fiber |
3 g
|
Protein |
7 g
|