Chock-full-of-goodness bar cookies

3
Points®
Total Time
27 min
Prep
7 min
Cook
20 min
Serves
24
Difficulty
Easy
Because these yummy cookies are jam-packed with a variety of dried fruits, oats, nuts, and seeds and sweetened with maple syrup, they can make either a satisfying snack or can easily stand-in for a quick breakfast on-the-go. For variation, you could substitute dried blueberries or dried cherries for the cranberries or raisins. Here, we used white whole-wheat flour which has a soft texture similar to that of white flour, however, it retains all of the germ and bran, like whole-wheat flour. White whole-wheat flour can be found in large supermarkets and in specialty-foods stores. It is finely milled from a special strain of wheat known as hard white spring wheat.

Ingredients

Uncooked quick oats

1 cup(s)

Toasted wheat germ

½ cup(s)

White whole wheat flour

¼ cup(s), or other brand

Dried apricot halves

½ cup(s)

Sweetened dried figs

4 oz, stems removed (1/4 cup)

Raisins

½ cup(s)

Almonds

½ cup(s), sliced, whole, unblanched variety

Dry-roasted salted sunflower seeds

¼ cup(s)

Dried cranberries

¼ cup(s)

Ground cinnamon

¾ tsp

Table salt

tsp

Liquid egg substitute

½ cup(s)

Maple syrup

cup(s)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil, allowing the excess foil to extend over the rim of the pan by 2 inches. Lightly spray the foil with nonstick spray.
  2. Combine the oats, wheat germ, flour, apricots, figs, raisins, almonds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor, in batches if necessary, and process until finely chopped. Add the egg substitute and maple syrup; pulse until the mixture is well blended.
  3. Spoon the fruit mixture into the prepared pan and press to form an even layer. Bake until firm and browned along the edges, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Lift the bars from the pan using the foil as handles. Cut into 24 bars. Yields 1 bar per serving.