Categories: BakingBreakfastCookiesHealthier OptionsThe Secret Recipe Club

SRC: Berries & Cherry Walnut Oatmeal Bars

The first week of the month is generally busy for me- what with the Recipe Swap post going up the first Sunday of the month and the SRC post going live the first Monday of the month. As a result, the weekend is always spent working on the posts and since I am a big time procrastinator, I end up baking/cooking, editing photos and blogging two posts in one day. I know, I really should plan things better!

Anyway yesterday proved to be doubly busy as I finally made myself a Facebook page for the blog! Yay!

After toying with the idea for months, I finally decided its time to face my fears. When asked by V why I wouldn’t get a Facebook page, I would give him the excuse that I am too scared that no one will like my page and also a big reason for no FB page was that I as it is struggle with my own profile on Facebook- a blog page will be a lot of commitment in terms of updating status and making sure they are good, etc., etc. But I knew I was just being lazy about it. So, I took the plunge and set up a page.

Since I was getting all tech savvy for the blog, I made myself a twitter account too! Woo hoo! I have to admit, I have no clue what to do with it, but I am sure I’ll learn along the way.

Coming to this month’s SRC. This month I was given a visual treat for the eye as my assignment. For the month of June, I was assigned to choose a recipe from Crumb blog, which proved to be a more difficult task than I thought.

Isabelle is a very talented blogger with a blog that is a treat to not only look at, but with some great recipes to try. The first thing that struck me when I checked out her blog link in the email Jane sent out- was her header and this is exactly what I said to myself- that header is just so damn creative! I learnt from her posts that she created the header herself after several sessions of burnt toasts. I knew then I was in the company of someone who truly loves food and anything to do with it.

Isabelle’s talent has shown through and landed her many accolades and awards. I love her style of writing and the humor in her blog posts. Do check her blog out, if you already haven’t! I am sure you will like it and get hooked on like I have!

Going for the theme this month, I narrowed down on Isabelle’s recipe for homemade oatmeal bars.

These bars, as Isabelle describes them, have a texture that falls somewhere in between a muffin, a cookie and a granola bar. Chewy, cakey and oh-so-good, not only in taste but in health as well. As Isabelle puts it,

aside from all the health benefits of the walnuts, there’s also fiber from the oats and whole wheat flour, calcium from the milk, and more anti-oxidants from the berries, cherries and chocolate. They’re substantial enough to keep you going until lunch without feeling overly heavy.

I did make a few changes to the recipe- well, very few to be exact. I did not have any pumpkin seeds- instead I used sunflower seeds. I replaced the dried cherries with a mix of dried cherries and dried berries (strawberry, blueberry, cranberry). I also added a few cinnamon chips and coconut flakes, just because I had some. (I have highlighted the changes that I made in the recipe in red.)

By the way did anyone see the Miss USA 2012 pageant yesterday. Well I did. And oh my gawd- the contestants were so skinny. I don’t know if it’s the going-green-with-envy-me that’s saying this or a fact, but, they all looked malnourished. If I stand next to them I would definitely look like a cow. A fat cow!

Thankfully, I have these for my breakfast now. A little skinny good for you on-the-go meal!

Makes 10 bars

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp cinnamon chips
2 tbsp sweetened coconut flakes
1/4 cup mix of dried berries and cherries
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment, leaving a 1″ overhang on either side.
In a bowl, stir together the oats, whole wheat flour, chopped walnuts, chocolate and cinnamon chips,dried berries and cherries, sunflower seeds, brown sugar, ground flax seeds, salt and baking soda.
In another bowl, whisk together milk, egg and vanilla extract until combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir until well combined. (Isabelle mentions that it will look like a wet, soupy mess, but that’s how it’s supposed to be)
Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and smooth out into an even layer. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the bars are set and golden brown. It took me 40 minutes.
Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then lift out using the parchment paper and cut into 10 equally-sized bars.

Storage: Bars can be stored at room temperature in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

Do check out what the other members have been up to:

Also since you are here, do check out the Ariosto seasoning Giveaway on the blog.