Ummmm YUM! I’ve never been much of a fruit person (weird, right?) so I was never tempted by desserts like this, but thanks to Paradise Bakery’s crumbly bleu cheese salad, I have discovered the deliciousness that is dried cranberries. Also, in general, I am trying to open myself up to the tastes of more fruits due to my constant sugar cravings–if only I craved things like strawberries! GROSS! I know I’m in the minority here, but I HATE strawberries. Haha anyway, in addition to the cookies I made for the Tony Awards party (Did anyone else see the hot mess that was Frances McDorman?!) I also decided to try something new with these bars and they were a HUGE hit. And at only 126 calories a bar, you can enjoy them and a salted oatmeal chocolate chip cookie at the same time for dessert for under 250 calories! Yes please!
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup packed splenda brown sugar blend
- 2 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour, divided
- 2 cups dried cranberries
- 1 cup (8 ounces) fat free sour cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup splenda
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a large bowl, cream butter, oil, and splenda brown sugar blend until light and fluffy. Combine oats and 1-1/2 cups flour; add to the creamed mixture until blended. Set aside 1-1/2 cups for topping.
Press remaining crumb mixture into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the cranberries, sour cream, sugar, splenda, egg, lemon peel, vanilla and remaining flour. Spread evenly over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers.
I got about 30 decent size bars out of it. The recipe claimed 36–not 36 of the size I like! But I did my calculations based on 30 bars :O)