A few years ago, The Beloved and I went to visit Aunt Charlotte at the retirement complex she lived in. At the time, she boasted that she never had to go outside because everything she needed was Right There. We smiled and allowed as how that was Pretty Awesome, but we were lying through our teeth. Who in their right mind would be happy about never going outside?
Turns out, it depends Completely upon the weather. My favorite is 78F with a cool breeze. The Beloved’s is about 82F with a warm breeze. We both understand that we can’t always have our Favorite, so we often Leave the Premises when it’s chilly or even cold or Rather Hot. But this week, it has overshot both Rather Hot and Really Hot and is Squarely in Holy Crap It’s Hot territory. Yes friends, we are in the middle of an Historic Heatwave, and I finally can say that, right this very second, I am positively thrilled that I don’t have to leave the house at all if I don’t absolutely have to.
Unfortunately, we had to venture forth yesterday because it was the Neighborhood Fourth of July party. That alone wouldn’t have brought us out, but our neighbor Thomas (of Great Brownie Caper fame) roasted a gorgeous local happy pig and other neighbor Susan (of Kitchen Sink Sangria fame) made yummy potato salad (which I may have coached her through making), so we had to go to support our troops, as it were. And eat pig and potato salad.
The only Rub was that, since our house has an even house number, we had to bring a dessert. Which isn’t normally a bad thing. I mean, I kinda make a lot of desserts. But: heat. Extreme heat. And ovens. Blech. I figured I’d make something that I didn’t need to go to the store to shop for, so I rummaged about and realized that I had all of the makings for my mom’s Oatmeal Raisin Bars. Sort of. But, because I’m me, I was all “Close enough!”
I have no idea where my mom got the recipe, but she used to make these guys and send them with us in our lunch boxes. Sometimes she’d make them for after school snacks. And we loved them. So yummy. There’s just something kind of comforting about oatmeal and raisins, whether they come in a bowl, a cookie or a bar. If you are not, however, a Fan of raisins, please use whatever dried fruit that you do like. I didn’t have enough raisins, so I made up the difference with some dried cranberries, but dried blueberries, cherries, apricots, figs–any of these, or a mixture, would be fantastic. Give them a try. Then take them to the pool party and stay just long enough to eat some pig and potato salad before running back to the AC to watch HGTV. But that’s just a suggestion.
Oh, and guess what? No eggs! The oatmeal base is kinda like a flour-heavy streusel, which is no way can be considered a bad thing.
Oatmeal Raisin Cranberry Bars
My mom used to put a cinnamon glaze on these guys--just powdered sugar, milk and cinnamon--and you can too, if you want. I didn't glaze these as I had to throw them in the fridge to cool them enough so they wouldn't fall apart when I cut them. I sort of Might Have waited until the last minute to make these guys. Anyway, they were very good without the glaze, so either way works.
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 6.6-7 oz (1 cup, packed) brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 7 oz (about 1 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats, (I just used a measuring cup, myself:)
- 2 Tablespoons water, , divided
For the Fruit
- 1.75 oz brown sugar, (about 1/4 cup, lightly packed)
- 8 oz (1 cup) water (you could also use apple juice, cranberry juice or whatever sounds good for the water, but you might have to adjust the sugar)
- 1 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup raisins, (I used a "raisin medley")
- 1 cup dried cranberries, (I used Craisins)
- pinch or two of salt
- zest of 1/2 orange, (You could also use 3-4 drops of orange oil, which is what I did)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Spray a 9"x13" baking pan with pan spray. Set aside.
For the Crust
- Combine butter, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Mix on medium-low speed until you no longer see pieces of butter and the mixture is nice and smooth.
- Beat in 1 Tablespoon of the water.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda and oats.
- Dump into the mixer and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape the bowl as necessary.
For the Fruit
- Combine all the ingredients except the orange oil in a medium sauce pan. If you're using zest, go ahead and add it now.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about ten minutes.
- Remove from heat and, if using, stir in the orange oil.
- Let the mixture cool for about fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.
To Assemble and Bake
- Press about 2/3 of the crust mixture into your pan in an even layer. It should be about 1/4" thick.
- Spread on the fruit in an even layer. Make sure to take it all the way to the edges.
- Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of water to the remaining crust mixture and mix well. Drop small "nuggets" of crust mixture all over the top of the fruit layer. You want to see some fruit peeking through, but make sure you get a nice even layer of crumbs.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is firm and deeply golden brown.
- Let cool on a rack until room temperature.
- Glaze and let set up before slicing. If you're not going to glaze them, go ahead and slice them. These keep well at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- Freeze for longer storage.
Notes
If you want thicker bars, use a 9"x9" pan. Bake for half an hour, and then turn the heat down to 325F. Continue baking until the crust is a lovely deep golden brown.
Glaze them as you see fit, but they are fantastic naked, too.
You could always heat these up (or serve straight from the oven) as a kind of dried fruit crisp. In this case, ice cream is advisable.
You will love these. I promise. Enjoy them, and thank my mom next time you see her.
Take care, thanks for reading, and have a lovely day.
Terra says
We decided to go out for a movie and food, then we stayed in the rest of the weekend! I love my A/C! Your bars sound delicious, I love cranberries and anything with a delicious crumbly top! 🙂 Hugs, Terra
onlinepastrychef says
Thanks, Terra! We considered a movie, too, because of the lure of the serious AC in the theater! Hope you enjoyed your movie and your weekend. 🙂
Maureen says
I’ve heard about the heat over there. I could use some right here in my office if you don’t mind. The sun’s out and I swear it’s warmer outside than it is inside.
Love your mother’s oatmeal bars and I hope the 4th celebration was fun. 🙂
btw.. the stars options are 0 and 1 ?? I chose not to leave a 1 LOL.. seems unkind.
onlinepastrychef says
I will gladly send some heat your way, @twitter-138546900:disqus Is there some weird star setting that I’m doing wrong?! I’ll go check. Thanks for not leaving 1 star–you’re a peach! lol
Joan says
I have commented on this post twice….and it disappears???
onlinepastrychef says
Weird, Joan! But I’m seeing this one–comment away, and hopefully I’ll see it:)
Joan says
I just wanted to comment on this recipe.I have recently entered into the world of Farmers Markets.I have been in the “cooking” end of Food Service over 30 years (yes….I’m an oldie), but Bread and Pastry are new territory. I am getting pretty good at Bread and also try to carry”finger foods” for impulse buyers. These bars filled the bill and were extremely popular…Even after all these years….I am learning every day!
onlinepastrychef says
I am so happy to hear that, Joan! These are perfect for the market–they keep well and don’t fall apart. Plus, easy to wrap individually! So glad they were a hit–and another “plus:” you can use any kind of dried fruit to keep them even more seasonal:)
Eileen says
This looks like a yummy recipe. I love this method for bar cookies: easy to make & customize, and a snap for GF. Every Christmas I make a slightly richer version with a mincemeat filling. It’s nice to have something so easy on the cookie tray, but nobody has to know that part. ;^)
onlinepastrychef says
I totally agree! Big flavor payoff for minimal effort? Sign me up! 🙂