A Quick Hello and Recipe {Cranberry Oat Bars}

Wow

I can hardly believe how fast these past few months have gone.

Eloise has gone from a fresh faced newborn to a full on toddler. Ok, not a toddler, but she is definitely bigger than the twins were at 1  2 years old. Not joking.

So with the holidays fast approaching, I would love to get back in the swing of blogging. I have some favorite things to share, a fun craft I've done with the kids but I wanted to start with this recipe because I am dying over some cranberries now that it's November. I move straight from pumpkin to cranberries after a sugar coma Halloween. (I'll get the kids Halloween costumes up here too soon! promise!)

With my love of fresh cranberries...it's something about them popping over heat and the smell that just makes me smile...I thought I would share this quick recipe with you. It's great for breakfast or snacks around the holidays and great to throw in lunch boxes too (because my life now revolves around packing school lunches).

Healthy (Sort of) Cranberry Oat Bars

• 1  cup white wheat flour (I like King Arthur brand)
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 8 tbsp butter cold
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp orange juice

Filling

• 1 package of fresh cranberries (usually 12oz)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp ground flax seed
• 3/4 cup greek yogurt

Preheat over to 350 degree and prepare an 8x8 baker (butter, cooking spray, coconut oil, foil, whatever you fancy). In a small saucepan mix the sugar, orange zest and cranberries and cook over medium high heat. Cranberries will pop and it will become a nice jelly mixture. When it's cooked down to half it's size and all the cranberries have popped, take off heat, stir in flax and vanilla and set aside to cool.

Mix all the dry ingredients for the bars, cut in small chunks of butter and mix with a stand mixer or by hand until dough is crumbly. Stir in orange juice. 

Put all but 1 cup of the oat mixture on the bottom of the baker. Stir greek yogurt into cranberry mixture then smooth over oats. Sprinkle the last 1/2 cup of oats over top. Pop that bad boy in the oven for 35-40 minutes.

This is a very doughy kind of taste to the oat bar. If you want a little bit of a different flavor, try melting the butter first. It will turn out the same, I promise, just a bit of a different texture to the cakey part. Either way, cut into bars and enjoy!