Oh boy are you in for a treat today! Fall is here (well, technically it is here since school has started but Houston weather begs to differ) and with that comes the early morning rush to get the kids dressed, lunch boxed up, breakfast made and everyone out the door in time to be the “not first in his class at school” and “not last in his class at school” but right in the middle. Yes- you heard me right! Crazy huh? I have no idea where he gets his OCDness! No idea!
Okay so back to the recipe. Mornings are so frantic and although I have days where I grab that pop-tart for my kids or heat up a frozen waffle, I like to make sure they get a really good healthy start to the day by having an easy breakfast ready and waiting for them to grab and go. Personally I am obsessed with granola bars and I especially love ones that are soft and chewy. Grant my first grader has a sweet tooth like his mom and his favorite flavor combination is cinnamon and brown sugar. So after seeing this recipe from Chelsea’s Messy Apron on pinterest, I knew this was a perfect recipe to make for back to school. I wish I could take all the credit for this recipe but I can’t. All the credit goes to Chelsea:)) Regardless of whose recipe though- these Soft Baked Oatmeal Squares are amazing and your kids will love them!
- 1 and ½ cups old-fashioned oats
- ½ cup oat flour
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, or more to taste
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
- 1 large egg
- Molasses Frosting
- ¼ cup butter, softened (do not melt)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- For the bars:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper. (These will be near impossible to get out if you don't use it)
- Combine the oats, oat flour, white whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Stir until combined.
- In a small bowl, combine the vanilla extract, milk, and large egg. Lightly beat with a fork.
- Mix together the dry and wet ingredients until just combined (do not overstir). The mixture will be very thick and wet. Press the mixture into the parchment lined pan. Press until it it evenly spread throughout the pan.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the center is slightly inflated and the edges are lightly browned.
- For the frosting:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl starting with only 1 tablespoon of milk. Beat until completely combined. Add extra milk until you reach the desired consistency.
- Remove the baked squares and let cool completely before cutting into 9-12 squares.
- Once they are cut into squares, place the glaze mixture into a resealable plastic bag.
- Cut off the tip of the bag and pipe the glaze on the top of the bars.
- Sometimes these bars can be a bit crumbly and you may want to refrigerate them.
- Always store these in an airtight container or they will dry out.
My kind of everyday treat! These oatmeal bars look very tempting with the sugar icing.
This mama thinks your pictures and that 1st grader are wonderful. (Now, that doesn’t sound like his grandmother, does it?)
Your pictures are fantastic. They scream “real” to me. Because really aren’t we always on the go! Kids here, kids there. 😉 My kiddos would love, love, love these! They too are big fans of brown sugar and cinnamon. These are a great idea Jessica! Good luck to the kids in school this year!
Maybe he doesn’t want to go to school so early because he’d rather stay home and eat breakfast. Who wouldn’t love these.
I’m having trouble leaving a comment, so I hope this doesn’t show up more than once. It if does, would you please delete it.
Sam
A healthy and tasty treat. Our kids don’t go back to school until the day after Labour Day so they actually have an extra two week holiday! Our weather isn’t fall yet either for which I am grateful because I am just not ready for winter.
I love oatmeal treats. And frosted oatmeal treats are even better! I had to giggle thinking about the traits I see in my kids that are obviously inherited from me 🙂
Hope you have a wonderful school year. These tasty treats are a good way to get it started. Hope all is well!