Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Strawberry Oat Bars





You know how sometimes your loved ones convince you to make that certain dish they are craving and you promise to cook it for them.  Then when the moment actually comes you just can't bring yourself to make it. So what do I do in a situation like that? I make it up to my family by sneaking in something else:) These soft, yet a little crunchy strawberry oat bars made it to this world when my Man wanted something completely different. They were gone within 24 hours and he didn't even remember that he was asking me for a different dessert. Mission accomplished!:) 
These oat bars are actually a healthier version of the cake that was my very first post of this blog (what a difference in pictures!:) I used old - fashioned rolled oats (not processed, quick cooking ones) to get all the benefits of the whole grain. It is good to know that you can add some dietary fiber, some Vitamin B1 and other advantages of whole grain to your meal without sacrificing the taste of the dish. These oat bars make a great dessert and can also be a satisfying snack or a breakfast option for somebody with a sweet tooth like me:)

Ingredients:

225 gr/ 8 oz butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 egg
¼ tsp salt
4 cups strawberries or any other fruit, stoned and cut in pieces
4 tsp corn starch
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 375°F/ 190°C.

Combine 1 cup of sugar, flour, rolled oats, baking soda, salt and grated lemon rind in a bowl. Add butter and egg, then work the mixture with a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients. Make sure to break big lumps of butter. In another bowl add ½ cup of sugar, corn starch, lemon juice and prepared fruits and gently toss to coat evenly.

Put half the batter from the first bowl into a slightly greased baking dish. For reference my dish dimensions are 13"x10". Pour the fruit mixture over it. Spread the rest of the batter evenly on top of the fruits.

Place in the oven and bake until the top is golden brown, 35-40 minutes. Let it cool down completely and cut it into squares.



Enjoy! 

3 comments:

  1. Looks delicious! :)

    http://linastyle.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi what is the corn starch for and would it be possible to emit it ?? They look delicious!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Sarah! There is going to be some liquid in the filling mixture because of the lemon juice and cut strawberries - corn starch works as a thickening agent and is going to thicken all this liquid so the top and the bottom can be cooked properly. You can emit it if you are using some kind of jam (not fresh fruit or berries), it already has the right consistency. I hope this helps!:)

      Delete