Strawberry Honey Oatmeal Bars

THESE ARE SO AMAZING!!  I am a big fan of Trader Joe's Strawberry Cereal Bars and have been on the lookout for a great "cereal" bar recipe and these (though they don't look like cereal bars) taste very close!

I seem to be in possession of a surplus of oats - I can only make so many granola bars before I start looking for something new.  For a while now I have been contemplating a good oatmeal bar - not a cookie or a crunchy granola bar but a nice soft, cake-like oatmeal bar.  I had found a bunch of recipes for peanut butter/chocolate oatmeals bars, I was looking for something a little lighter on the calorie front.  Time to start frankenstein-ing some recipes - I have to say I am thrilled with the result!

Strawberry Honey Oatmeal Bars

• 1 1/2 c Oats
• 1 c Flour
• 1/2 t Baking Soda
• 6 T Butter or Margarine, softened
• 1/2 c Brown Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 c Honey
• 3/4 - 1 c Strawberry Spread or Jam (or the fruit flavor of your choice)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and like an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Blend together the butter, sugar and egg until light and fluffy.
3. Slowly add in the honey, flour and oats and mix well.
4. Press 3/4 of the batter into the bottom of the parchment lined 8x8 baking dish.
5. Spread the strawberry spread (or jam) on top of the batter in the dish and top with the remaining quarter of batter.  
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before cutting.
8. ENJOY!

I cut these bars into 16 servings.  I ate mine while it was still warm and if I had extra calories for the day I would definitely be eating more!  They come in at about 140 calories per bar - not all that bad seeing they are so YUMMY.  Plus if you compare them to cereal bars they are right on target - most cereal bars fall between 130 - 180 calories.

It might not look like much but it is darn good!

Try them out and let me know your thoughts!