Soaring Cranberry Bars - Energy Bar snacks

Ingredients

1 cup dried cranberries

2 tbs sugar

 

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 cups dried oats (Quaker Oat Brand)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup melted unsalted butter

 

1-1/4 cups dried dates, chopped

3/4 cup pecans, chopped

1 cup caramel sauce

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Lightly grease a 13 x 9 baking pan.

2.  Mix together cranberries and sugar.  Set aside.*

3.  In mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, dried oats, sugar and brown sugar.

4.  Add melted butter and mix until crumble-like texture.  Reserve 1 cup for topping.

5.  Press the flour-oats mix onto the bottom of the baking pan and bake at 350º for 15 minutes.

6.  Sprinkle the cranberry-sugar mix, dates and pecans over the baked bottom

7.  Pour caramel over top.

8.  Take the 1 cup reserved topping mix from step 4 and place over the filling and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool before cutting.

Implements
 13 x 9 baking pan

Comments

This recipe comes to us from our friend Cheryl outside Boulder Colorado, who got it from a zip line trip she took which criss crossed the Animas River in Colorado with zip lines.  A full adrenaline filled day which required refueling with these bars.  We've made them and can attest to their caloric content.  Be sure you have a busy day planned before consuming one of these puppies. 

Don't add the sugar if the cranberries have been treated with a sweetener, such as honey, when they were dried.