Maple brown sugar oatmeal bars

My maple and brown sugar oatmeal bars are my new favorite thing to bake. The recipe takes less than five minutes to measure and mix — plus the bars are nut-free, gluten-free and pareve!

The more I read the ingredients in store-bought baked goods, the more I’m baking at home. This recipe will appeal to people who want to bake with less-processed sugars and who want to avoid saccharine breakfast foods. By using maple syrup and a little brown sugar for flavor, you will have just enough sweetness but can avoid the added chemicals of store-bought snack bars.

Both Kids and adults will enjoy these. They are soft, dense and chewy — it’s like having a bowl of oatmeal in a bar. Grab a square or two when you’re running out the door, pack them in lunch boxes for “dessert,” or serve them for an after-school snack to tide everyone over until dinner is on the table.

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This recipe mixes easily by hand so it’s perfect if you have little helpers around. As an added bonus, baking these will make your home smell heavenly.

These freeze well so if you like the recipe, make a double batch.

Ingredients
Makes 10-16 bars, depending on if you cut them into squares or thinner rectangles.
2 cups rolled oats
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/16 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons oil
2 large eggs, whisked well
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup oat milk or other pareve milk

Preheat your oven to 350 F and place the wire rack in the center of your oven.

You can use any neutral oil to bake these bars. I chose coconut oil, which is solid, measured it into a small bowl and set it near the back of my stove to warm. If you ever have a recipe that calls for a small amount of melted butter or coconut oil, this is the best way to melt it, while avoiding messy microwave splatters.

Put the dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk them together.

Add the eggs to a medium-sized bowl and whisk well for 1 minute.

Pour the milk slowly into the eggs, while whisking constantly; whisk for 1 additional minute.

Add the vanilla and maple syrup and mix until combined.

Pour this mixture over the bowl of dry ingredients.

Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes to allow the milk mixture to soften and soak into the oats. I check this once at about 15 minutes, give it a good stir and let it rest.

Lightly grease a 9-inch-by-9-inch baking pan. Metal pans work best for this recipe.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth it out with a spatula and bake for 30 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and starting to pull away from the edges of the pan.

Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan, which will take about 2 hours.

Turn it onto a board before cutting into pieces.

I often prepare this recipe while I’m making dinner so they can bake while we’re eating and we have fresh bars for the morning.

You can leave these out uncovered overnight if you’d like them to be a bit harder.

Enjoy and bless your hands. PJC

Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.