I love baking cookies, but recently I’ve starting trying to come up with slightly healthier options. Healthier in this case means saving a whole half cup of butter and adding fruit instead of chocolate. Hey, baby steps, right? 
The inspiration for this recipe comes from one of my husband’s family’s that they’ve had for years and years. It’s a phenomenal cookie recipe, but it uses shortening instead of butter and, like I mentioned, I’m trying to make baby steps towards healthier baking (you know what would be healthier? Not make the cookies in the first place. But that’s just not an option!) so I concocted a chocolate chip cookie recipe on my own, which then morphed into these cookie bars. They have a very chewy texture from the oats, but also have an almost cakey-brownie-like density. And because they’re oats and fruit, I can justify eating them for breakfast, right?
Cherry Pecan Oatmeal Cookie Bars
printable recipe
Ingredients:
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ unsweetened applesauce
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2½ cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup dried cherries
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º.
Combine the flour, oats, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Add in the eggs, one at a time, until combined, then mix in vanilla.
Slowly add the flour/oat mixture into the mixing bowl and beat on low speed until just combined. Add in the pecans and dried cherries and beat until just blended.
Lightly coat a 13×9 glass pan with oil, then pour in the batter and spread evenly in the pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden on the edges.
Source: A Laura’s Recipe Collection original
