My Mom is one smart cookie (pun totally and completely intended… sorry y’all!). You see she has very good logic when it comes to breakfast. She fully believes that on weekends, a big hearty breakfast is a must… a theory and practice I fully support!
For her, a big breakfast must not only include eggs and sausage (or bacon) and fruit (or orange juice), but must include some sweet treat, like cinnamon rolls, donuts, or banana bread (the fact that “dessert” for breakfast is totally allowed in this world makes me squeal with delight!). I mean how can you NOT have all these things (or more) as part of your weekend morning routine!
For a recent girl’s weekend, with my Mom and sisters, I whipped up these bars to bring along for an afternoon snack/treat. We ended up not eating them that day, so my Mom said she was going to serve them with breakfast the next morning.
However, my Mom called these oat bars brownies and my sister just couldn’t believe my Mom would serve us brownies for breakfast. In my Mom’s defense, I quickly jumped in and explained that despite my Mom’s argument that brownies were no different than cinnamon rolls, these weren’t brownies. These were oat bars and they were like granola bars; and since they had whole wheat flour, rolled oats and dried fruit, they were perfectly acceptable for breakfast. After learning all that, well my sister was 100% on board for some White Chocolate Cranberry Oat Bars for Sunday morning breakfast!
When I first made these bars, I was expecting a soft and chewy bar; but they really are like a cross between an oatmeal raisin cookie and granola bar. Crispy, buttery and only slightly chewy; these bars bring the flavors of fall with tart, chewy dried cranberries, creamy white chocolate, hearty rolled oats and a hint of cinnamon! Enjoy them warm with a big, heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream; throw them in your lunchbox as an afternoon snack, or enjoy them our favorite way, as breakfast with a gigantic cup of coffee and some fresh fruit or scrambled eggs! 🙂
One Year Ago: White Chocolate Mocha
Two Years Ago: Green Bean Salad with Cranberries, Walnuts and Feta
Three Years Ago: Turkey Guacamole Burgers
Four Years Ago: Seasoned Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Five Years Ago: Cookbook Review: 365 Dish A Day
White Chocolate Cranberry Oat Bars
Printable Version
Prep Time: 20 minutes Bake Time: 25-30 minutes Yields: 12-15 bars
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (use unbleached all-purpose flour, if needed)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries
Heat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or spray with non-stick spray.
In a medium sized bowl, stir together both flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a separate large bowl, cream together butter and both sugars until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat well.
Slowly add the flour mixture, a little at a time, to the butter mixture, mixing until fully incorporated. Stir in oats, white chocolate chips and dried cranberries.
Press dough into the bottom of prepared 9×13-inch baking pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until light golden brown.
Allow bars to cool completely before cutting. Store tightly covered at room temperature for about 5-6 days.
Adapted from Lick the Bowl Good and Lick the Bowl Good: Classic Home-Style Desserts with a Twist
NOTE: This recipe was chosen as September’s recipe for the Lick the Bowl Baking Group. However, I got behind in baking and blogging and so I am just now sharing it (stay tuned for October and November’s recipes)! In case you were wondering here are the recipes that the Lick the Bowl Good Baking Group has made so far (click on the link to find the recipe, recipe review and/or completed recipe photos):
January: Banana Pecan Breakfast Cake
February: Chocolate Strawberry Brownie Kisses
March: Irish Cream Cake
April: Pina Colada Mini Cheesecakes
May: Vanilla Bean Pound Cake
June: Fruit Pizza
July: Skinny Berries Romanoff
August: Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake
Check out the calendar of recipes we will be baking from Lick the Bowl Good: Classic Home-Style Desserts with a Twist here.
Here is my official review of the cookbook and recipe for Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes.
Learn more about the cookbook author and fellow blogger, Monica, by reading this interview: “Bites with Bloggers” – Lick the Bowl Good
Buy the Lick the Bowl Good: Classic Home-Style Desserts with a Twist Cookbook here!
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