Fruit Bars

I made these last week and they make a great snack for Boo. I halved it and that made plenty for us (8"x8" pan), but the crust turned out too crumbly. Next time I would either add more butter or less oats and/or flour. I got this from The Baby Bistro Cookbook by Joohee Muromcew.


FRUIT BARS

2 apples, cored and chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (I used about 3/4 cup carrot puree and liked that better)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup fresh or frozen thawed blueberries, cranberries or strawberries
1/2 cup water
4 cups quick cooking oats
2 cups flour (you can use white wheat flour)
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 TB ground flaxseed
1 cup butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13"x9" pan.

In a saucepan, bring apples, carrots, dried cranberries, cranberries/strawberries/blueberries, and water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes or until the apples are soft and juices are syrupy. Remove from heat and cool.

In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until blended. Cut in the butter until mixture makes coarse crumbs.

Evenly press 1/2 of oat mixture into prepared baking pan. Evenly spread the fruit mixture on top. Top with the remaining oat mixture, pressing gently with the palm of your hand to even out the top.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden. Cool completely, then cut into 1 1/2" x2" bars.