Get the App

Recipes

Find a Recipe Blue Ribbon Recipes Pinch It!™ Feed Browse All Recipes

Editorial

Food Bites & Articles Videos What is a Blue Ribbon? Meet the Test Kitchen

Community

Member Recipes Groups Sweepstakes Contests Shopping

apple sauce oat breakfast bars

ExArmyChick avatar
Recipe by
Ex-Army Chick
@ExArmyChick
Rocky Mountains, CO

I created this recipe when my daughter joined the girl’s basketball team in junior high. I was trying to come up with something that was reminiscent of the Quaker oatmeal breakfast bars when they first came out in the late ’90’s I think, and they were like 4” square and almost 1” thick with a sugar glaze piped on them. This is what I ended up with and they never turn out the same way because of adding this or that to it, or leaving something out because I don’t have it…but the one thing that remains the same is people cannot get enough of these & I get asked for the recipe constantly!!

method Bake

Ingredients For apple sauce oat breakfast bars

  • WET INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 c
    applesauce, unsweetened or 1 c pumpkin** {if you are feeling froggy or need more moisture, add both}
  • 1
    egg
  • 1/2 c
    milk
  • 3 Tbsp
    oil
  • 1/2 c
    dark molasses
  • 1/4-1 c
    peanut butter
  • 2 tsp
    baking powder
  • 1 tsp
    vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp
    ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp
    salt
  • 1 tsp
    ground giner, optional
  • 1 tsp
    ground nutmeg, optional
  • 1/4 c
    flax seeds, grounf or whole, optional
  • DRY INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 1/2-2 c
    oats, i use old fashioned
  • 1/2 c
    brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1 1/4 c
    flour
  • 1-1 1/2 c
    cranberries, chopped frozen {food processor} or dried
  • 1/2 c
    pecans, in pieces
  • 1/3-1 c
    raisins

How To Make apple sauce oat breakfast bars

  • 1
    Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • 2
    Mix all the wet ingredients together in a large bowl. I usually will use hand mixer to make sure all the spices & wet ingredients are well distributed & incorporated well.
  • 3
    Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones.
  • 4
    DO NOT over mix—just mix until dry ingredients are moistened. I use the big food service spatulas for this.
  • 5
    Dump into a greased 9x13” baking pan.
  • 6
    Bake at 400°F 35-40 minutes {sometimes closer to the hour mark} or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean & they are a deep golden brown color. You may bake them longer if a drier bar is desired, as these are on the very moist side.
  • 7
    Can be cut after cooled well & wrapped in saran wrap or put into baggies for on the go. These can be left out for the day like in a lunch or even overnight, with no problems, but I recommend refrigerating remaining bars.
  • 8
    NOTES: **If you are adding both, may need to adjust the flour amount; play around but keep track of the amounts of your changes. —I think that the applesauce or pumpkin, whatever your really wet ingredient is, probably needs to be in this. This is a dense and filling bar. —The greatest thing about this is if you don’t have something, don’t worry, add what you have on hand or what sounds good, like chocolate chips. —No adjustment for high altitude needed; unsure about sea level {might not need as much baking powder as I find I need at elevation}. —Can be portioned into muffin tins. Adjust baking time and temperature as needed. —Can be adjusted for allergies as needed. Adjust baking times accordingly.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!

Categories & Tags for Apple Sauce Oat Breakfast Bars:

ADVERTISEMENT