Fruit-filled Oatmeal Bars

These are a perfect substitute for those cereal bars that you get in the store, more healthful, and just plain better. I know exactly what is in them and I feel really, really good about giving these to my husband and he loves them. They do taste alot like the store-bought cereal bars but there is more fruit in the middle of these, which is a very good thing to me. There are several fillings you could use for the cereal bars but this time I made an apple-blueberry one.

Fruit-filled Oatmeal Bars

Adapted from Finding Joy in My Kitchen

1 cup flour

1 cup oats

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup butter

2 large apples, peeled and cut into small pieces OR 1 1/2 cups applesauce to bypass the cooking of the apples

1 pint blueberries

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, place the apple pieces and a couple tablespoons of water. Cook until the apples are completely cooked and soft. Add the blueberries and cook for a couple of minutes. Mash or puree if you prefer (I mashed mine a little but left it chunky) and add the cinnamon.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar and baking soda. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Press half of the mixture into a 11 x 7-inch pan. Spread the fruit mixture over the crust and sprinkle the other half of the oats mixture over the fruit.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool and cut into bars.

Other kinds of Fruit Fillings include, but not limited to (I think that whatever you use as a fruit pie filling can be used here):

Apple Filling

3 large apples, peeled, and cut into small pieces

3 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cook the apples as above with the water. Add cinnamon and mix well.

Berry Filling

2 cups berries, any kind

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1-2 tablespoons flour, as a thickener

Combine and cook over medium heat until desired consistency is reached.

Cherry Filling

2 cups pitted cherries

1-2 tablespooons orange juice

1-2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Heat in a saucepan over medium heat until mix comes to a full boil; stir constantly.

I'm linking up with Foodie Friday.