Snack Right: Oatmeal Bars with Creamy Ricotta Filling
The delicious combination of dairy and oats in a snack bar that tastes like carrot cake.
- Yield: 24 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 cups rolled oats, quick or old fashioned
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup pumpkin
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup skim milk
for the filling
- 18 oz. part skim ricotta cheese (1 pound+ 4 Tablespoons)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts,
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with non-stick aluminum foil.
3. In a large bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
4. Stir in rolled oats and raisins.
5. Beat in oil, pumpkin, eggs, honey and milk with a spoon until thoroughly blended.
6. Set aside 2 cups of dough and refrigerate.
7. Spread the remainer of the dough into the prepared 13 x 9 inch baking pan using a spatula or the bottom of a measuring cup to press the dough into an even layer.
8. Make filling by combining ingredients ricotta cheese through walnuts together in a small bowl.
9. Spread filling evenly over the bottom oatmeal layer.
10. Take out the reserved dough from the refrigerator and crumble over the filling.
11. Bake 40 to 50 minutes.
12. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars. Refrigerate if necessary.
Tip when cutting make long cuts the length of the pan. Clean knife, between cuts, in hot water and dry with kitchen towel.
Store uneaten bars in refrigerator.