Breakfast Bars

Breakfast for me and the girls is no big deal, we're always home and can make whatever it is that we want. My husband, however, is often up very early and on his way to work before he gets a chance for breakfast. When I saw these breakfast bars on Pinterest, I had to track them back to the recipe at Smitten Kitchen. And then I had to make them~ oh, I'm glad I did!

They are simple to make, can be frozen and are really delicious. They make a great breakfast on the go, the girls have loved them as snacks and they are easy to transport if need be. Slightly sweet, but not overly so, they taste like eating a cookies and fresh raspberries. If you choose to make them ahead and freeze them, the bar gets a little softer but not so much that they become soggy.

Raspberry Breakfast Bars
ever so slightly adapted from Baked: New Frontiers In Baking

Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

Put the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a bowl and mix them up well. Add the butter and either 1) use your mixer to make loose crumbs 2) use a pastry blender to make loose crumbs or 3) rub the mixture with your fingers to make loose crumbs or 4) you could toss it all into a food processor and whiz it up until a loose crumb forms. Totally up to you. Put a piece of parchment paper or foil in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan and spray it with non stick spray. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the crumb and press the rest into your pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack.

While that is cooling.....

Raspberry Filling:

1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (12 oz) package of unsweetened frozen raspberries
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

In a bowl combine all of the ingredients and toss them so that they all combine. Spread over cooled crust and top with reserved crumb mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes, turning every 10-15 minutes until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot. Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting. Make 12-14 bars, depending on size.

These are reportedly good for about 2 days, but we didn't have any left by that time! I did freeze one to see how it would do and I was impressed, next time I'll make a double batch and freeze most of them for later.

I think with a little variation you could make these in many different flavors.

• Blackberries with orange or lime zest and juice
• Blueberries with lemon or lime zest and juice
• Strawberries with lemon zest and juice
• Mixed berries with lemon, lime or orange zest and juice

We've really enjoyed these and I can't wait for fresh berry season to come around so I can make them with berries from our garden!