NomEatNom - Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars

You may have noticed that I’ve been a little quiet for the past few days.

I do actually have a good excuse, though!

The hubby and I have been busy trekking across the country to visit my family. Thankfully, we managed to make it all in one piece. Actually, make that two can’t-wait-to-get-out-of-the-car pieces!

We may have been dealing with a mild case of claustrophobia, but you better believe we didn’t go hungry! In fact, I learned early in my life to always have a healthy snack with me, just in case.

You see, when I get hungry, I get cranky.

And that never ends pretty.

So, I knew that I would need lots of snacks to have along with me on the road. I had tons of fresh fruit…but that can only take you so far…

I’ve always been a big fan of Larabars due to their use of simple, REAL food ingredients. However, my wallet is not always a fan.

Naturally, I decided to try making my own! After all, the ingredients are pretty simple. Now, you may notice that most Larabars call for dates. I love dates, but I was out of them…so I decided to improvise with raisins.

I am so, so glad that I did!

For one thing, they really do taste just like oatmeal raisin cookies, which have always held a special place in my heart.

Secondly, they are ultra-portable, so they are great to have around when on-the-go.

Plus, they are so stinkin’ easy to make!! Seriously. It takes mere minutes.

OH, and they are sweetened only with the goodness of raisins and have never set foot in a factory. You can’t say that about the other snack bars out there!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars
(Yields about 7 bars)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup rolled oats (you can also use quinoa flakes, if you prefer)
1 cup raw almonds, walnuts, or pecans
1 cup raisins
Pinch or two of sea salt, according to taste
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Place the rolled oats in a food processor and process until the oats are ground almost into a flour.

Add all of the remaining ingredients to the food processor and blend until the almonds are chopped and everything is well-combined.

Divide the mixture into seven equal portions. Place each portion in between two pieces of plastic wrap, or inside a zip-top sandwich bag and then use your hand to shape it into a bar. Of course, you can form these into whatever shapes you want…stars, hearts, you name it! Or, you can always just eat it right off the spoon…a personal favorite of mine. 😉

These delicious babies can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks (although we never manage to keep them that long around here!), or you can even freeze them!

*This recipe was featured on Frugally Sustainable! 🙂