Baking

One of the things I dislike about traveling (besides leaving my family) is the FOOD you get.  It's all crap.  When I went on my last trip, I made muffins and these cookies and took them with me for fast breakfasts and quick snacks.  I'm so glad I had them.

I just found this recipe at  http://ohsheglows.com/2012/01/20/on-the-glow-basic-oatmeal-squares/ and am baking it to see if it's good as another option on trips.

Note, I copied and pasted the recipe over here and everything below the line is from her site (I am not trying to take any credit, but I just want the recipe in a place I can always find it).

Note, I decreased the sweetner from 1/2 c maple syrup to 1/4 c.  I'll let you know if they are good.  They just finished baking...  They are a little plain.  I'll eat them.  I'm curious to see if the girls will eat them.  I made them without chocolate chips; I will add chocolate chips the next time I make them.  (I may make them again very, very soon.  I think they will be delicious with chocolate!  They are plain without chocolate.  I may use them for PB sandwiches like she suggests.  I am also thinking a teeny bit more salt and more cinnamon!  I'd add more cinnamon if I were putting in raisins, apples, or blueberries.

I'll keep you posted on how they come out with chocolate.

---

Think of this oatmeal square as basic baked oatmeal that can be dressed up any way you like. Each large square contains a tablespoon of flax and a teaspoon of chia seeds as well as 7 grams of fibre and 6 grams of protein. Feel free to add in nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, and other mix-ins as you desire. Just be careful about frozen fruit. When I made a trial with frozen blueberries they became quite soggy. Use fresh blueberries and you should be fine.

Yield: 9 large squares

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups regular rolled oats (not instant oats), divided
• 3 tbsp chia seed
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp ground flax
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1.5 cups almond milk (or other milk)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
• 2 tbsp nut or seed butter
• 1 banana, chopped small
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• Dry sweetener, to taste if you want them a bit sweeter

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8 inch square pan with two pieces of parchment paper.

2. In a blender or food processor, blend/process 1 cup of the oats until a flour forms. Or you can just use 1 cup of oat flour.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: oat flour, 1.5 cups rolled oats, chia, flax, baking powder, salt, cinnamon. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: milk, syrup, nut/seed butter, banana, vanilla until no clumps remain. Add wet to dry and stir until combined. Add dry sweetener to taste if desired. Fold in any nuts or dried fruit that you desire.

4. Pour mixture into prepared pan and smooth out. Bake for 35-40 minutes until lightly golden along edge and it springs back slowly when touched. I baked them for 40 minutes, but baking time may vary. Place pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes, carefully remove, and cool on rack before slicing.