Everything Breakfast Bars

After being hectically busy these past few weeks the mayhem died down today and I had the first lazy day in a while. As I scrambled to come up with something to make for today I ran across this recipe. My main requirement in the recipe was not leaving the house to go to the store and oddly enough, I had everything in it. Because I have never had good luck with recipes that call for oil as a shortening, I substituted unsweetened apple sauce. Also, I tried to sweeten it up a bit by using sweetened coconut flakes and substituting slivered almonds for heath toffee pieces. I've also been having complaints of overdone/dryness in my baking; which I attribute to my gas range. As a result, I cut about 5 minutes off the baking time. Also, I ran out of oats so I cut the oats and upped the flour a little bit. The original recipe calls for 3 cups of oats and 1 1/2 cups of flour.



Ingredients

• Butter (for the pan)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 2/3 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned (not quick-cooking) oats
• 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped dates
• 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
• 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup Heath toffee pieces (in the baking aisle)

Directions

1. Set the oven at 375 degrees. Butter an 11-by-16-inch jellyroll pan. Have on hand a 12-inch sheet of foil.
2. In an electric mixer, combine the butter, applesauce, and sugar. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and honey until thoroughly combined.
3. Add the flour, baking soda mixture, and salt. Stir well until the flour mixture is moist. Beat in the oats, coconut, raisins, dates, cranberries, walnuts, and toffee pieces.
4. Have a bowl of cold water nearby. Tip the batter into the pan and spread it with a rubber spatula. Then dip your hands into the water and pat the dough to within 3 inches of one short side (so you have a rectangle that is 11 by 13 inches. Roll up the sheet of foil, flatten it to make a 1-inch-wide band, and press the band against the dough on the empty side to keep it in place. Alternatively, just shape it with a silicone spatula into a 1" thick square.
5. Bake the bars for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and firm to the touch.
6. Remove from the oven and set the pan on a rack to cool.
7. Make 4 lengthwise and 5 crosswise cuts to form 30 bars. Wrap them in plastic wrap and store in airtight container.