Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Squares
PIN IT!These amazing soft and chew oatmeal raisin squares taste just like your favorite cookie, just in a bigger, chewier square. Oh, and because they have oatmeal, you can totally eat them for breakfast!
A few days ago, I was having a chat with a new friend. When I was telling her what I did for a living (food & travel writer, recipe developer & occasional home/craft writer) she responded with “Gosh, you sound like the perfect domestic goddess!” I laughed so hard I almost spit my coffee all over my keyboard. Me? A Domestic Goddess? Clearly, she hasn’t seen me coated in flour and powdered sugar, with 45 dishes piled in the sink and an array of plates, fresh herbs, chocolate chips and more all over my dining room table. Clearly she hasn’t seen the dust bunnies (who have recently reproduced and invited their family to live with them) who dwell under my tables and consoles. Or how about that 1 year old pile of mail I still need to toss? Or the piles of clothes in my room?
After I laughed for about 10 minutes, I started to think a little about domesticity. What actually qualifies someone as domestic? What makes someone a domestic goddess? Sure, I hate dusting, would rather give myself a partial labatomy than do dishes and would rather set myself on fire than put away my laundry, but there are house keeping things that I absolutely love. Like making my bed. This is a new revelation, but now I can’t go downstairs for coffee until our bed is made. I also love doing laundry. I may keep the clean laundry in hampers for weeks, but there’s never more than a few socks in our dirty laundry pile. Oh and vacuuming, don’t even get me started. I LOVE it. And loading the dishwasher is a source of great joy for me (not kidding).
If you were to visit my house now, you’d see all of this first hand. You’d hear my dishwashing humming along, you’d see my perfectly made bed. You’d probably hear the washing and dryer bumping around as they toss, tumble and dry. You’d also see two large hampers full of clothes, a few pots and pans “soaking” in the sink, a few lonely dust bunnies sunning themselves on the stairs. You’d also probably see lots of dog hair on the couch and piles of (clean) props scattered on my table.
I wonder, if you saw that, would you classify me as a domestic person? Or just a regular girl with things she loves and hates to do? It’s such a strange word and a strange way to classify someone, don’t you think? And I still beg the question, what actually makes you domestic or not? So friends, please leave your comments below on what you think. I’m channeling my inner Carrie Bradshaw today!
Oh and if you say “omg those squares look heavenly!” that’s okay too. That’s probably how I’d answer anyway 🙂
Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Squares
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves about 14. Inspired by Martha Stewart.
Prep time: >10 minutes
Cook time: 26 – 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 2/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- Dash of salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8 glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, applesauce and sugars together until creamy. Mix in the egg and beat until combined.
- In another bowl, whisk the flours, cinnamon and oats together. Add the flour/oat mixture to the butter/applesauce mixture and mix to combine. Carefully fold in the raisins and pecans.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for about 26 – 30 minutes, or until golden brown (and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean).
- Let cool slightly and then cut into squares.
Nutritional information per square:
Calories: 255
Fat: 8 grams
Carbohydrates: 41 grams
Fiber: 2.2 grams
Protein: 5.6 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 7
Claire
Tags:breakfast recipes, healthy recipes, oatmeal raisin recipes, oatmeal recipes, raisin recipes, soft recipes
Oh, and by the way "omg those squares look heavenly." :-)
And the bars look great!
Oh and: omg those squares look heavenly!