Cranberry Bars

I love having healthy snacks around my house and this recipe is one that we make time and time again especially around the holidays. It is easy and you can customize to personal tastes and seasons. I like this snack with cherries and my husband prefers apples but this week I made them with cranberries because it's Thanksgiving and cranberries seem like they accompany Thanksgiving. You can also add nuts, seeds, chocolate, fresh fruit, dried fruit, or mix and match a few of each. I originally got this recipe from a friend but have made adjustments and changes to soften them, make the texture smoother, and work to fit the food allergies in our family. I also found my toddler liked these ten times more if I pressed the mixture into a cookie cutter before baking them because food in the shape of hearts, stars, circles, and the letter S is way more fun to eat!  I hope you enjoy!  

Cranberry Bars

Ingredients

3/4 cup quick oats

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (can be stored in the freezer up to one year)

1/2 tsp. flax meal

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup dried cranberries

2 mashes ripe bananas

1/8 cup canola oil

1 tsp. honey

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Combine oats, coconut, flax meal, salt, and cranberries. Stir in bananas, oil, honey and vanilla until combined.

3. Press a heaping tablespoon of mixture into  cookie cutter of choice (making sure each car bar is approximately 1 1/2 inches thick) onto the cookie sheet. Continue with the remaining mixture.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on the pan and store in an air tight container for up to three days.