“Skinny” Oatmeal Raisin Bars

Mastermind Weekend 1/16

Hey there!

I'm Tina

I’m the owner of Carrots ‘N’ Cake as well as a Certified Nutrition Coach and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDN-P). I use macros and functional nutrition to help women find balance within their diets while achieving their body composition goals.

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My recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Bars is my absolute favoritecan’t-eat-just-one baked good. They’re seriously THE BEST! :mrgreen: And, pretty much every time I bake a batch, they’re completely gone within 2-3 days with me doing 90% of the damage! 😳 I realize it would be much easier to just not make these delicious treats, so I don’t devour them in less than 72 hours, but not enjoying these goodies would also make me pretty sad. So, what to do? “Skinny” the recipe!

“Skinny” Oatmeal Raisin Bars

Makes 9 bars

Ingredients:

2 cups dry oats

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup wheat bran

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

2 eggs

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Spray 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine ingredients until smooth.

3. Spread batter in prepared baking pan, and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes until bars are cooked all the way through.

4. Let bars cool completely in pan before cutting.


ChangesThe sweet brown sugar still dominates the bars, which makes me think that the 1/4 cup of sugar in the original recipe probably wasn’t needed at all, so I just nixed it. I reduced the amount of canola oil to 1/4 cup from 1/2 cup, which cut a number of calories from the recipe. I replaced 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour with 1/4 cup of wheat bran for some added fiber, protein, iron, and other nutritional goodies. I also added a tiny amount of vanilla extract for some added sweetness.

My Review: Flavor-wise, the “skinny” version of Oatmeal Raisin Bars is pretty close to the original, but not nearly as sweet. The texture of the “skinny” bars is a tad more chewy and dense compared to the original recipe. If you’re in the mood for a sweet treat, but not necessarily dessert, these “Skinny” Oatmeal Raisins Bars are perfect for satisfying that craving!

Spring it!

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63 Comments

  1. Hi Tina! I’m so glad I came across your blog as I am a former Bostonian! I live in Europe now and am often homesick, so reading your blog is very heartwarming! :):):) I love the idea of making a recipe’s ‘skinny’ version, as I am a cookie monster myself, it makes devouring a half batch that much more acceptable 😛 Looking forward to new recipes and trying out your old ones! Have a great summer! -Lena

  2. I have them in the oven now and substituted the Oat Bran the Whey Protein powder to add more protein :0 Let you know how it comes out 🙂

    Thanks so happy to find your site !

  3. They came out GREAT !! Using the Whey Protein (22g) for 1/4 cup making the total bar 33g of protein ! Again i used the Whey Protein instead of Wheat Bran 🙂

  4. i know i’m kind of late on the draw here, having only stumbled onto this recipe a few weeks ago, but i have to be honest: the bars i made from this recipe were dry and chalky! i was so disappointed! i read through your recipe again, and saw where you cut out some of the oil, but you didn’t replace it with anything. so i replaced the brown sugar with honey, and i added 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce. they came out super-moist and delicious! i just wanted to tell you that when baking, you can replace a portion (if not all) of the oil with applesauce, and still have moist, low-fat baked goods.

  5. Yum! Oats are my breakfast everyday! I usually use oat bran- it’s so fun to get creative with what you can do with something as bland as this grain- but it’s so delicious and nutritious! I want to try baking these into bars, maybe even add some chocolate chips 🙂 flax meal adds a good nutty flavor as well- plus a added nutrition kick-yummy!

  6. Was searching online for healthier-but-good cookie recipes, and stumbled upon your website. After searching, I found these Skinny Oatmeal Raisin Bars and WOW! Thank you so much for posting these. I soaked the raisins for about 5 minutes first (something my in-laws taught me- so they don’t dry out in the oven) and doubled the recipe, but kept the eggs at 2. After they were done and cooled, I drizzled them very lightly with melted peanut butter and then cut them.
    I know they’ll be made a lot in my house, especially since they’re healthier then a lot of other things that I make.
    Thanks again!

  7. I realise I’m years late to the party but I was wondering how long these will last if refrigerated? I really want to make them for early mornings on-the-go as they are exactly what I need. Thanks!

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