Breakfast Bar Update

WHOA!  Four posts in one week!  Don't get used to it.  This is going to be a quickie, mostly copying/pasting from the Quaker Oats website because...

...I have abandoned my search for the perfect breakfast bar and reverted back to my old faithful breakfast standby:  chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.  I thought I'd just throw it your way in case you're interested.  Or, if you buy Quaker Old Fashioned Oats, it's the recipe on lid of the box/canister.  Or you can find it, and lots of other oats recipes, here:

http://www.quakeroats.com/home.aspx

I use whole wheat flour and sub choc chips for the raisins.  I've also cut back on the butter, using only 1 stick and still had great results; they're not quite as soft and fluffy, but still taste good and are better for you.  Yes, it's still a lot of sugar, but of all the recipes I've tried (some of which I've thrown away), this is my favorite breakfast-on-the-fly.  If it makes you feel better, make them into bars (see "Variations" part of recipe) and then you can tell yourself you're eating an oatmeal breakfast bar.  It sounds better than cookie.


Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3/4  cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2  cup granulated sugar
• 2  eggs
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1-1/2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2  teaspoon salt (optional)
• 3  cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1  cup raisins

Preparation

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time Time: 08 min

Variations

Bar Cookies: Press dough onto bottom of ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Store tightly covered. 24 BARS. VARIATIONS: Stir in 1 cup chopped nuts. Substitute 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or candy-coated chocolate pieces for raisins; omit cinnamon. Substitute 1 cup diced dried mixed fruit. HIGH ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENT: Increase flour to 1-3/4 cups and bake as directed.