Tasty Tuesday ~ Whole Grain Get Up and Go Bars

Whole Grain Get-Up-and-Go Bars

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 1/4 cups regular oats
1 cup chopped dried fruit, such as strawberries, cherries, blueberries or cranberries
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat flour, preferably pastry flour
1/2 cup sliced almonds or sunflower seed kernels (I used a 1/4 cup of each)
1/4 cup wheat germ or ground flax seed
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
3/4 cup Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt or any fruit Greek Yogurt
2 tablespoons Cabot Salted Butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract


Directions
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Coat 8-inch or 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.

COMBINE first 6 ingredients (through wheat germ) in a large bowl.

BEAT egg whites lightly with fork in a small bowl; stir in yogurt, butter and extract. Add to dry ingredients, stirring well to combine.

SPREAD mixture evenly in prepared baking dish. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until set all the way to center and lightly browned on top. Let cool and cut into bars.

Note: These bars are soft and chewy. If crisper, drier bar is preferred, place cut bars on baking sheet and bake at 200°F for an additional 1 ½ hours.