Secret Recipe Club: Oatmeal Cranberry Bars

Who am I trying to kid? Once I get something stuck in my head, there's just no convincing me otherwise. For the last couple of weeks I have tried not to think about the upcoming fall season. I have really tried to enjoy the last precious few weeks of summer, and not think about fall, but I'm fighting a losing battle. I am ready for fall. To me the beginning of September and Labor Day weekend will always be the unofficial beginning of the fall season. That's how it was for the first 26 years of my life that I lived in the US, and it's still the same way now that I'm about to turn 40 and have been living in Mexico for almost 14 years. I want apples, pumpkins (I bought my first pumpkin of the season on Friday), rich spices, cooler days and warm bevvies. So, when trying to decide which recipe to make this month for The Secret Recipe Club, I was looking for something fall inspired.

My blog assignment this month was Food Ramblings, written by Elizabeth, who loves to cook, travel, and eat. (A woman after my own heart!) Elizabeth's blog has plenty of fall inspired recipes to choose from like Apple Cinnamon Pancakes, Pumpkin Apple Muffins, and Pumpkin Butter Swirled Blondies (swoon!). Ultimately I ended up choosing to make her Oatmeal Craisin Cookies, because I thought not only would they taste like fall, but they'd also make for a great lunchbox treat for my kiddies. And because Jack, my youngest, absolutely LOVES dried cranberries.

I was not disappointed. I've always loved the combination of oats and cinnamon, and the ruby red dried cranberries added a slight tartness that made these Oatmeal Cranberry Bars hard to resist. My kiddies requested these in their lunch boxes every day last week. And on Saturday, my girls and I whipped up another batch for the coming week, but they disappeared before the end of the day. And I'm pretty sure that

Oatmeal Cranberry Bars - lacocinadeleslie.com

Oatmeal Cranberry Bars
(Recipe slightly adapted from Food Ramblings)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar (I used azúcar mascabado)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground nutmeg; set aside.

In a large bowl beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla until well combined. Stir in the flour mixture, oats, and cranberries. Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared 9x13-inch baking pan.

Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely. Cut into squares. Enjoy!