How2Coupon: Recipe: Blueberry and Apricot Cereal Bars!

My son loves soft-baked bars, Fig Newton style. I'm not really a fan, but after our stash of Back To Nature bars ran out (we'd purchased them at the Grocery Outlet for super-cheap and now they're nowhere to be found), it was time to start Pinterest-ing for recipes.

I landed upon this intriguing concoction by Food and Whine, and after a little tweaking to fit the ingredients I had on hand, what emerged from the oven was a winner. As you can tell from the above photo, my kiddo is a big fan. Please tweak the recipe to suit your pantry as needed!

Blueberry and Apricot Cereal Bars

Filling:
1 cup blueberries (thaw if frozen, which is what I used)

1 cup of Peeled Snacks Apricot-a-lot dried apricots

1/4 cup water (add more if needed)
1 heaping Tbsp. Chia seeds

Dough:
2 cups flour (1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 cup of oat flour)
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flax seeds
2 Tbsp. wheat bran
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup almond milk

::In a saucepan on medium-high heat, simmer the filling ingredients until the fruit is soft. Blend until smooth and thick with an immersion blender or using your food processor, which is what I did.

::While the filling cools, make your dough. Combine flour(s), baking powder, sugar, flax, wheat bran and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk and form a ball with the dough. Add more flour as necessary if it's too sticky.

::On a floured surface, take half the dough at a time and roll it out into a rectangular shape with about 1/8" thickness. Cut the dough into long strips with about a 3" width. Spread a thin layer of filling down the center of the strips. Fold the strips over and seal the edges shut. Cut the strips into 3" bars. {Not going to lie, I struggled with this part. For some reason, my bars didn't look as pretty as the ones from the recipe, which is why I don't have any pictures. That, and the kiddos ate them like it was they're last meal!}

::Place on a lightly greased baking sheet at bake at 350F for 16-18 minutes. Makes about 18-20 bars.