Cherry Whole Grain Cereal Bars

Drop dried cherries into home-made cereal bars for a delicious and nutritious alternative to doughnuts or pastries.

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
2 cups dried tart cherries
1/2 cup tart cherry juice
1 1/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup packed SPLENDA® sweetener & brown sugar blend
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8" square baking pan with cooking spray.
In a medium saucepan, heat cherries and juice to a simmer and cook until liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat. Cool slightly. Place in a food processor and process until puréed. Remove from processor and set aside. Wash and wipe dry processor bowl and blade. Place oats, all-purpose and whole wheat flours, Splenda®, ginger, and soda in a food processor and process until oats are finely ground. Pour in butter and pulse just until mixture begins to cling together. Reserve 1 1/4 cups crumb mixture for topping. Pour remaining mixture into the bottom of the baking pan and pat down firmly. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and spread puréed cherries on evenly over top of crust.* Sprinkle reserved oat mixture evenly over cherry layer and pat down firmly. Return to oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until slightly golden and topping appears set. Remove from oven. Cool and cut into 12 bars.

*Note: To easily spread puréed cherries on baked crust, spoon small spoonfuls evenly on top, then spread with a wet spatula.

Nutrition Info:
Nutrition Facts per bar: 121 calories, 4 g total fat, 2 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 18 g carbohydrate, 10 mg cholesterol, 2 g protein, 1 g fiber, 35 mg sodium; Daily Values: 10% vitamin A, 0% vitamin C, 0% calcium, 4% iron

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