Festive Chewy Oat Bars (Printable Version)

Golden oat bars featuring dried fruits, nuts, and warming spices for festive or everyday snacking.

# What You'll Need:

01 - 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

02 - 1 cup all-purpose flour

03 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

04 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

05 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

06 - 1/2 cup dried cranberries

07 - 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

08 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

09 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

10 - 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup

11 - 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

12 - 1 large egg

13 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.

02 - In a large bowl, mix rolled oats, all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt until evenly combined.

03 - Fold dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, and chopped walnuts or pecans into the dry mixture until well distributed.

04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together melted butter, honey or maple syrup, light brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth.

05 - Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir gently until fully incorporated.

06 - Evenly spread and firmly press the mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with a spatula.

07 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes until the edges turn golden and the center is set.

08 - Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, then lift out using the parchment overhang and cut into 12 bars.

01 -

They're chewy in the center with just enough structure to hold together, so you get that satisfying bite without crumbles everywhere.
The combination of honey and brown sugar creates this subtle depth that makes them taste far more interesting than their ingredient list suggests.
One batch yields enough for a small crowd or a week of quiet kitchen moments by yourself, and they somehow taste even better the next day.

02 -

These bars continue to firm up as they cool, so if they seem slightly underbaked when you first pull them out, that's actually perfect—they'll set to the ideal chewy texture you're after.
I once forgot to mix the wet and dry separately and just dumped everything together, and the resulting texture was gritty because the flour didn't hydrate properly, so resist that temptation even when you're impatient.
Room temperature is everything for how they hold together; if you try to cut them while even slightly warm, they'll crumble, but cold bars slice cleanly.

03 -

Melting your butter before mixing means it distributes evenly and creates a tender crumb instead of dense pockets, which is the difference between bars people enjoy and bars people feel obligated to finish.
Pressing the mixture firmly into the pan with a slightly damp spatula prevents gaps and ensures even baking, and it only takes an extra 30 seconds of attention.
If you want the edges to crisp up a bit more without overbaking the center, rotate the pan halfway through baking.