Whole Wheat Strawberry Oat Bars

Dear Recipe Editor,
“I am a person who likes variety and when fruits are in season, I try to make things in abundance. If you run a week on cookies again, I could use a few more bar cookies, as they stretch in storage, etc. Looking forward to your weekly recipes, especially the desserts.” ~ Marie Z. from Madison, Ohio

Thanks for writing, Marie! Fruit bar cookies are one of my favorites (who am I kidding, I don’t discriminate against any cookie), and I’m sure there are lots who agree! I’m excited to see how many of your fellow readers share their fruit bar cookie recipes over the next couple of weeks!
~Jen

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup oats
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 1/4 cup chopped raw cashews (or other nuts)
• 5 cups sliced strawberries
• 6 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375° F. Grease 9×13 baking dish.
2. Place oats, flour, cinnamon and salt in bowl of food processor; pulse until finely ground.
3. Add butter and pulse until mixture forms large crumbs.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the egg and canola oil; add to butter mixture and blend.
5. Transfer ¾ cup of the mixture to a bowl and stir in the nuts; set aside.
6. Press remaining mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan to form a crust.
7. In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, sugar, corn starch and lemon juice. Spread strawberry mixture evenly on top of crust.
8. Sprinkle reserved nut mixture over top.
9. Bake 40 minutes. Cool; refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cut into 24 pieces.