When my son John was diagnosed with food allergies, I remember one of the first things I searched my local grocery store for were allergen safe cereal bars. With my daughter, they were were the perfect on the go snack, packed with nutrition, soft and chewy (perfect for little toddlers who like to “gum” instead of chew food) and most important were easy to pack in my diaper bag. At first there were no dairy, egg and nut free options available. So then I trekked to Whole Foods, thinking surely they must have some kind of healthy, all natural cereal bar John could eat. I found nothing. This was six years ago, and believe me when I tell you there weren’t as many options then as there are now.
So I gave up for a while, resorting to fresh fruit, dried fruit and allergen safe crackers.to pack in my diaper bag. But then I came across my mother’s old stack of favorite recipes. They were typewritten on stacks of construction paper, and I recognized an old favorite of mine, Raspberry Bars. That was it…I knew I had to modify it to make it allergen safe, but also to experience the delicious home baked joy of these bars.
With a few adjustments I can proudly say these are safe AND delicious. It doesn’t even matter that they don’t contain dairy, eggs or nuts because they are just plain yummy. The smell of the bars baking in the kitchen can’t be beat either. Use any jam you like, or homemade summer berry preserves would be even better. This is also a really fun recipe to make with your kids as they love to pat the oat mixture into the pan and help spread the jam all over. It couldn’t be any easier. Enjoy!
DAIRY, EGG AND NUT FREE OATMEAL RASBERRY BARS
½ c. dairy free margarine, room temperature
1 c. light brown sugar
1 ½ c. unbleached all purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 ½ c. quick cooking oats
¼ c. water
1 1/2 c. raspberry or strawberry jam
1 tsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. grated lemon zest
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13 x 9 glass Pyrex baking dish with dairy free baking spray.
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. In a separate medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Add to the margarine mixture and combine until mixture is crumbly, scraping down sides as needed. Add the oats and water; mix with a rubber spatula until just combined.
Combine the fruit jam with lemon juice and zest in a small bowl; set aside.
Spread half of oatmeal mixture into prepared baking pan. Spread the jam mixture on top of base. Add the remainder of the oats mixture and sprinkle evenly over jam mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until set. Cool completely and cut into bars.
Yield: 36 bars
This is perfect to make today, especially with it being on the cool side. LOVE rasberry and oatmeal combined! Yum!
This sounds so good! yum…
This is probably a stupid question, but are quick cooking oats the “5 min oats?”
You’ve yet to fail us on awesome recipes – I can’t wait to try this one out.
Yep! You can use 5 minute or 1 minute, I just don’t recommend the “Old Fashioned” oat variety. Let me know how it works for you!
Just made them last night… they were great!!! We used Sugar Free Seedless Strawberry Preserve. My 18 month old loved the chewy texture. Thanks for the great recipe. I may try it with peach preserve next time. Keep up the good work. Can’t wait to buy your book!
Oh my these look yummy. I have everything on hand, think I am going to try these. I just love your recipes. Think I need to break down and get the book.
Fantastic Mandy! Thanks so much! I think peach preserves sounds delicious. I’ve been on a major peach and nectarine kick lately….
Thanks so much Elaine! Definitely give them a try…they are super easy!
Oooh…I definitely gotta try this! It looks sooo yummy!
Thanks Rianne!
These were great! I made these for a morning play date and everyone enjoyed them, both kids and moms. I’ve been hunting for a snack similar to a cereal bar and these exceeded my expectations. Thanks for all of your recipes!
You’re very welcome Sarah! I love these for playdates too…healthy, yet sweet and delicious. Thanks for writing!
I have to know – are these “hold-able”? I need a chewy fruit bar that I can bring with me, finger food stuff. We eat Kashi bars right now but they’re too expensive. We can eat “may contain trace amounts of….” foods, so Kashi is ok for us, but too pricey and if these would work as finger food — !!!!!
Hi Bethany, My recommendation would be to bake these for a a couple minutes longer than the time directed, so it “sets” more firmly. Then, wrap well in either a parchment/foil combination, or a plastic covered container. We eat the Kashi bars too, but you’re right, they are expensive and they get smushy too.
These were SO good – I made them Sat then had to make a SECOND batch on Sunday after my husband and 2 boys ate the entire first batch in 1 day! Thanks so much – will have to stock up on raspberry jelly (although rasp & strawberry mixed worked too!)! Thanks!
I’m so happy your family devoured those bars! They are also a favorite in my house! Try it with any jam you love.
Thanks! I’ll give them a try tonight, I’m excited! My kids LOVE baked goods. Now cross your fingers with me that our food testing later this summer doesn’t show WHEAT on the rast results or I am going to cry.
Bethany…good luck on the RAST results! I’m a purist when it comes to bagels, so I didn’t test with raisins or cinnamon, but I think it would turn out OK. It’s hard to say without first making it myself. If you want, try adding 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1 c. raisins or currants to the batter and see how it goes! Good luck!
Going to the store today for ingredients to make these yummy looking bars! I just discovered your website and I am thrilled to now have this as a resource. Thank You so much for your hard work and kind heart. This is such a help with my 12 month old daughters allergies.
Thanks so much Lindsay!! That is very sweet of you to say! I am sure your daughter is going to love all the new treats coming her way!
I’ve been making them with the 5 min oats & homemade raspberry jam (I’m going to miss summer & all these fresh fruits!) & they are fabulous! We can’t get enough of them. Thanks for another great treat!
Made this with Caroline this morning. HUGE hit! She loved patting the oatmeal mixture into the pan as predicted and the whole family is gobbling like crazy.
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