Fruit and Oat Bars

When the grandkids are at camp or some summer program away, I send cookies.

I don’t send any that include nuts or peanut products in case of allergies. Typically, the gift box is filled with the usual favorites: Fannies (thumbprint butter cookies) and Grand Finale cookies (oatmeal-raisin chocolate chip cookies).

Frankly, I was getting a bit bored baking the same stuff, so, although I did bake the usual, I also sent some Saint Cupcake’s Brownie cookies, from a recipe I got from a friend who once owned a bakery in Portland, Oregon. They are the best chocolate cookies I ever tasted.

And I sent these fabulous fruit-and-oat bars, which were wildly successful with the kids and also the grownups left at home (I made enough for a mob).

Next time you’re looking for a summer camp goodie box or just want a tasty snack — think of these. They also make a nice gift of Purim mishloach manot.

Follow me on Instagram @RonnieVFein

Fruit and Oat Bars

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1-1/2 cups quick cooking oats

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 3/4 cup butter or margarine

• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

• 1/2 cup chopped dates

• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

• 13-14 ounce jar orange marmalade (1-1/2 cups)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9”x13” cake pan. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Add the oats and brown sugar and mix the ingredients thoroughly to distribute them evenly. Cut the butter into chunks and work into the dry ingredients (with fingers or process on pulse in a food processor) until the butter is completely mixed in and the mixture looks crumbly. Mix in the apricots, dates and cranberries. Press the mixture evenly inside the prepared pan. Spread the marmalade evenly on top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool in the pan. Cut into bars or squares.

Makes 24-36

Cranberry-Oat-Chocolate Chip Bars

Back in the day — before emailing — I hand-delivered hard copy of the food articles I wrote to the editors of the various media I wrote for (I snail-mailed copy to the people who were further away). After some years I would deliver (or send) “floppy discs.”

Of course that ended long ago and with it, the hundreds of cookies I baked, packed, decorated and delivered to the various newsrooms during the year-end holiday season.

Today? I still bake cookies — not as many! — because I always think of the end of the calendar year as cookie season. Christmas cookies. Hanukkah cookies. New Year cookies. Kwanzaa cookies. I give a lot away to friends but there’s always a load left for us in my freezer.

Whatever you want to celebrate, cookies always win.

Like these Cranberry-Oat bars. Bonus: they’re egg-free, dairy-free and gluten-free.

Happy Everything.

Cranberry-Oat-Chocolate Chip Honey Bars

• 2 cups rolled oats

• 1/2 cup chopped almonds

• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup honey

• 1/3 cup maple syrup

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 cup dried cranberries

• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch square cake pan, line the pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang (to pull the cookies out after baking) of about 3-inches on each side. Lightly grease the paper. Place the oats and almonds on a cookie sheet and bake for 4-5 minutes, stirring once or twice, or until the oats and almonds are lightly toasted and aromatic. Remove from the oven. In a medium saucepan, combine the vegetable oil, honey, maple syrup, brown sugar and salt and cook, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes or until hot and smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the oat mixture. Stir in the cinnamon and cranberries. Let cool. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool. Remove by pulling the overhanging paper. Lift out, place on a cutting board and cut into 16-24 pieces.

Makes 16-24 cookies