Steel-Cut Oat Breakfast Bars

We'll get to more Passover recipes in a minute.  I have a few other discoveries to post first.

I bought steel-cut oats during the restock bonanza because I haven't had them in a while.  They're a bit time-consuming unless you do a single serving of overnight oats.  I was feeling in the mood for the cooked version, then wondered what would happen if you baked them like baked oatmeal.

A quick recipe search and some of my own ideas later, I came up with this recipe that conveniently used the rest of the open jar of mincemeat from my Purim hamantaschen.  I'm giving it here as diced dried fruit with extra liquid and spices.

This is not a quick recipe.  You start with soaking like overnight oats, then mix it up with the egg and fruit before baking.  It has to cool before you can cut them into bars.

The bars are not shelf-stable.  There's egg in the recipe.  You will have to keep them refrigerated, but they're convenient to slice up for several days of breakfasts or snacks.  I did not put any maple syrup in the recipe.  You can do that, or drizzle syrup to taste on top for extra sweetness.  I was in training for a cholesterol test, and the egg was pushing it.  Actually, everything I've eaten for the past month has been uncharacteristically bad for me.  My weight has only been stable because I'm portion controlling the heck out of it.  I'm promising to do better once Passover ends, but that will be after the doctor visit.  Wish me luck.

1 C steel-cut oats
2 C water
1 C milk
1 egg
*1 C diced dried fruit such as raisins, apricots, dates, etc
2 Tb sliced almonds, optional
1 Tb maple syrup, optional

1.  The night before, boil water and pour over oats.  Let stand for 8-12 hours.

2.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease an 8x8 casserole with pan spray or butter.

3.  Beat together milk and egg.  Stir in fruit and any optional fillings like nuts and maple syrup.  Stir mixture into the softened oats.  It isn't going to look all that appetizing.  Pour into the casserole, and it's still going to look not great.

4.  Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, until set.  Allow to cool fully before cutting into slices as desired and removing from the baking dish.  Can be served hot or cold.

Serves 4-6

Difficulty rating  :)