Chewy Oatmeal Spice Bars

Fill your home with the comforting scent of vanilla, the spicy bite of cinnamon and nutmeg, the cosy sweetness of brown sugar and toasty oats, and just a hint of apple. It’s the warm welcome only the oven-fresh baking smell can create.

Ingredients

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons margarine
3/4 cup apple butter or apple sauce
2 egg whites or 1 egg
2 tablespoons skim milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
3 cups Large Flake Quaker^® Oats or Quick Quaker^® Oats (uncooked)
1 cup raisins or diced dried mixed fruit

How to make it

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 13 x 9 inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.
Beat together sugars and margarine until well blended. Add apple butter, egg whites, milk and vanilla; beat well.
Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg; mix well. Stir in oats and raisins; mix well. (Dough will be moist.)
Press dough onto bottom of baking pan.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely in pan. Store in tightly covered container.