Tuesday's Recipe

I'm under a self-imposed baking ban (but still trying to stretch the remains of the last pre-ban treat, rhubarb cake, similar to this recipe). There is an exception, however, for certain items.

So Sunday I made Breakfast Bars, combining parts of a Sun-Maid Raisins recipe with its super fiber variation:

Breakfast Bars

Ingredients
1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C flaxseed meal
3/4 C toasted wheat germ
1/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 C canola oil
1/4 C honey
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
14 bite-size prunes, chopped
1/4 C pecan halves, chopped
1/3 C Craisins

Directions
Heat oven to 350F. Grease an 8" square pan. Combine first six dry ingredients in medium bowl. Stir in oil, honey, egg, vanilla; mix well. Stir in fruit and nuts. Press mixture firmly into greased pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely before slicing. Bars may be slightly crumbly. Makes 10 bars.

Nutritional Facts (according to my calculations):
per bar: 217 calories, 9.7 grams fat, 4.4 grams protein, 2.3 grams fiber.

Assessment
Too much oil, which is actually a good thing, because even before the bars were out of the oven I was thinking about how to reduce the percentage of fat. Next time I will try 3 Tbs oil, 1/4 C white flour and 1/4 C whole wheat flour, perhaps with some low-fat granola thrown in (see below). Could have stood more prunes--I just didn't feel like chopping any more.

My mother's variation (she discovered the recipe) includes 3/4 C all-purpose flour, granola in place of wheat germ, pine nuts, chopped dates, and no flaxseed meal. Extremely tasty.