These oatmeal-raisin-cranberry-walnut bars are more like granola bars than they are like cookies. They’re great for breakfast on the go or for an afternoon snack; I like to pack one in my golf bag and bring them on road trips.

If you’ve hung around here long enough, you know that I like things less sweet, and I tend to reduce the amount of sugar in most recipes for baked goods (unless I’m worried that doing so will upset the balance of dry and liquid ingredients in a recipe). Here, I omitted 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, figuring that 3/4 cup of brown sugar would be plenty. I’ve made these oatmeal bar cookies many times and finally thought to write down the alterations I’ve made to the original recipe. (This is based on the vanishing oatmeal cookie recipe on cartons of Quaker Oats.) If you simply HAVE to [ahem, Dad], then by all means add the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar called for in Quaker’s version.

oatmeal raisin cranberry bar cookies

(makes 24)

1 stick + 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped

<edit: whoops! I neglected to include instructions>

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar(s) until fluffy; add eggs and vanilla and blend together well. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and blend well. Add oats, dried fruit and nuts, and blend well. Press the mixture into an ungreased 13-inch-by-9-inch baking dish. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until nicely golden. Cool, then cut into 24 bars.