Maple Pecan Oatmeal Bars

Much like Jennifer's last post, these bars are somewhat rare in that they contain no chocolate. Incidentally, they're also delicious (or so I hear... they've disappeared before I've gotten one the last two times I made them).

Ingredients:



2 1/2 cups rolled oats (not the "quick 1-minute" kind!)
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 sticks sweet butter
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup


Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine the oats and pecans in a medium bowl.




Heat the butter, brown sugar, and syrup in a medium-sized saucepan, stirring occasionally, until dissolved.




Remove from the heat, stir in the oats and nuts, and mix well.




Spread evenly in a well-greased 7 or 8 inch square pan, press down.




Bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and cool. Do not remove the bars from the pan until they are completely cold (I put them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before I even try to cut them). Store in an airtight container for up to one week or freeze for up to one month... if they last that long! :-)

I've had some trouble with them not staying together (in bar form) very well. Could be because the first two times I used margarine so Jenna could partake... but anyway, if it happens, it's apparently still good to just eat with a spoon! I imagine they would be good "a la mode" too... (Update: they seem to do better if they're slightly chilled - I recommend sticking them in the refrigerator for a while before serving.)

Also, they can get quite sticky. When I cut them up and take them out of the pan, I put them on parchment paper (or waxed paper) and *then* into an airtight container of some variety. That way you can remove the whole piece of parchment/waxed paper from the tupperware and peel the parchment/waxed paper back from the bars, if necessary.