Peanut Butter Cranberry Go-Bars

Time: 1 hour, plus 30 minutes to chill. Loaded with good-for-you ingredients, these not-too-sweet bars still taste like a treat, and they'll withstand cold, heat, and being stuffed in a backpack or pocket. Natural peanut butters vary from brand to brand in terms of spreadability; we prefer Laura Scudder's Old Fashioned Nutty Peanut Butter, because it makes a moister, chewier bar.

Yield: Serves 16

Ingredients

• Cooking-oil spray
• 1  cup  regular rolled oats
• 1/3  cup  oat bran
• 3  tablespoons  flax seeds
• 1  cup  whole-wheat flour
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  cup  chopped roasted salted peanuts
• 1/2  cup  dried cranberries
• 1/2  cup  finely chopped dried Mission figs
• 3/4  cup  natural chunky peanut butter
• 1/4  cup  low-fat milk
• 1  large egg
• 1/2  cup  honey
• Finely shredded zest from 1 lemon
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1. Line a 9- by 13-in. pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang on the 9-in. sides, and coat with cooking-oil spray. In a large bowl, stir together oats, oat bran, flax seeds, flour, baking powder, salt, peanuts, cranberries, and figs until well blended.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together peanut butter, milk, egg, honey, lemon zest, and lemon juice until well blended.

3. Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture and beat until completely blended. Scrape dough into pan and, with wet fingers or a rubber spatula, pat to fill pan completely and evenly (dough is sticky, so you may need to wash your hands a few times). Chill dough until firm, about 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300°. Invert pan onto a work surface, lift off pan, and peel off plastic. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut straight down lengthwise through middle, then crosswise to make 16 bars, each 1 1/2 in. wide. Place bars about 1 in. apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

5. Bake bars until lightly browned and somewhat firm to touch, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Make ahead: Store airtight up to 2 weeks or freeze.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per bar.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

227 (40% from fat)

Protein:

7.4g

Fat:

10g (sat 1.5)

Carbohydrate:

29g

Fiber:

4.1g

Sodium:

160mg

Cholesterol:

13mg