Dried Cranberry Cookie Bars

Awhile back I was looking for a dessert to make and I stumbled across these Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars from Baking Bites. They looked so nice, and moist and chewy, I knew I had found the dessert to make. Being that my brother David was going to be at the dinner these were meant to be dessert for and he doesn't like raisins, I substituted dried cranberries in place of the raisins in the recipe. They gave them a nice sweet texture. I also doubled the original recipe since I usually need to make larger quantities for our crowd. I baked mine in a 13x9 inch pan. Click on the link for the original recipe if you want to make a smaller batch.

Keep an eye on these while baking. It is important not to overbake them, so that they retain their chewy texture rather than becoming dry. The bars should look set in the center and have a nice light golden color on top.

Dried Cranberry Cookie Bars
From Baking Bites

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup butter, melted and cooled
4 cups quick cooking (not instant) oats
3 cups dried cranberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9 inch baking pan with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour,sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and spices in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and stir in vanilla, egg and melted butter until smooth. Stir in oats and dried cranberries until they are evenly distributed.

Pour dough into prepared pan and spread into an even layer with a spatula or your fingers. Bake for 22-26 minutes, or until bars are set and the center no longer looks wet. Edges will be golden brown. Cool pan on a wire rack before slicing. Cut into bars and serve.