Easy to eat, fun snacks like these solar-baked oatmeal bars help make sitting in traffic a little more bearable. This recipe is pretty basic. It can be jazzed up with mix-ins such as chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or dried fruit.
What Are Solar-Baked Oatmeal Bars?
These solar-baked oatmeal bars are somewhere between a soft granola bar and baked oatmeal, with a lightly sweet flavor and plenty of hearty oat texture. They make an easy grab-and-go breakfast or snack, especially when you want something that travels well without a lot of mess.
They’re also a great recipe for a solar oven because they don’t require an exact baking temperature or perfect timing. Once the bars are firm and lightly browned, they’re ready to come out. Pack a few for a road trip, take them camping, or keep them on hand for an easy breakfast at home.
Key Ingredients
Old-fashioned oats form the base of these bars and give them their chewy, hearty texture. Stick with old-fashioned rolled oats rather than instant oats, which can produce a softer and less substantial bar.
Whole wheat flour helps hold everything together while adding a little more texture than all-purpose flour.
Honey provides the sweetness and also helps bind the oats together. These bars are pleasantly sweet without tasting like dessert.
Raisins add small bursts of sweetness throughout the bars. They also make this a very easy pantry recipe since there’s no fresh fruit to prepare.
Orange juice may seem like an unusual addition, but the small amount adds moisture and a subtle brightness that works especially well with the raisins, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Tips for the Best Oatmeal Bars
Press the oat mixture firmly into the baking pans before placing them in the solar oven. A tightly packed mixture will hold together better when the finished oatmeal is cut into bars.
Preheat your solar oven while you prepare the ingredients. As with most solar recipes, cooking time can vary depending on sunshine, outdoor temperature, and the temperature your oven maintains.
Allow the oatmeal to cool before cutting it. The bars will firm up as they cool and will be easier to slice without crumbling.
Try these other solar-baked goods!
Easy Substitutions and Add-Ins
One of the best things about a basic oatmeal bar recipe is how easily you can customize it. Replace the raisins with dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, or another favorite dried fruit. You can also add chopped walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, or a handful of chocolate chips.
For a slightly different flavor, try substituting maple syrup for the honey. You can also experiment with additional warm spices such as nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice.
Just avoid adding too many extras at once. A heavily loaded mixture may not bind as well, so start with a small handful of additional mix-ins.
Once cooled, store the oatmeal bars in an airtight container. They’re an especially convenient solar-cooked snack to make ahead for breakfasts, lunchboxes, camping trips, or busy days when you need something easy to grab on the way out the door.
Solar-Baked Oatmeal Bars
Equipment
- Solar Oven
Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- ⅔ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup raisins
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg beaten
- 3 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Set solar oven out to preheat. Spray two 6 x 9-inch (toaster oven sized) baking pans with cooking spray, set aside.
- Mix together the oatmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl, combine the honey, oil, egg, orange juice, and vanilla extract and mix thoroughly.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the oatmeal mixture. Stir in the raisins.
- Divide the mixture in half and firmly press it into the prepared baking pans.
- Using a rack to separate the pans, bake in the Sun Oven until light brown and firm, 30 to 45 minutes. (If you don’t have a rack use a baking pan with higher sides, and cross stack the two pans.)
- Cool in pans on wire racks. Turn out onto a cutting board and cut into bars. Store bars in airtight containers.
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