Oatmeal Bars With Cranberries

These are perfect for a summer picnic.  There's nothing to melt everywhere when the weather is hot and they make a great healthier snack option.  There are three layers to this bar, but each layer is fairly simple and doesn't take too much prep work.

For this recipe you will need:

For the Crust:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp baking soda (increase to 1/4 tsp for sea level)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 6 tbsp butter, melted
• 3 tbsp orange juice
• solid vegetable shortening (for greasing pan)

For the filling:

• 1 1/3 cups dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp high altitude or all purpose flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp orange zest (about 1 orange)
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten

 Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
To make the crust, measure the flour into a medium bowl.  Add the next five ingredients (through cinnamon) to the flour mixture, stirring with a whisk to combine.  Drizzle the butter and juice over the flour mixture, stirring until moistened (the mixture should be crumbly).  Set 1/2 cup of the oat mixture aside to be used later.  Press remaining oat mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 8 inch square baking dish coated with a thin layer of solid vegetable shortening.

To make the filling, combine cranberries, sour cream, granulated sugar, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.  Spread the cranberry mixture over the layer of prepared crust.

Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of reserved oat mixture evenly over the filling. It may be a bit doughy, just carefully break it apart into smaller crumbles to avoid creating large clumps.

Bake at 325 for 40 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.  Let cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares for serving.