Cranberry Orange Salted Caramel Oatmeal Bars

Come along inside... We'll see if tea and
buns can make the world a better place.
~The Wind in the Willows~



Some of the greatest stories ever, were told over tea and sweets.
  
Like, "whatever could have happened to the Cheshire Cat?" the only one not at the tea party.


Frog and Toad comparing how exhausted they were after a long night of watching seedlings grow, and an even longer day crossing things off lists.



Lucy and Mr.Tumnus listening to Narnian Lullabies to the warmth of the fire talking about... lions, witches and wardrobes, of course!


 And Mole... for the millionth time telling them all how one day, while he was spring cleaning and whitewashing, he simply felt compelled to tunnel right up into the sunlight.


No matter what the story, or from what storybook, tea time brings everyone together.  It allows us to escape the day, even if just for a moment.

But it's not just about the tea... oh, yea.  Bring on the sweets!

So, I knew I had to create a sweet that would be a perfect match for this perfect tea party.  With all my favorite flavors, to stand up to my very favorite stories growing up.  Full of tart dried cranberries, a zip from orange zest, richness from buttery goodness, an ooze from the salted caramels (these are so amazing just out of the oven!) 

And oatmeal. 

Simple.  Real.  Rich in texture... reminding of home- in a big way.
  




Cranberry Orange Salted Caramel Oatmeal Bars

3/4 c. butter at room temperature
1-1/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cup quick oats, uncooked
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
8 salted caramels cut in small cubes (I used Trader Joes and cut 6/piece) which equal about 1/3 c.
1 tablespoon orange zest, make sure not to go to the white- just the outer orange
3/4 c. craisins (or dried cranberries of your choice)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine butter, brown sugar, egg, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed until well blended. In a separate bowl combine oats, flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix wet ingredients into dry until just blended. Then add caramels, orange zest and craisins. Pour into greased 9x13 pan and bake 20-25 or until toothpick comes out clean.


Comments

  1. This is really awesome! I've never heard of the caramel orange pairing before. Sounds great!

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    1. Thank you Mila! I've been feeling pretty creative lately, and found these ingredients in the cupboard- it sounded yummy! I hope you enjoy. Probably my favorite cookie so far! ;-) ~diana

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    2. Lovely recipe and a beautiful post. Cannot wait to try it :)

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    3. Thank you so much Lata! I hope you enjoy them! ;-)

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  2. Nice oatmeal bars! Thanks for sharing this post on my Magnolia Days facebook page.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Renee! I just love your blog... so glad you stopped by here too! ;-)

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  3. mmmm I would have liked to have had some of these this morning!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Angie! Yes, one of my favs over the last few weeks, craving them myself, again. Hope you enjoy!! ;-)

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  4. nice presentation and nice mix&match from cranberry+orange+caramel. Thanks for the recipe Diana.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Amallia! This was such a fun one to create and write about... loved all those books so much growing up ;-)

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