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I love oat-based baked goods, so these Healthy Apricot Oat Bars seemed too good to pass up when they appeared in my Facebook feed.
Up until now, my go-to recipe for Apricot Oat Bars has been a variation of this old-fashioned Date Bars recipe from my Nana’s recipe file, where I substitute a layer of apricot jam or fruit spread for the date mixture.
Sweet, crumbly and delicious, they’re always a big hit whenever I make them.
This recipe for healthy apricot oat bars from Oprah.com seems a better choice for Weight Watchers following Points since it has less butter and sugar. And it is easier too, with just a few basic ingredients stirred together in a single bowl, then baked and cut into bars.
What’s not to love?
How Many Calories and WW Points in Low Fat Apricot Oat Bars?
According to my calculations, each bar has a reasonable 145 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
6 SmartPoints (Green plan)
6 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
5 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
5 PointsPlus (Old plan)
Recipe Variations
No dried apricots – try other favorite dried fruit: raisins, dried cranberries, pineapple, cherries, blueberries, plums, alone or in combination.
Vegan – substitute coconut oil for the butter.
More protein – substitute 1/4 cup PB2 (affiliate link) powdered peanut butter (affiliate link), or ground nuts, for 1/4 cup of the all-purpose flour.
Here’s a video demonstration that shows how to make a similar recipe for apricot and date oat energy bars:
If you like Oprah’s Low Fat Apricot Oat Bars, be sure to check out more easy, healthy Weight Watchers friendly recipes including Low Fat Cranberry Bars, Nigella’s Breakfast Bars, Weight Watchers Skinny Apricot Poppy Seed Quick Bread, Low Fat Banana Bread with Dates and Apricots and Banana Oatmeal Cookies
If you’ve made these Apricot Oat Bars, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Oprah’s Healthy Apricot Oat Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- 1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (about 28) dried apricots, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. For easy cleanup, line an 8-inch baking pan (affiliate link) with foil. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, the oats, brown sugar, salt and nutmeg until well combined with no big clumps of brown sugar remaining. Stir in the melted butter, applesauce and vanilla until blended. Gently stir in the apricots.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan, pressing it flat with the back of a spoon or spatula.
- Bake for about 25 to 35 minutes, until golden.
- Remove from the oven and let the pan cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then lift the slab of bars out with the foil out and let the bars cool completely on the wire rack.
- Transfer the foil and bars to a cutting board (affiliate link) and use a large knife to cut into 16 even squares.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 6 SmartPoints (Green plan) 6 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 5 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 5 PointsPlus (Old plan) Variations:
- No dried apricots – try other favorite dried fruit: raisins, dried cranberries, pineapple, cherries, blueberries, plums, alone or in combination.
- Vegan – substitute coconut oil for the butter.
- More protein – substitute ¼ cup PB2 powdered peanut butter, or ground nuts, for ¼ cup of the all-purpose flour.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: Oprah
Watch this video from The New York Times to see how to make no-bake almond-apricot granola bars:
The only reason it’s not a 5 star recipe is… sugar! It would be wonderful if you would find a way to substitute Stevia for the sugar. I can play around with the recipe and make it work. But it should benefit everyone if you could publish a recipe using Stevia vs sugar. Thank you ?
great!