This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Weight Watchers Recipe of the Day: Oprah’s Healthy Apricot Oat Bars
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.
Skinny on Oprah’s Healthy Apricot Oat Bars
This recipe for healthy apricot oat bars from Oprah.com seems a better choice for Weight Watchers following SmartPoints since it has less butter and sugar.
And it’s 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 these Oat Bars?
According to my calculations, each bar has a reasonable 145 calories and:
6 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
6 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
5 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
5 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
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
Find More Weight Watchers Friendly Fruit Bar Recipes
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 healthy 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 this 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
- 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 (affiliate link) powdered peanut butter (affiliate link), 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
A note about WW Points
If you're following Weight Watchers, all the recipes here on Simple Nourished Living have been updated for the new WW program, with points displayed in the recipe card. The Check the WW Points link in the recipe card takes you to the Weight Watchers App where you can edit it using the WW recipe builder or add it to your day.
(Must be logged into WW account on a mobile device, such as smartphone or tablet).
This video from The New York Times shows how to make no-bake almond-apricot granola bars:
More Lightened Up Bar Recipes for Weight Watchers
- Homemade KIND Bars (EatYourselfSkinny)
- Low_Fat Chewy Granola Bars (SkinnyTaste)
- Homemade Fruit & Nut Bars (SlenderKitchen)
- Peanut Butter Power Bars (LaaLoosh)
- WW No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheerio Bars (RecipeDiaries)
- No-Bake Almond Butter Granola Bars (EatYourselfSkinny)
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!