Creamy Craisin Crunch Bars - 137 Calories, Degenerately Delicious, AND Healthy!

As I mention on the "About This Blog" page Po' Papa Joe is where I share my experiences in how to spend less, live better, be healthier, have more fun, and be happier.  Well yesterday my ever-present curiosity took me on a journey that fulfilled all of those objectives at once...I created one of the most ambrosial cookies I've ever had.  

I call them Creamy Craisin Crunch Bars, and even though they are degenerately delicious, they are also healthy, frugal (everything was made from scratch out of wholesome ingredients I have in my pantry), fun to make, and--for a little while at least--have made my life happier and better! 

Most cookie bars are filled with heart-hurting-artery-clogging fats and refined sugars and flour.  This, on the other hand has the following healthful ingredients:

• Whole Grain Wheat Flour - good source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and key vitamins and minerals like selenium, potassium, and magnesium. Naturally low in fat, and linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers and other health problems.
• Whole Grain Rolled Oats - its soluble fiber lowers LDL (bad cholesterol), regulates high-blood pressure, helps with weight loss, and reduces risk of type II diabetes.
• Coconut Oil - 0% cholesterol, naturally stable, slow to go rancid, and solid at room temperature.  In addition, recent studies indicate a potential for other healthful characteristics such as help for reduced immune function, thyroid disease, heart disease, obesity, heart disease etc.
• Cranberries - these are a "superfood" filled with vitamin C and fiber.  Have only 45 calories per cup and have more disease-fighting antioxidants than nearly any other fruit or vegetable.
• Kefir or Yogurt Cheese - another "superfood" that is low-fat, pro-biotic, and high in nutrients (e.g. rich in vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin D, folic acid etc.).

Here is how to make these healthy delicious cookie bars:

• 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 3/4 cup Rolled Oats
• 3/4 cup Brown Sugar - firmly packed (or alternately you can use honey or agave)
• 1/2 cup Coconut Oil
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup Kefir Cheese or Yogurt Cheese (don't buy these...make them yourself)
• 1/2 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk (don't buy this...make it yourself)
• 1/2 Tbsp Brown Sugar (or alternately you can use honey or agave)
• 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
• 1 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)
• 1 cup Water

Pour the cranberries, the water, the corn-starch, and the 1/2 Tbsp of brown sugar into a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover the pot and leave to rest while you work on the other layers.  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.  Melt the coconut oil in the microwave, add the flour, the oats, the salt, and the brown sugar and mix with a hand blender until crumbly.  Reserve 3/4 cup of this mixture to sprinkle on top.  Pour the rest into a 9 inch square baking pan, spread evenly and press down firmly with a spatula or bench scraper.  Bake this crust for 15 minutes.  While it's baking mix together the kefir cheese and the sweetened condensed milk until smooth.

Spread the creamy mixture evenly on the hot baked crust.  Next spread the Craisin sauce evenly over the creamy layer.  Finally, sprinkle the remaining crumbles evenly over the the other layers.  Return to the oven and bake for 45 minutes until the crumbles on top are golden brown.  Place on a rack and cool to room temperature.  Slice into 24 bars.  Each has only 137 calories.

Now it's time to have a party or invite someone over to share these with (it is possible to get too much of a good thing☺).  These are so good you'll want lots of help from friends and family to eat them.