Camp Treats for Your Little Sweets

Written by Julie Van Rosendaal; Photo: Courtesy of Julie Van Rosendaal

Walnut Granola Trail Bars, Adapted from walnutinfo.com.

3 cups old-fashioned (large flake) rolled oats

1/4 cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour (or try quinoa flour for gluten-free bars)

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup sesame or flax seeds

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup canola or flax oil

1/2 cup honey or golden syrup

Preheat oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda and cinnamon. Stir in walnuts, cherries, apricots, chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, coconut and sesame seeds.

Add the melted butter, oil and honey and stir until everything is well blended. Press evenly into a 9″ x 13″ baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray or lined with parchment. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden. Cut into bars while still warm. Makes 24 bars.

Per bar: about 250 cal, 6 g pro, 14 g total fat (5 g sat. fat), 26 g carb, 3 g fibre, 10 mg chol, 85 mg sodium.

Heartland Raspberry Yogurt Muffins

Adapted from The Heartland Cafe Cookbook

3/4 cup canola or other mild vegetable oil

1 cup brown sugar

3 large eggs

2 cups plain yogurt

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 to 2 1/2 cups oats (old-fashioned, if you have them, or quick)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups frozen raspberries (don’t thaw them)

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, beat the oil and sugar, and add the eggs one at a time, beating after each until the mixture is thick and creamy.

The original recipe instructs to stir in the yogurt, then whisk together the dry ingredients and raspberries and add them. I whisked together the dry ingredients, stirred in half, then stirred in the yogurt, then the remaining dry ingredients along with the raspberries, straight from the freezer. Either way.

Fill buttered or paper-lined muffin tins all the way, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Tip them in the pan to help them cool. Makes 1 1/2 dozen muffins.

Julie is a food editor for ParentsCanada, a best-selling cookbook author, food writer, cooking instructor, and the food and nutrition columnist on the Calgary Eyeopener on CBC Radio. For more information, visit dinnerwithjulie.com. And be sure to check out her and Elizabeth Chorney-Booth’s website, rollingspoon.com, or on Twitter, @RollingSpoon, exploring their mutual love of music and food.