Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars -- Egg and Nut Free

I love to bake for my family. I rarely buy packaged cookies/sweets from the grocery store anymore (except for Oreos) because I want my family to have homemade treats and also because one of the little boys I babysit for each week is severely allergic to all nuts and eggs, among other things. I have to be careful what I serve him so that's why I love baking recipes by Kelly Rudnicki, also known as the "Food Allergy Mama" from her blog.

Kelly's recipes from her blog and her cookbook are fantastic and all I seem to make now. My kids, who do not have allergies, my husband, my dad, my sister and basically anyone I share the recipes with all agree that you cannot tell that all of Kelly's recipes do not contain nuts, eggs and dairy. They really are THAT good!

One of our favorites from Kelly is:



Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars--Egg and Nut Free
(slightly adapted by me)

2/3 cup softened shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (I use closer to 3/4 cup)

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups quick oats (or regular)

2 cups chocolate chips (dark chocolate chips are really good in these)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl using a wire whisk. Set aside. In the bowl of a mixer, add the shortening, brown sugar, applesauce and vanilla. Mix well. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix well again. Then stir in the oats and chocolate chips.

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray that has flour in it (I use my glass Pyrex pan for these). Spread dough into the pan until level on all sides. Bake cookie bars for 25-30 minutes, checking after 20 minutes. The top should be a nice light golden brown. Let cool completely before cutting. Enjoy!