More oatmeal breakfast bar goodness

My first batch of the oatmeal cookies is running dangerously low (already...) so I decided it was time for round two. This time, I attempted to recreate my very favoritest Cool Mint Chocolate ClifBars.

My recipe:
3 c. oats (NOT instant oatmeal)
1 c. flour (I used whole wheat)
3/4 c. applesauce
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 c. milk
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. mint extract
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Step 1. Mix together the applesauce and sugar.
Step 2. Add the rest of the liquid ingredients.
Step 3. Add all the solid ingredients. Adding the cocoa powder and flour before the oatmeal will make this easier to mix.
Step 4. Form 12 equal bars on a greased baking pan and bake for 10 minutes at 375 F.


The Results:
It definitely doesn't taste like ClifBars, but it doesn't taste bad, either. It was a little to minty (even for me, who loves mint with the great passion of a thousand suns) and not chocolaty enough. I would suggest cutting down to 1 tsp or even 1/2 tsp of mint extract, and either adding more cocoa powder, or adding some dark chocolate chunks. It also has a very different texture from Clifbars; because of the baking soda, they're much lighter and fluffier.

In terms of nutritional breakdown, it's slightly inferior, but somewhat comparable to a ClifBar.

Nutritional Data for ClifBar:
Serving size- 68g
Calories- 250
Fat- 5 g
Carbs- 43g
Protein- 10g

Nutritional data for my creation:
Serving Size- 60g
Calories- 260
Fat- 3.5g
Carbs- 49g
Protein- 9g

My next attempts will probably be more like a cookie, and I'll be trying out some spices suggested to me, like cloves and allspice. I also might take a jaunt down to Winco and see if they sell any protein powder in bulk, and experiment with mixing some of that in.

Pictures of all this will be forthcoming, when I figure out who in the house has the friggin' digital camera and steal it from.