Recipe: Low Fat Apricot Oat Cakes

Low Fat Apricot Oat Cakes
Recipe by: Jennefer Hardin

These oat cakes are the result of my attempts to recreate the dense, heavy oat cakes available in some coffee houses and health food stores in northern California. They're shaped like hockey pucks, and they come in apricot/raisin or cinnamon apple. I just love the store-bought versions, but since they cost almost $2 each I decided to see if I could figure out how to make them from scratch

3 cups rolled oats
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/2 cup crystalline fructose (or granulated sugar)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg white or equivalent
1/2 cup dried fruit (I use 12 dried apricots)

Thoroughly grind rolled oats in food processor or blender. Mix with flour and baking powder.

Chop dried fruit into small pieces. You could use apricots, raisins, dates, dried apples, dried cranberries, or anything else you like.

In a separate bowl, "cream" together yogurt, fructose, honey, and vanilla. In yet another bowl, lightly beat egg white until it gets bubbly but not stiff. Fold egg white into the wet ingredients. Add dried fruit.

Combine wet and dry ingredients. The dough gets pretty stiff and is hard to mix. You may even have to dive in there with your hands and squish it together! Form into 12 patties (these are smaller than the store-bought ones -- you could probably make them bigger if you want).

Bake at 325 degrees F for 15 minutes on a non-stick cookie sheet. Cool completely and store in refrigerator. These keep well and may be frozen.