I’d love to say we always eat a healthy diet especially since my husband has high blood pressure and prediabetes. Over the summer we were derailed by the sweet train and haven’t gotten back on track. My kids enjoy fruit, especially if it is neatly packaged, diced and waiting for them. I decided to browse the canned fruit aisle at Walmart to see if I could find any quick healthy snack options.
The new Del Monte Diced Apples and Pears in extra light syrup with caramel flavor jumped out at me. Since these are two fruity favorites, I picked it up to investigate. The package contained four cups, each equal to one serving of fruit and only sixty calories per serving. There’s no added high fructose corn syrup and most importantly, they are gluten free. My daughter has a gluten allergy and I struggle to find tasty foods that she will eat.
I spotted two more new varieties on the shelf, Diced Pears with Vanilla and Spice and some Diced Peaches with cinnamon and brown sugar. I decided we would test taste them all and determine which flavor was our favorite.
After tasting the fruit cups, I was inspired to create a tempting treat; Apple-Pear bars. These taste delicious warm but I preferred them after they had cooled and set for several hours. I think they are a great snack but they can be adapted into desert bars also. Here’s what you need to create a batch for your family.
Ingredients:
For Apple-Pear Bars:
Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and oatmeal together. Add the softened butter and stir until the mixture is crumbly. In a 9″ by 13″ baking dish, spread 1/2 of the crumb mixture and pat down. Cover the diced pear and apple cups. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top of the pears and apples. If you want to make desert bars instead of snack bars, sprinkle with the apples and pears with the tablespoon of sugar before adding the crumb topping.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree over for approximately fifteen minutes. I made an optional glaze to show how they can be transformed into desert bars. Believe me, they taste as good without the glaze as they do with it added to the top. To make the glaze, mix the powdered sugar and reserved juice to the desired consistency and drizzle over the bars.
\My son requested I make these again using the new Diced Pear with vanilla and spice fruit cups. “I like the pears better,” he informed me. “They’re my favorites.” Y
Nice recipe. I’ll have to try it for my kids.
What yummy bars! I love anything with oatmeal in it!
Those bars sound yummy! I need to start buying those cups for my daughter’s lunch.
This looks like a good recipe. I would try it because I like pears and this sounds healthy.
Ooh! I haven’t seen this variety before, but the caramel definitely caught my attention! The family already loves Del Monte fruit cups but seasonal flavor combos make them even more appealing 🙂
Fruit cups are my favorite for a sweet snack!
Love these fruit cups.
I’ve tried these, they are really good.
YUMMMM.. thanks for sharing this awesome recipe; I would have never thought about using DelMonte Fruit cups in my dessert..YUMMM…
pears are my fave- a is very smart!! i like easy to make things like this!
Mm, everything looks so yummy!
Those look delicious and so easy too. I’ll have to try it sometime. I’m sure my kids would love it.
I love keeping things like this on hands for quick and easy snacking.
That looks great! I want to try it with pears. I think my kids would like this!
Those bars look so yummy! I would have never thought to bake with the cups! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Our fruit cups never last long enough for me to use them in a recipe! These look yum though.
I noticed those last time I was in the store and was tempted but didn’t get them. I regret it now, especially since you suggested baking with them!
Oh my goodness, that looks nummy! I added these to my shopping list. Really want to try the apples and pears with caramel.
love the apples, twitted this today
http://www.twitter.com/myspotme
Mmmm. I’m always on the hunt for easy to make desserts. Looking forward to trying this.
These fruit cups are a new family favorite.
I have been searching for these with the peaches in strawberry syrup. I found them once now can’t again and my grandson loves them. Not too much fruit he enjoys.
This recipe looks fabulous. I like pears too, just like your son.