Aussie Bites

Have you ever tried Aussie Bites from Costco? They are a heavenly little bite of sweetened and crunchy oatmeal. Call it a cookie or a granola bite if you wish, but these little nuggets contain no eggs. I'm not a Costco shopper, so I can't tell you whether or not they still carry these anymore. A friend of mine shared them with me about a year ago, and I immediately thought, "I should make these!"
I found a recipe online and they tasted just like the packaged one I tried. The only problem with the recipe was that there was simply too much butter in it to call it healthy! So, I've modified the recipe and its still one of our favorites. Here is the modified recipe if you'd like to try them.
I like to freeze these after I bake them. I put two in a snack size bag. They are great for lunch boxes or an after school snack.

Aussie Bites

2 cups regular rolled oats
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flaked coconut (unsweetened)
1/2 cup sunflower kernels
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup honey or molasses
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons hot water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Melt honey and butter in microwave. Add applesauce.

4. Mix baking soda with hot water and add to the butter mixture.

5. Pour butter mixture into dry ingredients and mix well.

6. Place tablespoons of mixture into non stick mini muffin cupcake pans and flatten slightly. Bake 10 minutes at 350 or until golden. Cool on wire racks. Makes 48.