I just made this recipe two minutes ago and the only changes I made -- because I didn't have them -- was substitute the brown sugar for granulated sugar. I also did not use any honey. They taste amazing and I have six other people eating them.

Can I substitute instant plain oatmeal for the uncooked oatmeal? Would it taste the same and be the same chewy consistency?

This recipe is great, but you have to keep in mind the honey and brown sugar are what holds it together when it is done. In my experience I'm looking for the oat mixture to be a gluey consistency and not necessarily paying attention to the amount of honey. Sometimes for a little variety I add a little molasses. This recipe is great to add dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, etc. I do leave the salt out as I add salted butter and usually salted cashews. I hope this helps.

has anyone tried doing this with canola oil instead of butter ?

Normal butter? There is salted and unsalted. Salted butter will increase the salty flavor when baked. Thus, when baking use unsalted butter to avoid that problem.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong ... but this is turning out to be like a delicious granola versus a chewy bar. It's not sticking together. I did use .5 cup of the Splenda Brown Sugar mix instead of a full cup of brown sugar ... but I'm not really sure if that would make a difference. It tastes good, but isn't going to work when I try to put it in my kids lunch box as a healthy alternative to the store bought chewy bars.

Malea, alternative sugars don't set up like real sugar. So your not doing anything wrong.

Why do all receipts have SALT in all of them. It is un-necessary and we do not need so much.

Hi Merelina,

Since you're the one who is going to be preparing a recipe, then you're free to leave it out if that's what you'd like to do!

Whenever I'm preparing a dish (except when baking), I usually leave it out until I'm ready to serve, then add only what I think it needs, or allow my guests to add salt at the table.

When it comes to cookies, especially oatmeal cookies made with unsalted butter, they will tend to taste flat, bland and tasteless without any added salt.

This recipe probably makes about 3 dozen cookies, so 1 teaspoon of salt divided by 36 servings would not be excessive. If you're on a low sodium diet, try cutting the salt in half or use a low-sodium salt substitute.

Happy Baking!

-- CM

You don't specify whether to use the middle or lower oven rack, & whether it makes any difference if the pan is glass or metal. I used a Pyrex glass baking dish, preheated my oven & baked for 15 min. They seemed to be JUST beginning to bubble, as they cooled - they seemed to remain soft, not chewy. I assume that for MY oven, it wasn't a long enough baking time. Any suggestions? I like the recipe because it's quick & easy to mix!

They get crunchy around the edges but not set in the middle. They're also way too salty-don't add the tsp. of salt if you're using regular butter. Suggest lowering oven temperature to 350°F & baking 20-30 min.

Hi Diana,

If you'd rather not have them soft and chewy, lower the temperature 25 degrees and try baking them another 5 minutes, or else turn off the oven and let them cool in the oven. You'll have to experiment with your own oven to achieve your desired preference. Good Luck and let us know how your variation turns out!

-- CM