Oatmeal Fudge Bars

I have a real weakness for any oatmeal cookie or bar that's dipped in chocolate.  It is a snack food that I can't seem to grow tired of.  So it's no wonder that I had a sweet spot for the oatmeal fudge bars sold at Starbucks.  Sometimes coffee shop snacks can be rather underwhelming, some examples that come to mind are bland greasy muffins and also dry tasteless scones.  However this snack bar was exceptionally good!  There was a good chewy oatmeal that really seem to stick to your ribs, which is the what I look for in snacks when a meal is far away.  I also liked the smooth and rich chocolate fudge that was in the nooks and crannies of bar and that wasn't too overwhelming.  What a delicious treat! But the only drawback is that it's a bit pricey and inconvenient because my closest Starbucks is within driving distance.  For a few months I would "treat" myself to a vanilla latte or salted caramel moka and a yummy oatmeal fudge bar whenever I went downtown for errands.  But I realized that I didn't go visit Starbucks enough to satisfy my craving so I decided to recreate my coffeeshop experience at home.

I scoured the internet for a recipe to reproduce this snack bar at home and when I recreated it  I was rather pleased with the outcome.  The only problem was that the recipe yield a lot.  Luckily, this problem is easily solved by bring a big batch of homemade bars to my coworkers who devoured the bars in no time.  So please bake, cut and share!

The fudge comes together easily in a saucepan, no double boiler needed.

The oatmeal dough probably tastes great on its own and the texture resembles that of cookie dough.

I pressed 2/3rd of the oatmeal in a 9x13 inch baking dish with a parchment paper sling for easy clean up.

I poured the chocolate fudge on top.

Then spread everything smooth with an offset spatula.

The rest of the oatmeal dough gets shaped in little nuggets and sprinkled over the fudge.

Oatmeal Fudge Bars

Yields 24 bars

Ingredients

1 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 cups old fashion rolled oats
1 14-ounce can (1 1/4 cups) sweetened condensed milk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set the oven rack in the middle.  In large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt, then stir in oatmeal.

Set aside 2 tablespoons of butter.  Beat the remaining butter with a mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.  Add brown sugar and beat until well mixed.  Beat in eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until well combined.  Gradually mix in dry ingredients until combined and set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine the 2 tablespoons of butter, the sweetened condensed milk, and the chocolate chips.  Cook over low heat until the chocolate melts, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Press two thirds of the oat mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan lined with a sheet of parchment (leaving an overhang on each side).  Spread chocolate mixture over the oat mixture.  Use your fingers and dot the remaining oat mixture over the chocolate.  Wet your fingers slightly to help prevent sticking.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until top is lightly browned (chocolate mixture will still look moist).  Cool on a wire rack.  Cut into 24 even bars.

Source: Slightly adapted by Jumbo Empanada