TWD:Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars
Lillian of Confectiona's Realm picked Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars for our baking this week. These easy to make bars were bursting with flavor and texture. Brown sugar, oatmeal, chocolate chips, peanuts and raisins made every bite a sweet lovers dream come true. These were rich and chewy like a deliciously unerbaked cookie, while the crunch from the peanuts and struesel was balanced perfectly by the soft chocolaty layer and moist, plump raisins. I could eat handfuls of the individual ingredients by themselves, but together, they made a fantastic bar cookie that disappeared from the pan in record time.
Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars
from Baking: From My
Home to Yours
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups (packed) brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups old-fashioned (rolled) oats
1 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
For the chocolate layer:
2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden)
¾ cup coarsely chopped peanuts, preferably salted
Getting ready:
Center a rack in the oven, and preheat oven to 350 degrees
Fahrenheit. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan, and place the pan on a baking
sheet.
To make the oatmeal layer:
Set aside 1½ to 2 cups of the mixture, then turn the
remaining dough into the buttered pan. Gently and evenly press the dough over
the bottom of the pan. Set aside while you prepare the next layer.
To make the chocolate layer:
Run a blunt knife between the edges of the cake and the pan,
and carefully turn the cake out onto a rack. Turn right side up, then refrigerate
for at least 1 hour before cutting.