Oatmeal Bars

WARNING!!!!

THESE OATMEAL BARS ARE HIGHLY ADDICTIVE AND IF LEFT ON THE COUNTER, MAY DISAPPEAR BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES.

But seriously, these things are so delicious! I took Dana's originally recipe and made a few changes to fit the likes of our family... well just Haws, who does not like butterscotch (what a shame). The original version is equally tasty, so you can choose what you want to try. Just beware that these gooey, chocolaty, crumbly treats are too hard to resist not having more than one. I like to think since they have oatmeal in them, the are healthy oatmeal bars... but who am I kidding? Look at all that butter! :)

Oatmeal Bars

2 c. melted butter

2 1/4 c. brown sugar

3 c. Quaker Oats (or any other plain oatmeal)

3 c. Flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all of the above ingredients and spread HALF of the mixture out onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.

Then combine:

1 jar caramel (original recipe uses butterscotch)

2 TB. flour

Pour on top of baked oatmeal mixture and then sprinkle:

2 c. chocolate chips

(original recipe uses 1 c. chocolate chips and 1 c. butterscotch chips)

I might try these sometime using peanut butter chips in place of the butterscotch... that sounds yummy to me. If you get creative, let me know what you like :)

Make sure the chips are spread evenly.

Crumble the remaining oatmeal mixture on top and then continue baking for 15-20 at 350.

Cool before cutting.

This made a lot or bars. I would say about 30, with a few casualties. They are very gooey and crumbly so be careful when removing from pan.

CHOCOLATE MINT BROWNIES

These were a perfect treat for St. Patty's Day! The recipe comes from my Aunt Nancy. I changed nothing because I didn't want to mess with something so perfect! I gave these to my visiting teachees and they all loved them. Haws loves the chocolate and mint combo, so I knew the ones we kept around the house wouldn't last long. And between the two of us they didn't :)

Now if you are looking to whip up some brownies really quick, this is not the recipe you are looking for. But if you have the time, they are worth the effort. I split it up into two days. I made the brownies one day and then did the frosting and chocolate layers the next. This made it a lot easier. Here is what it looks like out of the freezer. Don't you just want to dig right in???

Brownies:

1 1/2 c. melted butter

3/4 c. cocoa

3 c. sugar

6 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

3/4 tsp salt

2 1/4 c. sifted flour

Frosting:

3/4 c. butter, softened

3 T. milk

3 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

green food coloring optional

Chocolate layer:

2 1/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 c. butter

Whisk together melted butter and cocoa. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Mix well, then stir in flour by hand. Do not over mix. Spread in greased 12x17-inch cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 25-30 min. Cool and then put in the freezer for 20 min. For frosting, mix butter, milk, powdered sugar and extract. Can color with green (or red) food coloring if desired. Frost brownies and then put in freezer for another 20 min. Melt chocolate chips and butter in a double boiler and spread on top of the frosting layer. Freeze another 20 min to set.