Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

When I made these bars last week my husband couldn’t stop eating them. He said, “You can’t make these anymore.” Knowing he didn’t really want me to stop making them I simply said, “Okay.”  Then he answered, “Well…you can make them, just put some of them away.”

This recipe is adapted from Fudgy Oatmeal Bars by Betty Crocker. I changed the name from fudgy to chocolate because of a change I made in the recipe. The original one called for a can of sweetened condensed milk to be mixed in with the chocolate. I thought that would be way too much sugar so I left it out and added a little milk instead.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

Preheat oven to 350°

First (and third) layer:

• 2 c. packed brown sugar
• 1 c. butter, softened (I used 1/2 butter, 1/2 coconut oil)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 c. gluten-free flour mix (I used Bette Hagman’s basic mix)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
• 3 c. gluten-free oats

Second layer:

• 1 1/2 Tb. butter
• 12 oz. chocolate chips
• 2 Tb. milk
• 1 c. chopped nuts
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. salt

With a mixer, beat the sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum. Add it to the mixing bowl and mix until combined. Remove beaters and stir in the oats. Reserve about 1/3 of this mixture. Pat the rest of the mixture onto the bottom of a greased jelly roll pan (15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 in.). I used a plastic bag over my hand, sprayed with cooking spray to pat the mixture down.

Note: I find that regular oats cause baked goods to fall apart easily. I twirl them in the food processor for a minute or so which seems to solve the problem.

In a saucepan, melt the 1 1/2 Tb. butter and chocolate chips. Stir in the  milk, vanilla, salt and nuts. Spread over the bottom layer in the pan. Move quickly because the chocolate gets stiff as it cools.

Drop the remaining oat mixture by spoonfuls over the chocolate layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cut while still warm.

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