Double Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
I don’t know what to say about these bars except that they almost didn’t happen.
Which, quite frankly, would have been a travesty.
A food travesty, anyway.
Since I work a regular Monday through Friday job, and my weekends in the fall are basically reserved for college football, I’m left with very little time to bake/cook/blog. I generally use my time between after work and dinnertime to get items baked and photographed.
So Monday evening, I was getting all my ingredients out of the baking pantry to make these bars. Sugar? Check. Flour? Check. Oats? Check. Red and green chocolate chips that I just bought at Wal-Mart? Um, nowhere to be found.
While I could have used regular old chocolate chips, I wanted the red and green ones. Hello, it’s the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats, after all. 🙂
I took everything out of the pantry. Twice. No holiday colored chips. I looked in our downstairs “overflow” pantry three separate times. No luck. In the bread basket on top of the fridge. Nope. In desperation, I checked my cupcake liner/candy molds/various colored sprinkle lidded basket on top of the kitchen cabinets. Nothing.
But, since the Tall Boy often puts away the groceries, I called him to see if there was any chance he knew where they might be.
After a few seconds of silence, he offered a suggestion…
“Um, check the door of the deep freeze.”
Yep, a perfectly logical spot for chocolate chips I’d planned to use within two days of purchase.
But, mystery solved, bars baked, photographed, and promptly shipped off to the Tall Boy’s office, so I don’t eat them all.
- 2¼ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 package chocolate chips
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1½ cups dark chocolate pieces
- Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13 baking pan with foild, extending the foil over the edges of the pan. Set aside.
- Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat if flour mixtures. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
- Press two-thirds of the dough into the bottom of your prepared baking pan. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine sweetened condensed milk and dark chocolate over low heat. Stir occasionally, until chocolate melts. Pour mixture evenly over dough in pan. Drop mounds of remaining cookine dough mixture on top of the chocolate mixture.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is light brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Use foil to lift uncut bars out of pan and onto a cutting board.
If you missed my post from last week’s link up, be sure to look at my Apple Pie Bread.
Check out all of the other holiday goodies below!
I’m linked up at these great parties this week: Crazy Sweet Tuesdays, Trick or Treat Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Cast Party Wednesday, Whip it Up Wednesdays, Watcha’ Whipped Up Wednesdays, Eat, Pray {Read}, Love, Sweet Treats Thursday, Mrs. Fox’s Sweets, Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons, Itsy Bitsy Paper, Crumbs and Chaos, I’m Lovin’ It Fridays, Weekend Potluck, and Six Sister’s Stuff!
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10 EASY SLOW COOKER MEALS RECIPE BOOK
Hello There!
Interestingly enough, I didn’t grow up with an interest in cooking.  In fact, I informed my mother on multiple occasions that I was not getting an advanced education so I could spend my evenings preparing meals.
Grab My Cookbook!
Fit Meets Girl
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Yum. I’ve never seen red/green chocolate chips before! Now I’m determined to find them!
Aimee @ ShugarySweets recently posted..Monster Sugar Cookies
Yummy!
Terry recently posted..Saucy Ground Beef and Noodles
THOSE CHIPS!! A couple years ago my grandma bought that chip mix and I had trooooouble trying not to eat every.single. green + red chip. They taste different to me–more buttery? I don’t know, but I’m obsessed and need to run to the store to get another fifty bags. Also, oatmeal bars–I need you, too. Look how fat and chocolatey they are!
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel recently posted..Eyeball Truffles–Halloween Week!
I LOVE Oatmeal Bars, they are crumbly and flavorful. I’ve always stuffed them with caramel, but I have to say the double chocolate ones look heavenly as well. I’ll have to try these for the holidays.
Are these chips new? Looks like a fabulous way to pretty up a great cookie recipe. YUM
I saw those chips a few weeks ago – now I have an excuse to buy them! They look delicious!
Pam @ The Meltaways recently posted..12 WoCT: Week Two – Dark Chocolate Black Bean Cookies #GlutenFree
I absolutely love the green and red chocolate chips. How adorably festive. The bars look great.
Hi Ashley,
Food Travesty….You really cracked me up with that one!!
I’m so impressed with the food photography on this post…terrific!!
Looks delish, thanks for sharing:) Di
Di recently posted..Cheese Stuffed Italian Meatballs in the Crockpot
love the green/red chocolate chips!!!! it’s hard for me to bake on the weekends too – so many activities going on. and with my full time job, i really do not know how I do it. lots of coffee!! 😉
sally @ sallys baking addiction recently posted..oatmeal pumpkin creme pies.
These look great + i love the red/green chips. Cute!
amy @ fearless homemaker recently posted..pumpkin spice cookies with cream cheese icing {+ my 2-year blogiversary!}
Fantastic photos and I’m sure a very tasty cookie! You sounds like me this week – I tore my house apart looking for parcbment paper so I could bake! Never did find mine – had to buy new 🙂
Melissa recently posted..Lace Cookies – 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats (Week 2)
I love the colored chips! I need to get my hands on some!
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction recently posted..Cider Glazed Caramel Apple Donuts
I had those chips in my hands just the other day…why didn’t I get them!!!! Now I need to go back to Walmart so I can have these yummy bars!!! They look so ooey gooey delicious!!!
Jocelyn @BruCrew Life recently posted..Pumpkin Spice Latte Scones
I want some! I want some! Great pictures! That lens is working overtime for you!
Chandra@the plaid and paisley kitchen recently posted..Tortellini Tomato Bisque and a Giveaway!
Good thing you found the chips, cause they look incredibly festive! And I have an overflowing pantry with condensed milk cans, so they fit my baking perfectly too!
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen recently posted..Brown Butter Shortbread Crisps #12 Weeks of Christmas Treats
These bars look so easy to make. Love the double chocolate.
Annamaria @ Bakewell Junction recently posted..12 Weeks of Christmas Treats ~ Week 2 ~ Pizzelle
Gotta have these! So glad the crisis was averted and you were able to make these!
Back For Seconds recently posted..Back For Seconds Social *Link Party* and {Features}
These are gorgeous. I’m loving your new lens. 🙂 I’ve totally done that too – ripped apart my entire kitchen looking for an ingredient. Sigh. 😉
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust recently posted..Eyeball Red Velvet Pudding Pie
These sound delicious. Thanks for posting the recipe.
Exede
I’m glad you found them too–these look so festive and delcious! Plus, they’re healthy right b/c they have oatmeal in them, right? JK!
Brenda @ Meal Planning Magic recently posted..Easy Toffee Almond Bar Cookies {12 Weeks of Christmas Treats}
Those do look really good! Glad you found your missing chips. 😉
Looks absolutely wonderful! I would so love to try some. I am sure it tastes amazing.
Spencer recently posted..Twizzlers Strawberry
Hey look amazing i’m definitely going to make these bars!
marina #10
These look so fun and festive! I love bars that have chocolate and oats. Double chocolate is even better 🙂
Alida’s Kitchen recently posted..Grandma’s Lemon Bars (12 Weeks of Christmas Treats)