Today we’re making Oatmeal Fudge Bars to celebrate the first full week of online school. Whew! It’s different, but we’re adjusting! I’ve been making these Oatmeal Fudge Bars for back to school as long as I can remember. They’re soft, tender, and filled with a ripple of chocolate fudge.
I think they’ll become a new favorite of yours too!
I don’t have many process photos because things were a little crazy at home while I was making this batch, but the method is pretty straight-forward.
The Dough
This dough is a lot like other cookie doughs…cream the butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla, and finish up with the dry ingredients. The only thing a little different is the addition of quick oats at the end. I prefer quick oats to old-fashioned oats in this recipe because these bars only cook for about 20 minutes in the oven and the quick oats give these bars a softer crumb.
Press 2/3 of the dough in to the bottom of a foil-lined 9×13” pan and pour the fudge layer over top. Drop the remaining dough over the fudge layer by the spoonful. I like to make quick work of this step by using a very small cookie scoop, but any spoon will work. You could even just pinch off pieces of the dough and scatter them over the top of the dough. It doesn’t need to look perfect, we’re going for the rustic look on these bars :).
Be sure to serve these with a glass of cold milk! They’ve been a favorite for a long time for good reason. Back to school wouldn’t be the same without them!
Oatmeal Fudge Bars
Cookie layer:
1 cup salted butter, at room temperature
2 cups brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
Fudge Layer:
14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
12 ounce package of Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 and line a 9×13” baking pan with foil. Spray with cooking spray.
In a large mixer cream together butter and brown sugar until smooth; add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add the baking soda, salt, and flour. Cream until just combined. Mix in oats.
In heavy saucepan mix milk, chips, and butter and heat just until melted. Be sure to use a very low heat so the mixture does not boil. Still in vanilla and remove from heat.
Spread 2/3 of dough into prepared baking pan. Pour the chocolate fudge mixture over the cookie dough. Drop remaining 1/3 of dough on top by spoonfuls, or pinch of pieces and scatter on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes until topping is golden brown. The bars will not seem fully cooked through at this point, but will continue to cook as they cool on the counter. Let cool completely and cut into bars. Enjoy!
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