Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars

By Stef -
I got both this pic and recipe off of melskitchencafe.com. I've been on a cookie kick lately because cookies are probably my favorite everyday grab-and-run dessert. I always cut down the sugar in desserts and not only can I never tell the difference, but more importantly, my husband can't. This recipe, however, needs the sugar that it calls for, as they weren't nearly as good as they could have been. I always put in half(ish) butter and half canola oil without there being a noticeable difference, but these seemed kind of dry. I'll have to tweak these a bit next time. As they were, I would give them a 6.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars
I almost always double this recipe and press the dough into a large 11X17-inch rimmmed sheet pan. They are delicious with any assortment of chocolate chips (butterscotch, mint, etc.).
Ingredients
  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup oatmeal (quick oats or rolled oats)
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened I put in 1 stick of butter and 4 TBS canola oil
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar I put in 1/3 C.
  • 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar  I put in 1/3 C.
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 12 ounces semi sweet chocolate chunks or chocolate chips
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Whisk together dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer, beat butter, sugars, egg and vanilla until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips together. Mix until combined. Press into the prepared pan and bake for 18-20 minutes until light golden brown. Don't overbake! These bars are definitely better underbaked by just a few minutes rather than being overbaked so watch them carefully. Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing into squares.

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