Oatmeal cookie bars

Oatmeal Cookie Bars

I read a lot of blogs, but I’ve never had a recipe catapult me straight into the kitchen.  Never.  Until one day last week, that is.  I was checking in on Ingrid and she had posted oatmeal toffee bars.  Well, the toffee wasn’t really my thing, but I know how Ingrid loves a good bar cookie so I kept reading.  I laughed out loud when I got to the end of her post and saw a nod to me with a suggestion that some sea salt on top of these would be delicious.  I might have started drooling right then.  I can’t quite remember.  I do remember jotting a note off to her saying I was headed to the kitchen and these beauties are the oatmeal cookie bars I made.  Delicious.

I subbed the all-purpose flour for whole wheat, which made the cookie pretty dense but still very chewy.  Next time, I’ll use King Arthur white whole wheat instead to see how much of a difference it would make.  I also skipped the toffee bits and added a bag of cinnamon chips instead, along with a sprinkling of sea salt on top.  Oh my gosh.  These are wonderful!  Just the right amount of chewiness and all the comforting flavors of your favorite oatmeal cookie.  But with that salt on top?  It just knocks ’em out of the park.

My only complaint is actually a visual one.  I don’t like the color of the cinnamon chips!  I know, I’m weird.  {Where do you think my kids get it?}  I wasn’t so bothered by them that it kept me from eating several of these bars, but still.  It just bugged me.

If you’d like to take a peek at Ingrid’s recipe and the original recipe, you can head over to 3 B’s … Baseball, Baking, & Books.

Recipe:  Oatmeal Cookie Bars

(Thank you, Ingrid!)

1/2 c. canola oil

1 c. light brown sugar

1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 Tbsp. milk

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

3 c. old-fashioned rolled oats

1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 bag of cinnamon chips

sea salt to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 13×9″ pan with foil, so that the ends hang over the long sides of your pan.  (Easier to lift the bars out later.)

In a large bowl, combine oil, sugars, eggs, milk, vanilla, and salt.  Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until sugars have dissolved.

In another bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, and cinnamon chips.  Stir until just combined.  Add to liquid mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.  (The batter is very thick.)  Transfer to prepared pan.  (Ingrid’s tip:  Use dampened fingers to spread dough into the corners of the pan.  Worked like a charm.) Sprinkle sea salt on top.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden.  Remove from oven and cool until firm.  Lift bars out using foil “handles” and cut into bars.  Store tightly covered.