Salted-Caramel and Chocolate Oat Bars

 
Oh man, guys. You're going to love this one. This past weekend all I did was bake. I was a frenzied, floured mess all weekend; every mixing bowl got used at least twice. I made at least five different baked goods (I lost count), and some of them I will be sharing with you in recipe form...too bad you couldn't taste them!

I have been so busy with work and going out of town to see friends, that I have not had a weekend to do nothing since before Christmas. Finally, I had a free weekend, so I decided I was going to bake and catch up on my thank-yous. I had various people who needed to be thanked for helping me out in the past few months...from my friend who has been keeping my herbs alive all winter in the greenhouse, to a wonderful family friend who gave me seedlings of every herb and lettuce imaginable (get ready for fresh summer recipes!!), to the maintenance men who do everything I ask no matter how trivial--from checking to see of the flue is open (I now know how to do this), to changing light bulbs (I know, I should be ashamed), to bringing us firewood so we can use the fireplace (with the open flue).

So this weekend, Izzie (my trusty chocolate lab) and I baked all day Saturday and Sunday. And by Izzie baked, I mean she sat on the rug by the back door and kept me company. I don't want to tell you how many sticks of butter, pounds of sugar, and eggs I used for fear that you will never read this blog again. Don't write me off as a Paula Dean...but there are some times when you need to indulge and when you need to say, "Thank you. This was made with love (and a lot of butter)."

The following is a recipe I made in the fall. I tweaked it the first time I made it, and I tweaked it again this time. The first time, they were great, but this time, they were even better. I gave these to a friend who shared them with co-workers, and they all loved them. Chocolate and salted caramel--my new favorite ingredient to use in baking, although making it is pretty laborious--are sandwiched between layers of oats and honey with a hint of cinnamon. It is a unique cookie bar--chewy like some brownies, oat-y like granola (although I'm willing to bet it's not as healthy), and better than a chocolate-chip blondie.

Make these and serve it warm with a scoop of the Edy's Girl Scouts Samoa's Ice Cream. You better hurry, because it will only be available for a limited time (until April). Anyway, this is sure to be a match made in heaven. Run. Don't walk.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup honey
1 cup butter, melted
1/2 t cinnamon
1 t baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
homemade caramel
1/2 t sea salt or kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish. Combine flour, oats, sugar, honey, butter, cinnamon, and soda. Press half of the mixture into the baking dish. Bake for about 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with the chocolate chips and caramel.  Disperse the salt evenly over the caramel, and top with the rest of the dough.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the top starts to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and practice self-control by walking away. These bars need to be cool a bit before they are cut. They will be a hot mess if you try to remove one right away. The caramel is molten and needs time to set.