Crunchy Oat Fudge Bars

-
Adapted from First Look, Then Cook.

DSC_0357_mod

Crust and topping
1 c. Rolled oats
1/4 c. Flax seeds
2/3 c. Brown sugar, unpacked
3/4 c. Whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)
1/4 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Baking soda
1/8 tsp Salt
1/4 c. Unsalted butter, melted

Filling
1/4 c. All-purpose flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1.5 c. Semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp Unsalted butter
1 Large egg, beaten
1 tsp Vanilla
2 tsp Instant coffee (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease an 8" square pan or use a silicone square pan.

Combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, flax seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir in melted butter.  Set aside 3/4 cup of the mixture for the topping.

Press the remaining oat mixture onto the bottom of the square baking pan.  Bake for 8 min, until the crust is golden brown.

Set the crust aside to cool while you prepare the fudge filling.

Melt chocolate chips with the butter in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds.  Allow the chocolate mixture to cool for 10-15 min (should be able to touch it comfortably with your finger).

Combine flour, sugar, salt and instant coffee (if using).

Whisk the egg and vanilla into the cooled chocolate.  Add the flour mixture and blend well.

Spread the fudge filling on the crust.  Sprinkle the reserved oat topping on top.  Bake for 25-30 min, until the toothpick comes out mostly clean with only a few clumps stuck to it.

Allow the bars to cool before cutting.

DSC_0362_mod

My comments:

Mmmm...these bars are good, really good.  The crust and topping are amazing.  It's crunchy with just the perfect firmness and not overly sweet.  In fact, as I'm sitting here thinking about what to write about the crust, I am hit with a wonderful idea!!  Why not bake simple oat bars with the crust recipe?  *gasp*  Brilliant!!  At least I think so.  But this little experiment will have to wait for another night.  :)

I must admit, I had to give these bars time to grow on me.  That was probably my own fault because I used dark chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate chips.  It was the only thing I had at home because I was a bit obsessed with making Salty Cracker Toffee over the Christmas season, then the dark chocolate chips went on sale and I stocked up.  I had 6 bags of these dark chocolate chips in the cupboard and I was too embarrassed to buy more chocolate chips.  These dark chocolate chips are awesome but they made the fudge part too rich.  The chocolate was just a tad overpowering.

Desserts are not necessarily bad for you as long as you practice moderation.  Well, I don't do moderation.  So it's no surprise that I had 3 of these in 1 hour and I have every intention of going back to the kitchen for a 4th.  :P  For this reason, I try to hide some good stuff in my baking to alleviate the guilt.  I use whole wheat flour whenever I can and I love using flax seeds in my baking.  Flax seeds are very nutritious and I find it gives the bake goods a hint of nutty flavour.

Anyhow, it's getting late.  I'm going to grab one more bar before calling it a night.  :)  Stay tune for more recipes to come in the next week or so.  I have a few avocado recipes lined up for this week.  :)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thai Curry Stir-Fried Rice

-
Image
3 c. Cooked rice* 2-3 tbsp Vegetable oil 1 Green onions, chopped 2-3 cloves Garlic, minced 3 Eggs 1/2 Fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks 3/4 c. Vegetables** 1 tbsp Sesame oil 2 tbsp Soya sauce 2 tsp Curry powder 1-2 tsp Thai curry paste * Freshly cooked rice has too much moisture and it is too soggy to fry; therefore, it is best to use leftover rice. If you don't have leftover rice, you can cool freshly cooked rice to room temperature and then place the rice in the refrigerator, uncovered, for a minimum of 1 hour to reduce the moisture. ** You can use any vegetables you like. I used frozen vegetable mix because it was the easiest thing to do and I thaw the vegetables to room temperature. Alternatively, you can chop up fresh vegetables into small pieces (eg. carrots, mushrooms, peppers, etc.), pre-cook them on the frying pan and drain the excess liquid. Drizzle 1 tbsp of oil to the rice and break up the rice into grains with a fork. Set aside. Stir together the soya sauce,
Read more

Orange Poppy Seed Cookies

-
Image
1/2 c. Sugar 1/2 c. Butter, unsalted, room temperature 1 Egg, room temperature 1 tbsp Orange zest (from 1 large orange) 1 1/4 c. Flour 1/2 tsp Baking soda 1 tbsp Poppy seeds Pinch of salt Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and the orange zest. Beat until combined. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add into the butter mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Fold in the poppy seeds. Place little mounds of cookie batter on a Silpat (or parchment paper or greased cookie sheet). Flatten slightly slightly with a fork. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges turn a little brown. Be careful not to over cook and burn the bottoms. Allow the cookies to cool for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. My comments: When I saw the pictures on Elise's Simply Recipes , I knew I just had to try these cookies. It's easy to do and her cookies jus
Read more

Chinese Beef Congee

-
Image
1 c. Chinese white rice 6 c. Water 1/2 lb. Lean ground beef 1 Salted duck egg Salt & pepper to taste Lettuce, thinly sliced Sauce: 2 Green onion, chopped 3 tbsp Soya sauce (Kikkoman) 1/2 tsp Sesame oil Wash the rice several times with water. Drain out as much water as possible. Refridgerate for a few hours to let the water soak into the rice. It is easiest to pre-soak the rice overnight or in the morning, so that the rice will be ready to cook when you come home from work. In a large pot, boil the water and add the rice. Let it simmer for 30 min on medium heat. The rice should become very soft and fluffy and the liquid is slightly thickened. The consistency of the congee is typically similar to a Western style cream soup, but you can always add or reduce the water to make the congee to your desired consistency. I like my congee with medium consistency (not too watery but not too thick). While the rice is cooking, lightly marinade the ground beef with a little bit of salt or
Read more