Brown Butter & Chocolate Oatmeal Bar Recipe

Chewy, chocolatey and perfectly decadent, these brown butter and chocolate oatmeal bars are equally good as dessert or with a cup of coffee.

During the Olympics opening ceremony in Vancouver, my family started to question my mental stability. As Canadian poet Shane Koyczan stood on the stage and recited his poem, We Are More, I let the tears stream down my cheeks unimpeded. Okay, I may have openly wept and hiccuped. As he spoke of all of the things that were at the heart of my upbringing and inherent to my national pride, I was reminded of why I love my homeland to the depths of my soul. "We are more than genteel or civilized. We are an idea in the process of being realized. We are young. We are cultures strung together, then woven into a tapestry and the design is what makes us more than the sum total of our history. We are an experiment going right for a change." Well said, Shane.

With images of Vancouver and Whistler being splashed across the television screen daily, my yearning for home increases. What do I do to alleviate some of these feelings? Well - cook, of course. Whenever I visit a Starbucks' store on Vancouver Island, I indulge in an Island Oat Bar. Chewy and sweet, this bar goes down easily when chased by a cafe latté. My version relies on the nuttiness of browned butter, mixed with the richness of melted chocolate, to produce a dessert that is a decadent stand-in. Now, where's that latté?

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, with the rack in the lower-middle position.

Line a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with a foil sling (see photo in the Reese's Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cheesecake Bars Recipe post). Spray the foil with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt.

Place ¾ cup (4 ½ ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips in a large bowl.

In a small saucepan, melt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter over medium-low heat. Cook the butter, stirring frequently, for an additional 12-15 minutes, or until the butter turns golden brown. Pour the butter over the chocolate chips and whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Whisk in 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar.

Stir in 1 large egg and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

In two additions, stir in the oat mixture until just combined.

With damp fingers, gently press the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 16 to 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Set on a cooling rack.

In a small microwave-proof bowl, combine 2 ounces chopped white chocolate and ½ tablespoon shortening. Cook the chocolate in the microwave, on 50% power, until the chocolate is melted, stirring frequently. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the warm bars and let the bars cool in the pan, about 2 hours.

Using the foil sling, lift the bars out of the pan. Cut into 24 bars or 48 small squares. Serve.

Other dessert recipes with brown butter:

Cookin' Canuck's Brown Butter, Pine Nut & Rosemary Cookies Recipe
Smitten Kitchen's Hazelnut Brown Butter Cake
Dessert First's Brown Butter Vanilla Cake with Caramel Buttercream
Cooking Debauchery's Browned Butter Chocolate Chip-Cherry Cookies

Brown Butter & Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (4 ½ oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 oz. white chocolate, chopped
½ tablespoon vegetable shortening

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, with the rack in the lower-middle position.

Line a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with a foil sling (see photo in the Reese's Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cheesecake Bars Recipe post). Spray the foil with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, and salt.

Place semi-sweet chocolate chips in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Cook the butter, stirring frequently, for an additional 12-15 minutes, or until the butter turns golden brown. Pour the butter over the chocolate chips and whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Whisk in brown sugar. Stir in egg and vanilla extract. In two additions, stir in the oat mixture until just combined.

With damp fingers, gently press the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 16 to 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Set on a cooling rack.

In a small microwave-proof bowl, combine white chocolate and shortening. Cook the chocolate in the microwave, on 50% power, until the chocolate is melted, stirring frequently. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the warm bars and let the bars cool in the pan, about 2 hours. Using the foil sling, lift the bars out of the pan. Cut into 24 bars or 48 small squares. Serve.

Makes 24 large rectangular bars or 48 small square bars.

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