5-Layer Oatmeal Dream Bars

I don’t want to sound like Ina Garten here, but I never really appreciated baking with “really good” chocolate until I was able to do so. I had no idea what I was missing! Please, try to use some awesome chocolate in this recipe, like the Scharffen Berger 70% like I used, because the melty pools of chocolate are the true stars of these bars! Plus, because I tried to use a healthier oatmeal cookie layer for the base (verses the traditional butter cookie layer in similar bars), you won’t feel as guilty while enjoying them!

1 ½ cups old fashioned oats

½ cup flour (I used white whole wheat)

½ cup Splenda

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup flax seed meal

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking powder

1 egg white

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp. vanilla extract

¾ cup chocolate baking chunks (I used Scharffen Berger 70%Bittersweet)

½ cup pecans, chopped (I used unsalted, raw)

¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes, divided

1 can (14 oz) fat free sweetened condensed milk

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8’’ baking dish with foil or parchment for easy removal of the bars. Spray the lined baking dish with non-stick spray.

~In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, Splenda, brown sugar, meal, salt and baking powder. Then, add the egg white, applesauce, and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Press this oatmeal cookie dough into the bottom of the dish, evenly distributed.

~On top of the oatmeal cookie layer, sprinkle 3 Tbs of the coconut flakes. Then evenly distribute the chocolate baking chunks (they won’t completely cover the oatmeal layer, but they will leave very little blank space). Next, sprinkle on the pecans. Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk over the top, completely covering any spaces. Finally, sprinkle the last of the coconut on top.

~Bake for 20 minutes, covered with foil. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 20 min (be sure not to burn the top, but it will get caramel brown). Let cool completely then remove from the baking dish (this is where the foil or parchment make it easy) and cut into bars. Enjoy still warm (the chocolate bursts into melty pools in your mouth!) or even frozen (I like to freeze ½ of the batch so I can have both!)! 

(The good stuff!)

Strike up a conversation: Do you like your cookie bars hot or cold?