Oatmeal Crisps

I was searching for a good snack to take to the beach, and when I came across these bars, I knew they would be perfect.  I love combination of oatmeal and chocolate, and these would be great no-fuss bars to snack on.  They take about ten minutes to put together, so it’s an easy dessert to pull together quickly.  I did have one issue, though.  The full recipe calls for a 9×13-inch pan.  I only wanted to make half the recipe, so I got out an 8-inch square dish.  When I started to put the mixture in the pan, it wasn’t nearly enough, so I quickly made half of the recipe again.  Luckily these are very quick and easy!  So, I ended up making the full recipe and baking it in an 8-inch pan.  It turned out to be just right, and I would use this proportion again.

These bars were a big hit!  David got into them the night before, and ate several 🙂  He said they tasted like granola bars, but with a dessert-like twist.  They were sweet, and the chocolate added an extra boost of flavor to make it a more indulgent treat.  The coconut flavor was subtle, so even if you are not a fan of coconut, you would probably like these anyway.  Even though I used a smaller sized pan than the recipe called for, I still used the same amount of chocolate topping.  These were very delicious and addictive!

Oatmeal Crisps
Source: The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup shredded coconut

½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with butter or cooking spray.  Melt the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup in a saucepan set over medium heat.  Stir 1 to 2 minutes, until the brown sugar is no longer grainy.  Remove the pan from the heat.  In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, baking powder, salt, and coconut.  Add the butter mixture and stir to combine.

Spoon the dough into the pan.  Lightly coat your fingers with cooking spray or butter and press the mixture evenly into the pan.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.  Cool for 20 minutes and cut into narrow fingers.  In a small, heavy saucepan, melt the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly.  Drizzle over the bars.