Food & Swine

Oatmeal Fudge Ribbon Bars

A great pan of bars is extremely nostalgic to me, as my Mom was the queen of baking them. Aluminum 9×13 pans flanked every church picnic, potluck and birthday party of my youth. This particular bar recipe is pretty old fashioned. The traditional recipe has quite a bit more filling and the filling is a little too chocolate-y for me. So I’ve edited the common recipe to contain a tiny bit less filling and to have a little peanut butter mixed in which softens the chocolate flavor a bit. I also add turbinado sugar (raw sugar) to the top of the pre-baked bars for an additional crunch that is irresistible.

If you make these bars for your Dad on Father’s Day, there will be no complaints. I just recommend baking them early enough so they have ample time to cool. I love these bars most, completely cooled, at room temperature.

Happy Father’s Day!

OATMEAL FUDGE RIBBON BARS: STEP BY STEP (sorta)

Here are some of the more important step by step photos for this recipe. *Full recipe at end of post (along with other Father’s Day throwback pictures.)

Mix the cookie dough per recipe instructions.

Into a greased 9×13 pan, pat 2/3 of dough mixture, extending 1″ up the sides of the pan.

Pour in filling mixture, not letting it spread to outsides of the pan. “Browned chocolate” is my least favorite flavor.

Pat out portions of the remaining dough, place on top of filling. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake until golden… and cool.

If you wait to cut them when they are cool, the fudge layer sets up so nicely!

Oatmeal Fudge Ribbon Bars

Makes one 9×13 inch pan of bars

Bottom Layer and Topping:

1 1/4 C butter (2 ½ sticks) at room temperature

2 C brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 C flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3 C regular rolled oats

Filling:

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)

3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 TBSP creamy peanut butter

1 TBSP butter

1/2 tsp salt

Topping: 1-2 TBSP Turbinado Sugar/Sparkling Sugar or 1 TBSP granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9×13 pan with PAM nonstick cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mix until incorporated. Sift flour, soda and salt together. Add to wet ingredients along with oats. Mix until combined. Divide dough in thirds. Press two thirds of dough evenly into oiled 9×13 inch pan and up the sides 1 inch or so. To prepare filling, in a glass bowl combine sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, peanut butter, butter and salt. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring each time until mixture is smooth and incorporated. Evenly pour over bottom layer of bars, let remain inside built up edges of bottom layer. With remaining dough, pat thin disks out and place them gently over filling, covering most of the top of the cookie bar surface. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar (or regular sugar) and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees, or golden brown and set. Let bars cool a few hours before cutting. (Trust me, you want to do this unless you want a mess.)

EXTRA!

More Father’s Day pics…