Thick'n'Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Bars
Author: 
Recipe type: Snack
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 28 bars
 
A relatively low-sugar, thick, moist, oaty bar-cookie with chunks of chocolate, nuts, and seeds. Swap out ingredients for what you like or have on hand.
Ingredients
  • 4 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
  • ⅓ cup chopped macadamia nuts
  • ¼ cup sunflower seeds
  • ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
  • about 75 g chopped dark chocolate
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 cups milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • additional few handfuls of oats for optional topping
  • additional 25 g dark chocolate for optional topping
Method
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F, 190 C (180 Fan).
  2. Prepare a 9x13 pan with parchment non-stick baking paper. Tip: tear off about 18 inches of paper, turn your pan upside down, and fold the edges of the paper against the underside of your pan so it matches that bottom rectangle. Put the pan upright and drop the folded paper in. Unfold the edges of the paper against the edges of the pan, folding the corner triangles against the sides.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, walnuts, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chopped chocolate, sugar, nutmeg, and salt.
  4. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs into the milk. Add the vanilla and mix.
  5. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and combine thoroughly. The milk will look very wet around the oats.
  6. Pour the entire mixture into the prepared pan and smooth out with a spatula, then give a little shake to ensure the liquid is evenly distributed.
  7. Sprinkle on the additional oats, if using.
  8. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until it feels firm with a crusty top in the middle and the outer edges are turning brown. If your oven doesn't cook evenly, be sure to rotate the pan around halfway through cooking.
  9. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
  10. Remove from the pan and place on a large cutting board.
  11. Melt the additional chocolate (if using) in the microwave using very short bursts until it is partially melted with lumps remaining. Mix gently with a silicone spatula for a few minutes until lumps melt. Use the spatula to drizzle the chocolate over the whole thing.
  12. Cool until the chocolate on top solidifies (which might take a long time, so you may need to pop it in the fridge). Cut into bars of desired size.
Recipe by Eat The Evidence at https://www.eat-the-evidence.com/2015/04/14/thicknchewy-oatmeal-chocolate-bars/