Mission

Celebrating the delights of good healthy everyday food and special treats! Sharing recipes, information, and experiences.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Recipe for No Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars-Secret Recipe Club

Warning...dangerous.  Yes, these little goodies are very good and hard to resist.  

It's Secret Recipe Club reveal day today.  I was assigned Colleen's blog, Secrets from the Cookie Princess. She is a avid baker and has all kinds of amazing goodies on her blog.  There are the smattering of savory dishes too but after seeing this recipe, there was no question what I was making.

Time: 15 minutes plus cooling/setting time (about an additional 45 minutes)
Yield: 24 bars

Ingredients:
  • 3C old-fashioned oats
  • 2C semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided (I used 1 1/2 C of the large size chips-60% cacao bittersweet)
  • 1C creamy peanut butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2C sugar (I used 1 C of brown sugar)
  • 1/2C milk
  • 1/2C butter
  • 1/2 tsp salt


Method:
  • Line a 9x13 pan with parchment.
  • Mix oats and half of chocolate chips in a large bowl.
  • Stir in vanilla and peanut butter-this will take a few minutes to work the peanut butter in to the oats.
  • Over medium heat, combine butter, milk, salt and sugar and bring to a boil.
  • Once boiling, set timer for 2 minutes and let mixture continue to boil.
  • Then pour hot mixture over oat mixture and stir to combine.
  • Press mixture into an even layer in the parchment lined pan.
  • Drop remaining chocolate chips on the top.
  • Cool at room temperature for 15 minutes and then 30 minutes in the fridge (you may not have to use the fridge depending on the temperature of your kitchen).
  • When the mixture is set, use the parchment to lift it out of the pan and cut into bars.
  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge.


I added a sprinkling of cinnamon over the top but think it would be better stirred in to the mixture.

I shared these with some friends and then nibbled on the rest for over a week, a little bit each day.  They were so good.  One of my friends said they reminded him of something he used to have with his family called Moose Droppings (or something like that!).
Colleen has all kinds of great cookie, bars, cakes, and other goodies on her blog.  Here is a link to the recipe archive.  If you're looking for something sweet, I'm sure you can find a recipe there!  And check out all the other SRC recipes in today's reveal.