I haven't really given baking much thought this month. I had planned on skipping it entirely, but by the time this weekend came around, I lost my resolve. A simple cookie recipe might have been more appropriate for me, but instead I made a rather rich bar cookie, which in reality was closer to candy. Oh well. It was a recipe I bookmarked several months ago in one of my cookbooks, The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion; The Essential Cookie Cookbook, (The Countryman Press, 2004).
This recipe was aptly named, Sinfully Rich Chocolate Crunch Bars. Curiously the very same recipe is posted on the King Arthur website where it's been renamed, Yuletide Toffee Squares. I wondered briefly if the first name scared too many people away, lol.
I have scaled the original King Arthur recipe down to fit a 13x9 inch pan.
1/2 cup salted butter, melted (1 stick)
2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
3 cups gluten free rolled oats (not the quick cooking kind)
1 1/3 cups (9 ounces) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp virgin coconut oil (the kind that is solid at room temperature)
2/3 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
Lightly grease a 13x9 inch pan. After greasing the pan, I lined mine with parchment paper because there was mention of the oat base sticking to the pan on the King Arthur website. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and vanilla and salt, and stir until you have a smooth thick mixture. Add the oats and combine until they are evenly coated. Press the mixture firmly into the pan.
Bake the oat base for 10 to 14 minutes, or until it's an even light golden brown. Watch carefully after about 9 minutes; mine was done at 11 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together, stirring constantly until smooth. Spread the mixture evenly over the cooled oat base and sprinkle on the chopped toasted nuts.
Cover very loosely and chill the squares in the refrigerator until the chocolate is firm. Remove from the refrigerator and carefully remove the bars from the pan.
Cut into small squares.
Combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and vanilla and salt, and stir until you have a smooth thick mixture. Add the oats and combine until they are evenly coated. Press the mixture firmly into the pan.
Bake the oat base for 10 to 14 minutes, or until it's an even light golden brown. Watch carefully after about 9 minutes; mine was done at 11 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together, stirring constantly until smooth. Spread the mixture evenly over the cooled oat base and sprinkle on the chopped toasted nuts.
Cover very loosely and chill the squares in the refrigerator until the chocolate is firm. Remove from the refrigerator and carefully remove the bars from the pan.
Cut into small squares.
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