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Whole Foods used to sell something called "Grandma's Mistakes", an oatmeal cookie-based bar covered in chocolate fudge and a generous sprinkle of buttery oat crumbles on top. When the Whole Foods in Santa Rosa stopped carrying them, I was rather put out with them. A few years later, I discovered the lightened-up version in an America's Test Kitchen cookbook, made with marshmallows in place of heavy cream. More sugar, less fat... they satisfied the craving, but they weren't better. Then I opened up the Vanilla Bean Baking Book and found Sarah's chocolate oat bars. While they aren't called Grandma's Mistakes, that's exactly what they are.
These bars are super simple to make; they'll be ready to go in the oven before it's even finished preheating. You'll mix together the crumbly oatmeal cookie dough base in a stand mixer (or with your hands); it will seem at first like the dough won't come together, but have faith, it ultimately will. Press about ⅔ of the crust dough (600 grams, about 2 heaped cups) into a greased and parchment-sling-lined 9x13" baking pan. [If the sides of the pan aren't protected by parchment paper, you'll wind up losing filling down the sides.]
Bake the prepared crust for 10 minutes, during which time you can prepare the cheater's fudge: All you need to do is melt some chocolate, stir it together with a luxurious amount of sweetened condensed milk, a touch of heavy cream, a little vanilla, and a little salt for a thick, glossy, instant chocolate fudge.
Pour the prepared chocolate fudge filling over the par-baked crust, then pressing the remaining oatmeal dough together to make medium-large clusters, scatter the clusters over the surface of the chocolate filling. Return the pan to the oven for another 20-25 minutes, until set.
That's all you need to know! Super simple, quick and delicious. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do.
Original source: the Vanilla Bean Baking Book
Ingredients
- 2 14-ounce cans (792 g) sweetened condensed milk
- 7 ounces (198 g) bittersweet chocolate*
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups (135 g) rolled or quick oats
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ pound (2 sticks; 227 g) unsalted butter room temperature and sliced into ½-inch pieces
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x13-inch pan and line it with a parchment sling.
- Melt the chocolate by microwaving it in 3 intervals of 30 seconds each (with a stir in
between), until melted [or use a double boiler]. - In a large bowl, whisk the sweetened condensed milk, chocolate, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the flour, oats, granulated and brown sugars, baking soda, and salt on low to combine. Add the butter and mix on medium until the mixture is crumbly.
- Press about ⅔ of the oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully spread the chocolate mixture over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining ⅓ oat mixture evenly over the top. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the chocolate has puffed up a bit and does not jiggle, and the crumbly top is light golden brown.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool. Place the pan in the fridge and chill for 4 to 6 hours.
- Slice the bars and serve.
