Chocolate Caramel Oatmeal Bars

Last week when we were at our friends' lake house, the teenager NEEDED to use the internet, and asked for the password to get online. I don't remember the whole thing, but part of the password involved the word "cake." Which is just perfect, because my dear friend and I always have a very important meeting before our annual Labor Day trip to her beautiful house, during which we map out pretty much each and every thing we are planning to cook, from the moment we walk in the door to the moment we leave. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and dessert -- we cover the waterfront. The grilled pizza is essential (see earlier post for details). There are always pancakes and waffles on the breakfast menu, and there are always s'mores around the campfire.
But once those basics are covered, we can get creative, and as you might expect from her password, DESSERT is always an extremely important agenda item at our planning meeting. We originally discussed brownies for one of the desserts, but then I remembered this recipe for these babies, which are kind of a cross between brownies and oatmeal cookies. A soft layer of caramel and chocolate is held between two layers of oatmeal cookie dough, and the whole thing is cut into brownie-like squares. Rich and sweet and decadent, and you can still convince yourself that the oatmeal makes this a health food. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, and my Cake-Loving Friend will back me up on this. Because that's the kind of friends we are -- the devoted, loyal, dessert-enabling, kind. Right, C-L-F?

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL OATMEAL BARS, from Everyday Food

• Cooking spray
• 48 soft caramel-candy cubes
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 10 ounces (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13- inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line with a 9-by-21-inch sheet of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each short side.

2. Put caramels and cream in a small saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until caramels are melted, about 5 minutes. Let cool.

3. Stir together oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and the salt in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a fork or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal; press half of mixture onto bottom of lined pan.

4. Bake until just set and starting to color around edges, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes.

5. Sprinkle crust with chocolate chips; drizzle with caramel mixture. Top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake until pale golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.

Click here for Printable Recipe