Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Tuesdays with Dorie - Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars

Lillian of Confectiona’s Realm picked Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars for this weeks recipe. Thanks, Lillian, for a great pick! I read the P&Q on TWD and saw that a lot of people dropped the raisins or skipped the peanuts, or left out both and put other things in instead. I made these just the way the recipe called for them to be made. But, then, I am boring like that. :) I usually make a recipe just the way it's written the first time around. I like to see how the author intended it to be before I change it to make it my own.


These were really a breeze to put together. Make a crust that is also a topping. Melt some chocolate chips with some butter and sweetened condensed milk, mix in some plumped raisins and some peanuts. Pour it over the crust. Crumble some of the crust over the chocolate mixture, bake it, cool it, eat it!! That is the best part!

There was nothing in this I don't like. Raisins...love em'. Peanuts...yum! Oatmeal...chewy goodness! Chocolate...oh yeah! Put all together in a bar you can just pick up and eat...delicious! Dangerous, but delicious! The hubby wasn't too happy with the raisins. I told him no one was forcing him to eat the bars. (For all his comments about not liking raisins, he ate one bar last night and another one today with his lunch!) Besides, he can eat the Black Bottom Brownies (a future post for SMS) and leave the bars to me. I won't mind!


I'm keeping my bars out on the counter. I missed the part about cooling them in the fridge before cutting them into bars. When I tried to cut them, they were a bit soft in the middle, but I got them cut. I took Dorie's suggestion and tried one before putting them in the fridge. Liked them so well at room temperature I decided to leave them out of the refrigerator.


I think it's funny that I would never add chocolate chips to my oatmeal raisin cookies, yet in these bars the combination of chocolate, oatmeal and raisins tastes wonderful. Maybe next time I make my cookies I will toss in a few chocolate chips. Oh the things TWD has opened my mind to!  See what the rest of the gang at TWD thought about this weeks choice.

39 comments:

  1. Somehow your bars look skinnier--and more appealing to me. I'm with you on making a recipe as specified the first time. It's a great way to learn new tastes I never would have come up with on my own.

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  2. Sometimes, we do things to make other people happy, so while I would have liked the raisins, my husband would have hated them, and I just can't risk being stuck eating all these! So, I went with things I know he loves. The boys loved them, too!

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  3. Yours look fabulous.

    I left out the raisins and cinnamon and added some peanut butter chips to the topping.

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  4. I love yours. I am glad you left in the raisins. They made a good difference. I love these.

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  5. I agree with you. These were great at room temperature (and I even warmed a few in the oven to melt the chocolate just a bit). It made a lot of bars -- plenty to go around!

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  6. I thought these were great at room temp and cold!

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  7. yours look awesome! the chocolate layer looks perfect.

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  8. Room temperature was my preference too. These look great (even though they have raisins!).

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  9. It's funny that you say you'd never add chocolate chips to your oatmeal raisin cookies, because I'd never add raisins to my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! I loved these without the raisins, and I'm glad you liked them with. Thanks for baking with me this week!

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  10. If I knew my family would touch these I would have made them with raisins but they wouldn't so I didn't. Glad you hubby liked them even with the raisins. :)

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  11. I left out the nuts purely because I didn't have any *sobs* but next time, oh yes they are going in!! I can't wait to try them WITH the nuts. It's probably what heaven in a bar resembles :)

    Great looking bars Susie Q :)

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  12. They look wonderful. I really like the new header for you blog. A very pretty picture.

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  13. Your bars look delicious! I really shouldn't check out everyone else's blogs while I'm hungry!

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  14. Im glad you liked them. I thought they were wonderful! My topping is more plopped on then yours! Your bars look so good!

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  15. They look gorgeous! I didn't feel guilty eating them, I just skipped lunch and dinner to accomdate them, haha! Happy baking!

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  16. I agree that they are best at room temperature. Yours look great.

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  17. Oh... my. These look fabulous.

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  18. These look delicious, great combinations. Love your pretty plate, too!

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  19. These were great, weren't they! If hubby doesn't like the raisins, there's just more for you. So good!

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  20. I left out the raisins and peanuts, but I'll bet (based upon your rave review) it was great.

    Of course, what's not to like?

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  21. Hooray for raisins! I thought these were really delicious. My husband isn't a huge raisin fan, but he liked these a lot.

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  22. I am **usually** the same way with most recipes and like to see how they were intended, but, that said, I do like to experiment - especially if I just know something isn't going to be quite my thing (aka raisins :)

    Your cookies/bars look great!

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  23. They look perfect!! I wish I liked raisins but I just can't bring myself to eat them! I liked the filling with just peanuts, though - still really good!

    -Amy
    www.singforyoursupperblog.com

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  24. You loved these bars. . . YAY! Hubbys can be so funny at times (in a non- ha, ha way). Well, your bars look delicious and the recipe was a breeze to put together. What was not to love? =)

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  25. I split my oatmeal cookies into two batches -raisins or chocolate chips. But the kids didn't mind the raisins in this recipe. Your squares look lovely!

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  26. Perfect, perfect, perfect! I always make a recipe the way it is written the first time as well, mostly to see if it is the BEST way, b/c I figure people like Dorie have tested the heck out of these recipes and they would know. At least I figure that is what I am paying them for when I buy their cookbooks. As you can probably guess, the guys here loved these and I made another batch this morning and a bunch of them are watching Big Ten Basketball here tonight and I know they will be appreciated.

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  27. I need to make the black bottom brownies soon. I love that you made these as-is, and loved them just the same. It's nice to read about subs, but it's also very nice to read about the real recipe, too.

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  28. I'm with you on making the the recipe without changes the first time. But,sometimes I just know something isn't going to work and I'll make changes on the first run.
    Your bars looks great.
    Mimi

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  29. Lovely bars! This was really a delicious treat.

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  30. I'm glad that you loved the oatmeal/chocolate combo here! And it's ok that this isn't the hubby's favorite! More for you!

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  31. I froze mine and Hubs keeps pulling them out of the freezer like they were in the cookie jar!! So much for that! These are delicious.

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  32. Your room-temperature bars look fantastic! My boyfriend has even been heating them up to have with ice cream - they're good all ways! I never think I'm going to like oatmeal and chocolate together, but whenever I try something with both, I enjoy it.

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  33. Mine didn't stay in the fridge long. Or the house for that matter.

    Chocolate, oatmeal, butter, nuts. Yeah, I'm there. And yours look perfect.

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  34. Your bars look delicious!
    I thought these were great at room temperature too.

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  35. I recieved your package today....I've already eaten 3 pieces of the no guilt biscottoi. They were yummy. The recipe in this post is one I've made before and it is so delicious.

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