My girlfriend gave me this recipe because I was looking for recipes for homemade granola bars. This is more of an oatmeal cookie bar, but it's been great for day hikes so far. I think it came from a Paula Dean cookbook or something like that.
1. Cream 1 1/2 cups butter into 2/3 cup brown sugar
2. Mix in 2 cups flour, 2 cups rolled oats, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp salt
3. Combine thoroughly. Divide dough into two roughly equal halves.
4. Press the larger half of the dough into a greased 9"x13" pan
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 5-10 minutes, until a light golden brown.
6. Remove from oven, spread 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts over the dough.
7. Press the remaining half of the dough into the pan on top of the baked portion.
8. Mix 1 cup honey and 1/2 cup half and half together, then pour over the pan.
9. Bake the whole concoction for another 15-20 minutes, until the top is very golden brown.
10. Remove from oven, let cool, and chop into bars for later.
I've only made these once so far. They're quite tasty, and very buttery. Great for day hikes. The honey topping makes the top of the bars pretty sticky, though (maybe I didn't bake that part long enough).
Any suggestions on making these better? There's the obvious possibility of replacing the chocolate chips and nuts with various things. And replacing the butter with shortening for longer shelf life (would that work?). I was thinking of leaving out the half & half, and mixing the honey into the dough rather than pouring on top, just for more even sweetness. Anybody else?
