Salted Caramel Chocolate Oatmeal Bars by Ren Behan

If you love Salted Caramel and Chocolate these Oatmeal Bars are for you! You can be sure if there are any little ones around they will enjoy getting chocolaty for this recipe.

Kids in the Kitchen

Mixing – This has to be one of the best things to let kids do when baking or cooking with them. Even the smallest of youngsters can have a go!

Pressing the Dough – Once everything is mixed together keep those little fingers busy by getting them to push the dough into the container.

Recipe Courtesy of Ren Behan author of Wild Honey and Rye which she adapted from US blog Pinch of Yum

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30-35 minutes in total

Serves: 12

Equipment

• Mini Copper Tri-Ply Saucepan
• Mixing Bowl
• 9 x 13 inch Baking Dish

Ingredients

• 200g plain flour
• 115g rolled oats
• 220g soft brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 125g unsalted butter, melted and cooled a little
• 150g good quality (60%+) dark chocolate, chopped (Ren used Lindt 62%)
• 180g caramel (Ren used Bonne Maman Confiture de Caramel)
• An extra pinch of sea salt

Cooking Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Melt the butter and leave it to one side to cool. Put the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl. Pour in the butter and mix everything together with a spoon until a soft (but still crumbly) dough forms. If the dough feels sticky, add a little more flour.
2. Take a 9 x 13 baking dish and press 2/3 of the dough into it, flattening it down. Save 1/3 for topping. Bake for 15 minutes or until the top is turning golden.
3. While crust is baking, melt the caramel (adding an extra pinch of sea salt) in the microwave until it is runny and set to one side.
4. Take the crust out of the oven and very carefully sprinkle over the grated or chopped chocolate. Next, pour the melted caramel over the chocolate chips. Then, crumble the remaining dough over the top of the bars. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the top layer is golden brown.
5. The hardest part is letting it stand for an hour or so, until the caramel is cooled. Slice into bars with a sharp knife.