Wow, what a week, right? I started off pretty calm, realistic in my expectations of the time it would take to go through the process. This mindset rapidly declined as the days wore on, until at one point Thursday afternoon, in the middle of a particularly busy WFH session, my Pandora station piped up with an ad asking “Feeling anxious?” to which I snapped “SHUT UP PANDORA!!” then started stress-giggling at the absurdity. What did you guys do to cope? For me it was the usual yoga + baking, with the addition of a few generous nightcaps (Edradour, thanks Dad). These layer bars were a key part of the equation-we each had several servings per day. Don’t judge, they are addictive even in the best of circumstances. You’ll see.

While it’s traditional to call these “7 layer” bars, you don’t need to stay tied to that number. You can easily tweak up or down with your preferred variety of baking chips and nuts. I took Half Baked Harvests’ idea of using a homemade oatmeal cookie base, added some spice to make it feel more Fall, and leaned towards the richer, darker chocolate chip choices and unsweetened coconut for toppings, because these really don’t need any additional sugar. As with any 7 layer bar, they are very sweet, so we cut them small.

One thing I noticed from my (very important) 7 layer bar recipe research, is everyone has a different order for layering the toppings. I prefer using the condensed milk as sort of a sticky base layer, saving just a bit for a glossy drizzle at the end. The coconut goes on top, so it can get a nice golden toasted finish. As for the chips and pecans, anything will do really. Maybe just sprinkle them all on at once. As always, do what you like here. This is the order I most enjoyed, and you may find another that makes you happy. And that’s really the point of these, isn’t it?

Oatmeal Cookie 7 Layer Bars

Recipe by Too Many SpoonsCourse: DessertCuisine: Brownies and bars

Servings

24

bars

Cost

29

$

Total time

50

minutes

The toppings can be easily switched up-feel free to use whatever you have on hand.

Ingredients

• Oatmeal Cookie Crust

• 1 cup flour

• 1 cup rolled oats

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar

• 1/4 cup white sugar

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 cup canola oil

• 1 egg

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• Toppings

• 14 oz sweetened condensed milk

• 1 1/3 cup shredded coconut

• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

• 1 cup butterscotch chips

• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk the flour, oats, sugars, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
• Add the oil, egg, and vanilla, and mix until combined. It will be pretty crumbly-this is ok. Using your fingers, press the crust into the prepared pan. This will be the most difficult part of the process- just keep gently nudging the batter towards the edges until it covers the bottom of the pan.
• Place the pan in the oven, and bake for 10 minutes. It won’t be completely cooked through yet-you’re just giving it a head start.
• Remove the pan from the oven, then pour most of the condensed milk over top, reserving about 1/4 cup.
• Sprinkle all the baking chips over the condensed milk, then the pecans, and then the coconut. Drizzle the remaining condensed milk over everything.
• Bake for about 25 minutes, until the coconut starts to turn golden. Let cool completely before cutting into little squares.

Recipe Notes

• Adapted from Half Baked Harvests’ “7 Layer Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars”