These decadent gooey oat, fruit and nut bars with dark chocolate are a delicious baked treat on a buttery shortbread base. The topping is made by hand and comes together easily while the shortbread bakes. These are perfect for tea or to send to school for your kids.
The butter is browned to nutty perfection before adding two kinds of sugars to make the foundation of the caramel topping. The eggs help it set along with the raisins, chopped pecans and dark chocolate.
I love the slightly paper-like shiny top like you would see with brownies. This happens when the sugar and eggs are well mixed into the browned butter.
These gooey bars are very sweet so I used dark chocolate to help balance it out. Milk chocolate would be too sweet here. I chopped up half the pecan nuts quite finely so they get soaked into the caramel to thicken. You could use desiccated coconut if you were avoiding nuts.
How to make gooey oat, fruit & nut bars with dark chocolate
Line an 20cm x 20cm (8inc x 8inch) square baking pan with non-stick baking paper.
First make the shortbread dough by placing the flour, butter, and sugar into a bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture forms a dough. It will be quite soft.
You can lightly press the dough into the prepared baking pan and even out the surface. Bake for 20 minutes until starting to turn golden. Remove and allow to cool (it doesn’t have to be completely cold).
While the shortbread base is baking, melt the butter in a medium pot. Cook this until it starts to go golden brown then take it off the heat. You will see brown flecks in the butter and it will be frothy.
Add the sugars and allow them to cool somewhat (it doesn’t have to cool completely).
Then add the eggs one at a time giving the mixture a good whisk in between.
Finally, add the vanilla, oats, raisins, and chocolate and mix it well.
Spread this mixture over the baked shortbread and sprinkle lightly with sea salt flakes (optional). Put the pan back into the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes. It should be golden brown and set.
Allow the gooey bars to cool in the tin and then in the fridge to set further. Slice and dust with icing (powdered) sugar.
I added the zest of a clementine to the shortbread pastry but after eating a couple and sharing with friends, the consensus was that these would be better without. I love adding orange flavour to my baked goods, especially with chocolate but I’m going to leave it out of the recipe you can add it in if you like the idea.
A few other biscuits and bar recipes you might like:
The best South African crunchie recipe
The best shortbread biscuit balls with chocolate middles
Shortbread bars with whisky marmalade
Cheesecake brownies with chocolate romany creams
The best ever vanilla whipped shortbread biscuits (cookies)
Double chocolate chip skillet cookie
White chocolate, cranberry and macadamia cookies
Recipe – makes 12 bars
Shortbread base:
- 175 grams flour cake or all-purpose
- 200 grams cold salted butter cut into cubes
- 50 grams sugar
Filling:
- 80 grams salted butter
- 65 grams white sugar
- 100 grams dark brown sugar
- 2 large free-range eggs
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- 70 grams rolled oats old fashioned not quick cook
- 50 grams pecan nuts chopped a mix of fine and rough approx. 1/3 cup
- 70 grams raisins 1/2 a cup
- 65 grams dark chocolate chips or slab roughly chopped 70% cocoa (1/2 a cup)
- Light sprinkle of sea salt flakes optional
- Icing sugar to serve
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Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
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Line an 20cm x 20cm (8inc x 8inch) square baking pan with non-stock baking paper.
-
To make the shortbread dough, place the flour, butter, sugar into a bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture forms a dough. It will be quite soft.
-
Lightly press the dough into the prepared baking pan and even out the surface. Bake for 20 minutes until starting to turn golden. Remove and allow to cool.
-
While the shortbread base is baking, melt the butter in a medium pot. Cook this until it starts to go golden brown then take it off the heat.
-
Add the sugars and allow to cool somewhat (it doesn’t not have to cool completely).
-
Add the egg one at a time giving the mixture a good whisk in between.
-
Add the vanilla, oats, raisins, and chocolate and give it a good mix.
-
Spread this mixture over the baked shortbread and sprinkle lightly with sea salt flakes (optional). Put the pan back into the oven and bake for a further for 20 minutes. It should be golden brown and set.
-
Allow to cool in the tin and then in the fridge to set further.
-
Slice and dust with icing (powdered) sugar.
They can be stored in an airtight container in a cool spot or in the fridge.
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