Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

These are over the top good. They're very similar to an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, but better. They remind me a lot of some bars they serve at Great Harvest. Love these and hope you will too!

1 c. butter, softened

2 c. packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 t. vanilla

3 c. quick-cooking oats

2 ½ c. flour

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

Chocolate layer

2 t. butter

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

1 c. (12 oz.) chocolate (semisweet or milk chocolate)

1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the oats, flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl; stir into creamed mixture. Press 2/3 of oat mixture onto a greased cookie sheet with high sides (jelly-roll pan). It’s also works great to cut the recipe in half and use the half size cookie sheets.

In a saucepan, combine milk, chocolate chips, and butter. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. (Or do this step in the microwave). Remove from the heat; stir in walnuts and vanilla. Spread over the crust. Sprinkle with remaining oat mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool. Cut into squares.

Yield: 4 dozen

Recipe: adapted from Becky Higgins

Lemon Raspberry Bars

I love anything with lemons in it and this is such a yummy treat you'll enjoy this summer. One of my favorite new recipes is lemon cream pie, and this reminds me a lot of that, but with the added bonus of fresh raspberries. You'll love this; it's one of my new faves!

Crust:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

Cream together the butter and powdered sugar on medium speed. Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour and salt. Mix until combined and smooth. Press the crust dough into the 8x8 cake pan. Make sure the crust is evenly spread out. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven.

filling:

2 large egg yolks
1-14 oz. can fat free sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
6 ounces fresh raspberries

Once the crust is cool, combine the egg yolks and condensed milk until well mixed. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir until mixture begins to slightly thicken. Gently fold in the raspberries. Fold carefully so you don’t break the raspberries.

Pour the lemon raspberry filling evenly over the graham cracker crust. Bake for 15 minutes, or until just set.

Cool to room temperature, then chill for at least one hour before serving. Cut into bars and serve. Keep bars in the refrigerator-up to five days.

*Note-use fresh raspberries and make sure you gently fold the berries into the lemon filling or you will have pink bars.

Yield: 16 bars

Recipe adapted from: Two Peas and their Pod

delivering the prize

I was really excited to be able to deliver our fun prize to our winner, Stacie Couch. We hope she enjoys the goodies! P.S. Stacie wanted me to add that she had just finished a softball game. She was a champ and let me take a picture with her anyway. I don't know what she's worried about; she looks good!

4th of July Fruit Kebabs

22 skewers (plus more for leftover fruit)
Blueberries
Strawberries
Cheesecake (I made this recipe without the peach topping. Bake in a 9x13 pan.)
Bake cheesecake in 9x13 pan. I turned the oven off a couple minutes early to adjust for the shallow pan. Chill, preferably overnight. Cut cheesecake into cubes--about 1 inch. Assemble by following design on picture. Be careful when adding the cheesecake as it will crumble. Place in freezer for half hour or until ready to serve. Makes about 2 flags.

Giveaway Winner

Thanks to everyone who participated in our giveaway. We really enjoy having this blog and have had fun with this giveaway. We sure do love receiving comments and feedback on the recipes we post. We hope you love them as much as we do. Please continue to check back for more recipes to make your taste buds dance!

Congratulations to Stacie Couch, commenter #4. You are the winner of our giveaway. We will be contacting you right away. We hope you will enjoy the goodies!