Ali Bakes: Nutella Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Why didn't I blog YESTERDAY?!

 

I baked yesterday.  And got mucho distracted by...nothing in particular.  Haha.  Now I'm tired and exhausted and sleepy (all synonyms) but am blogging regardless.  My motivation to finish this post:  I get to go bug Brian for an hour before staff meeting.  Yep.  Worth it.

 

Why did I bake yesterday?  Well, first of all, because I miss baking and actually producing something yummy and delicious (Tonight is all about synonyms.  Get over it.)  And yes, this recipe worked out, unlike a recipe I attempted to bake a few weeks ago.  Lesson learned from that experience:  use caution when using Crisco sticks for any kind of shortbread.  NOT the same as butter.

 

Another reason why I baked:  I wanted to treat Sandison Hall's staff to some deliciousness.  Sammy (my building partner of awesomeness) agreed, and that became reason number three to bake:  I get to hang out with SAMMY!

 

And finally, I needed an excuse to purchase Nutella.  Even though technically Brian got it at the store.  I just set it in the cart and mentioned baking.  No questions asked.  It was nice.  (And did I mention delicious?!) 

 

Sammy was also a great baking partner and made sure I didn't sneak any spoonfuls of Nutella.  Would you believe she's never had Nutella before yesterday?!  Blasphemy.

 

But yeah, the decided upon recipe was Nutella Oatmeal Cookie Bars.  It's like an oatmeal shortbread on the bottom and then a layer of Nutella spread on top.  And since not all of these were to be eaten by me, I was careful not to overload them with Nutella.  (Y'all should be proud!)  I was also keeping in mind that any leftover Nutella would belong to me, so that's additional incentive to not overload the bars.  (Hehe.)

 

Curious about how these bars came into existence?  Read on...

 

 

Nutella Oatmeal Cookie Bars

*Adapted from KneadySweetie.com

 

Ingredients:

1 cup softened butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 cup oats

~1/4 cup Nutella (Depending on who you're making the bars for!)

 

Instructions:

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and pull out all of your ingredients.  Cream together the butter, sugar, and egg (I recommend using a mixer, because it took a bit of time/effort for me to accomplish this.  Definitely doable either way though).  Add the flour and then the oats, mixing well.  Watch out for hidden butter clumps, as I ran into this problem for a good while.  Spread into a 9X9 pan.

 

 

 

 

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

 

 

Allow to cool on a wire rack, though you can add the Nutella while still warm so that it spreads easier.  After the Nutella layer has been added to the top, refrigerate the bars to let everything firm up. 

 

SEA OF NUTELLA!!!

 

Next, cut the bars into squares and enjoy at room temperature or re-refrigerate for a cooler treat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'll get more adventurous likely in future posts.  No guarantees about a blog post next week though...Brian and I are headed to MICHIGAN!!!  (I'm excited already!)