Story behind the recipe: I entered this oatmeal cookie bar in the 10th Annual Lafayette Oatmeal Festival Baking Contest and won 1st Place in the Cookie Category. The recipe is named after a special someone who's "a whole lot of sweet in a tiny little package."
Description of the dish: A chewy, gooey oatmeal cookie bar layered with caramel, coconut, and white chocolate.
This recipe makes 24 servings.
Time to prep: 30 minutes
Time to cook: Bakes for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown; 23-27 minutes at high altitude.
Ingredients:
- Crust:
- 2 cups flour (measured by lightly spooning and leveling off)
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1½ cups firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups (2½ sticks) butter, softened
- Filling:
- 2 cups (12 oz) good quality white chips (preferably Guittard Choc-Au-Lait)
- 1½ cups sweetened, flaked coconut
- 1 cup caramel ice cream topping
- 3 tablespoons flour
Cooking Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9”x13”x2” pan or line with parchment.
- In a large bowl, combine all crust ingredients and mix until crumbly.
- Reserve half of the crumb mixture (~3 cups) for the topping.
- Press remaining crumb mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine caramel topping and 3 tablespoons of flour. Blend well.
- Remove partially baked crust from oven; sprinkle with white chips and coconut.
- Drizzle evenly with caramel mixture.
- Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.
- Return to the oven and bake an additional 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. High altitude: Bake 23-27 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled.
Recommended side dishes: Yummy served with a tall glass of milk.
Submitted by: Doris Cheung, Office of Information Technology
