Sweet Tooth Saturday – Chocolate Revel Bars

Sweet Tooth Saturday went retro this weekend!  Is it just me, or did everyone’s mom have some version of this cookbook when they were growing up?

image source

I don’t know how old my mom’s copy was, but I know that by the time I started cooking, many pages of hers were crinkled and stained from use.  My amma (grandma in Icelandic) gave me my own copy when I was a teenager, and while it’s no longer my go-to cookbook, I still refer to it for ideas when I’m in the mood for something that is easy to prepare but tastes great.  When I was paging through it last weekend, I came across the recipe for Chocolate Revel bars.  These might be my favorite bar cookie ever.  When our college cafeteria made them, I turned into a bit of a food hoarder and would wrap as many as I possibly could sneak out in my back in napkins to eat later…..healthy living wasn’t really a focus of mine back then, clearly.  I had forgotten all about these ridiculously delicious treats until I saw the recipe, but it took all of two seconds for me decide they HAD to be made once I remembered them.  I made a few modifications to the original recipe, the most important being cutting the oat mixture in half and leaving the chocolate filling ingredients as written. There can never be too much chocolate, right??



Chocolate Revel Bars
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk, divided
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
1.  Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2.  In a large bowl, beat together 1/2 cup butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in egg,  1/2 cup of sweetened condensed milk, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. In another bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, and 1/2 of teaspoon salt; stir into butter mixture.
3.  Pat 2/3 of the oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Refrigerate for one to two hours.
4.  In a medium saucepan, heat remaining sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt over low heat, stirring until smooth or mostly smooth. Do not heat for too long; if the chocolate mixture is heated for too long, it will seize up and become very difficult to spread.  It’s better to remove from heat with a few small bits of chocolate left unmelted than it is to overheat. Stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla.  Set aside and allow the chocolate to cool until the oat mixture is ready to be removed from the refrigerator.
5.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
6.  Remove the oat mixture from the fridge, and spread the chocolate mixture evenly over the top.  Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the top; some of the chocolate layer should still be visible.
7.  Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is lightly browned; the chocolate mixture will still look moist. Let cool on a wire rack, then cut into bars.

These bars are so easy to make; the hardest part is the waiting.  Cesar was pretty thrilled with them as well. He may have slipped into a mild depression when he realized he only had two left.  Luckily for him, every week includes a Saturday, so there will be something new to lift him out of his funk before too long.

Now that I’ve taken care of that business, here’s a silly video to brighten your Saturday.