You know all of those oatmeal crumbs that I rimmed my martini glass with on Monday,  here’s where they originated. As far as I’m concerned, these bars can easily be considered breakfast. It’s oatmeal, right? The caramel-chocolate layer is just there to hold all of that nutritious oatmeal together. And by all means, feel free to eat these for snack or dessert… dinner too for that matter. I’m one, who on multiple occasions, have popped two waffles in the toaster, poured myself a glass of wine and called it dinner, so you do what you want with these bars. They’re worth baking a batch up for any meal you deem appropriate.

The whirlwind of life has taken off again, and as busy as it gets, it feels great to be back to work. I have been blessed to work with a great group of people and to have amazing support from my friends and family. Thank you to my mom who has kept my son from being a latch-key kid this week. She doesn’t just hang out with the boy while I’m at work, she challenges the boy in handball to the point where they’re both dripping sweat (not exaggerating), and the boy now has her addicted to Plants vs.  Zombies on his iPad. Really, he’s got the coolest grandma ever (and he knows it)!!

A few other things are brewing in my life that have added to my current adrenaline high. Dare I say, these “few other things” may prove to be life-changing at some point. I am a status quo girl. I don’t generally embrace change, but I can’t help but feel excited to see how things unfold. I know I’m being a bit vague and that’s probably really annoying.  Remember when I talked about blog stalkers. I really can’t control who reads this little blog, so I have to be a little cautious when sharing some of what happens behind the scenes of my crazy life. For today, life, like these caramel oatmeal bars, is extra sweet!

 printable recipe

Caramel Chocolate Oatmeal Bars (Adapted from Martha)

Vegetable-oil cooking spray

16oz. soft caramel-candy cubes (approximately 50)*

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13- inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line with a 9-by-21-inch sheet of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each short side. Put caramels and cream in a small saucepan; cook over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until caramels are melted, about 10 minutes. Let cool.

Stir together oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and the salt in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a fork or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal; press half of mixture onto bottom of lined pan. Bake until just set and starting to color around edges, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes.

Sprinkle crust with chocolate chips; drizzle with caramel mixture. Top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake until pale golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.

* You can substitute caramel sundae sauce for caramel cubes. Omit cream and drizzle caramel sundae sauce on crust.