Brown Butter Oatmeal Raisin Bars.

Happy Hump Day everybody! 

I think you will really enjoy today's recipe, even if you don't particularly like oatmeal raisin cookies (I don't know how that could be though, oatmeal raisin cookies are my fave!). They are the perfect way to celebrate the middle of the week! Or any day, in fact! These bars are a "Teresa Original"; it is the first recipe I've ever developed myself for a baked good! I was a bit weary at first about developing my own recipe, but I am (extremely)pleasantly surprised at the results! Now, I know what you may be thinking. Brown Butter?! How can I possibly make brown butter?! Trust me, it's not as hard as it may seem. However, it does take a little bit of patience. You must let the butter sit for a little bit after you are done whisking it. As soon as you see the little brown specks, remove the brown butter from the stove burner immediately. Brown butter can turn black within the matter of seconds! But still, don't be afraid to make it. These Oatmeal Raisin Bars would not be the same without brown butter. It gives the bars a wonderful deep and warm flavor! Brown butter not only makes the bars smell and taste amazing, but your kitchen smells absolutely divine as well! I wish I could just bottle it up the scent or make it into a scented candle. And yes, it is that amazing! 

Despite taking some extra time to make the brown butter, these bars actually come together pretty quickly! While your butter is browning on the stove, you can put your other ingredients together. The ingredient list is fairly simple: flour, light brown sugar, baking soda, vanilla, an egg, oats, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. As your butter is doing its magic, you can combine your brown sugar, egg and vanilla in a large bowl. In a small bowl, you can whisk together your dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, oats, cinnamon, and raisins. Add in your finished brown butter into the bowl with the sugar and egg mixture and give it a good whisk. Next, stir your dry ingredients your wet ingredients. DO NOT OVER MIX.  Just as soon as you don't see any more clumps of dry flour in the batter, STOP MIXING.  Overworking the batter will make hard bars, and we certainly don't want that. Now here comes the really hard part: waiting for them to cool. You must let them cool completely, though; they will be difficult to cut and much too gooey inside if you do not. Once they have been cooled and cut, you have the option of drizzling on a sweet glaze. The glaze is supper easy to make, you only need powdered sugar and some milk. Personally, I think the glaze is a necessity ;). I hope you like these moist, chewy, and flavorful Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars! 

Enjoy! 

Love, 

Teresa 

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter 

1 cup light brown sugar 

1 egg, room temperature 

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

3/4 cup flour 

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon  

1/4 tsp. salt. 

2/3 cup raisins 

1/2 cup powdered sugar 

2-3 tbsp. milk(any kind will work)

Yields: 16 bars

Preheat oven to 350 and line a 8"x8" square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing some to hang over the sides of the pan. 

Brown the butter. Follow these instructions. While your butter is browning, combine the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl. In a separate, small bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and raisins. 

Once the butter has finished browning, add it into the sugar/egg mixture and whisk to completely combine. Add in your dry ingredients, stirring JUST until combined. 

Transfer the batter into the baking pan. You may have to press down to fully spread the batter evenly throughout the pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool  the bars in the pan on a wire rack until they are completely cool. Cut the bars into squares. 

To make the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar and milk until it is smooth and glossy. Drizzle on the cooled bars. 

Recipe From: Sweet Dreams and Sprinkles

*Please do not take this recipe or photos from my blog and use them as your own. If you do wish to post my recipe on your blog, please ask for permission by emailing me. Thank you.