1 cup unsalted butter, softened, from which 2 tablespoons are divided
2 cups light brown sugar + 1 teaspoon molasses (alternatively, you can use dark brown sugar)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
2½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3¼ cups old-fashioned oatmeal
14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
12 ounces of chocolate chips (I used 10 ounces of bittersweet and 2 ounces of milk chocolate)
1½ tablespoons Amaretto (alternatively, you can use 2 teaspoons almond extract instead)
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped (3 ounces = about 28 grams) - pecans make a good substitute
Instructions
Butter a 9x13-inch pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Using a hand held electric beater or standing mixer in a large bowl, beat 10 ounces butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, and salt and beat to combine. Set aside.
In another bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and oatmeal. Set aside.
In a saucepan, gently melt and stir to combine the sweetened condensed milk, chocolate, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Be careful not to burn the chocolate - use low heat or use a double boiler. Stir in the Amaretto and walnuts.
Stir in oatmeal mixture into the butter-sugar mixture, combining well. Spread ⅔ of the dough into prepared pan, pressing evenly throughout to create the bottom crust. Spread this crust with the chocolate-nut mixture. Dot with remaining dough, like a oatmeal mosaic of sorts, chocolate peeking out from below (see my photo in the post).
Bake for about 25 minutes. Cool to almost room temp before slicing.
These are very rich bars so cut into small squares to serve. If feeling indulgent, serve with a scoop of raspberry-vanilla ice cream (see my ice cream post for that wonderful recipe).
Recipe by story of a kitchen at https://www.storyofakitchen.com/dessert-recipes/mummys-fudgy-chocolate-oatmeal-bars-recipe/