Gooey oat, fruit & nut bars with dark chocolate
Sweet

Gooey oat, fruit & nut bars with dark chocolate

by Sam Linsell

Ingredients

Shortbread base:

175 grams flour (cake or all-purpose)

200grams cold salted butter cut into cubes

50 grams sugar

Zest of half a clementine or ½ an orange (optional)

 

Filling:

80 grams salted butter

65 grams white sugar

100 grams dark brown sugar

2 large free-range eggs

¾ tsp vanilla extract

70 grams rolled oats (old fashioned not quick cook)

50grams pecan nuts chopped a mix of fine and rough (approx. 1/3 cup)

70grams raisins (1/2 a cup)

65 grams dark chocolate chips or slab roughly chopped (70% cocoa) (1/2 a cup)

Light sprinkle of sea salt flakes (optional)

Icing sugar to serve.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.

 Line an 20cm x 20cm (8inc x 8inch) square baking pan with non-stock baking paper.

 

To make the shortbread dough, place the flour, butter, sugar, and zest into a bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture forms a dough. It will be quite soft.

 

Lightly press the dough into the prepared baking pan and even out the surface. Bake for 20 minutes until starting to turn golden. Remove and allow to cool.

 

While the shortbread base is baking, melt the butter in a medium pot. Cook this until it starts to go golden brown then take it off the heat.

 

Add the sugars and allow to cool somewhat (it doesn’t not have to cool completely).

Add the egg one at a time giving the mixture a good whisk in between.

Add the vanilla, oats, raisins, and chocolate and give it a good mix.

 

Spread this mixture over the baked shortbread and sprinkle lightly with sea salt flakes (optional). Put the pan back into the oven and bake for a further for 20 minutes. It should be golden brown and set.

 

Allow to cool in the tin and then in the fridge to set further.