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What's for Dessert: Oatmeal Brownie Bars

The gals at my quilt bee begged me to post the recipe for this treat that I brought to bee last month. I had saved the recipe for a few months, planning to use it when it was my turn to bring a treat.  I knew these would taste good, just from looking at the ingredients (chocolate and oats are always a favorite of mine).

Oatmeal Brownie Bars

Makes one 9-inch square pan

Oat Base and Crumble topping

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 cup brown sugar

3/4  cup all-purpose flour

1/4  tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 stick regular butter, melted

Chocolate Filling

1/4  cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4  tsp. salt

9 oz. (1 1/2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tbsp. regular butter

1 egg, room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil. Grease the foil with cooking spray. Set the pan aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the oats, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour in the melted butter and mix until the dough comes together. Set aside about ½ cup of the oat mixture. Pour the remaining dough into the prepared pan, pressing down to create an even layer.

Bake for 8 minutes or until just slightly golden on top. Set the pan aside to cool for 1 hour while you make the filling.

Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave (1 minute at a time until melted) or over a double boiler. Stir until the chocolate and butter have completely melted into each other. Let the chocolate cool for about 5 minutes, then beat in the egg. Fold in the flour mixture. The filling will be thick, similar to brownie dough. Pour the filling over the partially baked base. Smooth over the top with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture on top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the oat crumble has turned a golden brown. Place the pan on a cooling rack to cool completely (2 hours). Cut into 2-inch squares; makes 16. 

Nutrition information per square:  267 calories, 13 grams fat, 36 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 3 grams protein, 33 milligrams cholesterol, 126 milligrams sodium.  

Adapted from Becca’s Oatmeal Fudge Bars at Cookie Jar Treats

Tidbits: Stinky Asparagus

Have you ever noticed that shortly after eating asparagus, the smell from your urine is odd?  That smell does not mean something bad is happening;  it’s just a substance in asparagus (thought to be methyl mercaptan) that is eliminated from your body via the urine.

Some people cannot smell an odor in their urine after eating asparagus, and scientists that study the olfactory organ (the nose) have found that there are two causes of this phenomenon. First, some people lack the receptor to detect the smell.  And second, some people don’t create the waste product that causes the smell. 

So while the scientists go round and round deciding what gene causes the difference between smellers and non-smellers (and between stink producers and non-stink producers), you can be assured that asparagus is still good for you, with only 30 calories per 1 cup, and is a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K.