Nice and Crunchy
I came across a recipe for Brown Sugar Bars that I had copied into a notebook about 25 years ago. It is perhaps the easiest recipe I have ever seen. You see, there are only 5 ingredients and they are all blended together at the same time.
When I first read the recipe, I thought there might be something missing, because of its simplicity. I was very happy when I baked up a batch and found that they were great just the way they were.
I had always thought that Brown Sugar Bars were just like blondies; soft on the inside. I was so happy to take my first bite and learn that they are more on the crunchy side. I found it to be a refreshing change of pace.
I only ran into one little challenge. The recipe said to bake the bars for 40 minutes. If I kept them in much longer than 25, they, most certainly, would have turned to ash.
Ok, I am exaggerating just a tad. They would not have truly turned to ash, but you better believe that you would end up with very burnt bars if you dared try to bake them for that long.
My suggestion is to bake your batch of Brown Sugar Bars as instructed. If you find after the first batch, or two or three, that you want them a bit crunchier than they already are, you know what to do!
Brown Sugar Bars | Print |
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup old fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the bars:
- Preheat oven to 325°. Butter an 8” x 8” baking pan and set aside.
- Place all five ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Beat until thoroughly blended, starting at low speed and increasing to medium high once the ingredients have started to blend together.
- Transfer to the prepared pan. Push evenly into the pan.
- Bake in the middle rack of a 325° oven for 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and cut into bars while still hot.
- Cool completely.
- Betsy's tidbit:
- These are best served cold.