Seven Layer Bars

To say that I’m a picky eater is beyond an understatement. I have both flavor and texture issues, and one might imagine that a seven layer bar would send me running for the hills. On the contrary, I think that the seven layers of unbelievable goodness contained in these bars – oatmeal (rather than graham cracker crust), shredded coconut, semisweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, sweetened condensed milk, and chopped walnuts – form a divine flavor and texture profile.

The recipe below is adapted from Half Baked Harvest, and as you can imagine from the list of ingredients, beyond rich. At first I cut them into two-by-two squares, but after I took a bite, I cut each bar into quarters for bite-sized pieces. If you’re serving these at a party, I’d recommend placing each bite into a miniature cupcake liner for easy handling; in addition to being rich, they’re also quite sticky, but completely worth it!

Ingredients

For the oatmeal crust

• 1 1/4 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the layers

• 1 1/3 cups shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 Pyrex dish with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, sugar, baking soda, and salt, mixing until combined.

Add vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla and mix until dough is completely combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Press dough into the bottom of the baking dish, making sure that chocolate chips are distributed evenly throughout the dough.

Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven. Sprinkle with shredded coconut, semisweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top, then sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Bake for 25-28 minutes, until top is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting into bites.