Shotbread biscuits then? Shortbread does not contain any leavening agent but these bars do have a bit of baking soda, so, no they’re not shortbread biscuits either.
But does the label really matter or is it the how they feel in your mouth and on your tongue that’s more important? I choose the latter.
So how does everything stick together without eggs? The sugar caramelizes and the chocolate melts. Together with the melted butter, the three bind with the flour, nuts and oatmeal, and hold everything together.
And when the flour, oats, nuts, sugar and butter meld together during baking, something wonderfully crisp results. Because those crisp parts are interspersed with creamy chunks of chocolate, you get something crisp and something soft and creamy with every bite.
But that’s not all the texture you’ll get. The tops of these squares are drizzled with sticky caramel which adds another mouth feel altogether. They’re really good, all modesty aside. Oh, but wait! I am not modest so I have no modesty to put aside. They’re just really good. Very easy to make too.
Oats, nuts and chocolate squares
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup instant oats
- ¾ cup toasted chopped nuts - any nut is good
- 200 grams dark chocolate – roughly chopped
- ½ cup melted butter - plus a little more for brushing the pan
- ¼ cup caramel
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Brush a 7″ x 11″ baking pan with melted butter.
- Line the greased pan with non-stick paper and brush the paper with melted butter as well.
- In a bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking soda, sugar, oats, nuts and chocolate.
- Pour in the melted butter and stir until blended.
- Lightly press the mixture into the prepared pan.
- Drizzle the caramel on top.
- Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned and the caramel is bubbly.
- Cool to room temperature without removing from the pan before cutting into bars or squares.
