How was your Christmas break? I hope you slept in, ate too much, hated yourself for it, then ate too much again anyways, went to a lot of movies and hung out with the people you love. I had all of that during my Christmas break, including getting zero work done. But I did do one thing of value. I made these butterscotch toffee oatmeal bars for my niece’s baptism luncheon.
Sisters a plenty
I am one of 6 girls, no brothers. Yes, growing up was wild. But it was worth it because now we are all adults and we all get along and it’s all fun and games when we are together. One of my sisters is a big butterscotch fan, not chocolate. I have a problem with that on a deep level, but I love her anyway, so I made these butterscotch toffee oatmeal bars for her. There were never such devoted sisters.
Speaking of devoted sisters, my husband watched “White Christmas” all the way through for the first time this Christmas. He finally was able to see Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye in all their sisterly glory. It’s one of the great moments of cinema history in my opinion. Danny Kaye is enjoying himself too much and I love it.
Favorite aunt
I am always on a quest to be the favorite aunt to my sister’s kids. I am the one with a purse full of candy and makeup and I will indulge them in just about anything they want when they are with Aunt Whitney. One niece named Claire was baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I was asked to bring a dessert.
When it comes to potluck desserts, I always go for a sheet pan dessert. You don’t have to scoop cookie dough or cake batter. Just add the batter to the pan and you’re done. If it’s a sheet pan cake, like a Texas sheet cake, I will make sure the frosting is a glaze that I pour on top. The easier, the better.
Another reason to do sheet pan desserts is because of the cover. I have a sheet pan plastic lid and it makes traveling and storing a cinch. Click here for an Amazon link for the baking sheet cover I love. Get one, you won’t be sad.
Notes on preparation
- So you don’t like butterscotch? I get it. It isn’t my first choice. These butterscotch toffee oatmeal bars don’t have to be as such. How about some chocolate chip coconut oatmeal bars. I think some cranberry white chocolate oatmeal bars sound good too. Don’t go out and buy anything to make these. Just use all the random opened bags of cookie mix-ins you have in the pantry and go nuts.
- I have made these with ganache on top. And it isn’t terrible at all. Try that sometime.
- If you are having a hard time getting the dough to not stick to your hands when you are pressing it into the pan, get your fingers wet. It won’t affect your bar cookie at all.
Butterscotch Toffee Oatmeal Bars
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 24 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 4 cups quick oats
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 11 ounce bag of butterscotch baking chips
- 8 ounce bag of toffee chips
Instructions
- Set oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13×18 inch rimmed baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt. Stir together well and set aside.
- In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add butter and mix until butter is light in color and smooth. Add both sugars and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well, being sure to scrape the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add oat mixture and mix on medium speed. While mixing, pour in butterscotch chips and toffee bits.
- Press the dough into the baking sheet, being sure to get it all the way into the corners. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges at lightly browned. Cool all the way and then cut into squares.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
