Recipe: Fudge Filled Nutty Oatmeal Bars

FUDGE FILLED NUTTY OATMEAL BARS

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon powdered instant coffee
3 cups quick-cooking oats, uncooked
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups toasted walnuts, chopped, divided use
Chocolate Filling (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat together butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla and instant coffee. Beat well; set aside.

Stir together oats, flour, baking soda, salt and 1 cup walnuts. Gradually add oat mixture to butter mixture, beating well until blended (batter will be stiff, stir by hand if necessary at this point). Remove 2 cups of the dough and set aside. Press remaining dough into bottom of (15 1/2 by 10 1/2-inch) jelly roll pan.

Spread Chocolate Filling over crust in jelly roll pan. Sprinkle reserved dough over filling. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup walnuts over all.

Bake 25 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack, then cut into bars

CHOCOLATE FILLING

1 tablespoon butter
4 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened baking chocolate, broken into pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Add chocolate. Cook, stirring, until smooth.

Stir in sugar and sweetened condensed milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.

Source: The Dessert Show, Food TV Network