“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” – Vivian Greene

I hope you and yours are all safe and sound in your homes . It’s almost like we are living in the middle of a movie , isn’t it . Here in India, I am typing this as we are halfway through  a 21 day lockdown . So far , we are hopeful of avoiding a bad hit of the Corona virus . But time will tell . How I hope that you are reading this a few months from now and the world has recovered from the shock it’s going through . 

 Time is something I have a lot of now that I am not working . Yet , it doesn’t seem to be enough as domesticity isn’t my cup of tea . No offense to anyone . Infact, respect to those who can keep a house well. Me ? I am just getting the hang of it . Not proud to say it .

I am sure that I am not the only one. I read somewhere that the most searched for / ordered home appliance in the last month has been the dishwasher ! Closely followed by the oven. Speaking of which , I came across an excellent article on the best countertop convection ovens in the US – well researched  reviews and lots of key information. Do check it out if you are looking to buy one and cant make up your mind! 

And speaking of ovens, I have been baking a bit – some Banana bread to use up the bananas we couldn’t finish off before they went from ripe to too ripe , some cookies because everyone seems to be always hungry and we ran out of our stocked up snacks too soon. And I made these bars today. 

I had a can of Dulce de leche (Rich caramel) in the fridge since a while. I made it from a can of condensed milk ( by cooking it in a pressure cooker ) . I swirled some into a batch of brownies and then promptly forgot about it until I was hunting for something to bake with in the lockdown. 

These bars are from Love and Olive oil, the only thing I changed was that I halved the recipe and baked it in a loaf pan. You see , a whole batch  would have been too much for just us and since sharing with others is not an option … 

They are so easy to make its ridiculous. You can literally mix the dough by hand. A simple dough that has some flour, brown sugar , butter and oats , a dash of baking powder. Most of the dough gets pressed into the bottom of the pan. Then goes a layer of the Dulce de leche topped by the remaining dough. 

Don’t have Dulce de leche ? It’s damn simple to make if you have a can of condensed milk. Or use Nutella or peanut butter instead. Would be so good too !

Recipe for Dulce de leche oat bars 

Ingredients :

50 grams or 1/2 cup rolled or old fashioned oats

56 grams or 1/4 cup  unsalted butter, at room temperature

62 grams or 1/2 cup  all-purpose flour

50 grams or 1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

80 grams or 1/4 cup Dulce de leche 

 

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F or 180 C. 

Line an 9-by-4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper , leaving it long enough on the sides to pull out the slab of bars after baking. 

In a bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, salt and baking powder.

Add butter (cut into small cubes) and mix well.

Stir in the vanilla. 

Add oats and stir until dough comes together . It may be crumbly.

Press about 2/3 of the crumb mixture into prepared baking pan. 

Spread dulce de leche on top.

Spread remaining dough over top. Dont worry if there are small empty gaps.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until  light golden brown 

Cool in pan completely.

Pull out the slab of bars and slice once cooled!

 

Notes:

This makes 8 square cookie bars.

You can double the recipe and bake in a 8 x 8 inch square pan.

I used old fashioned oats but quick cooking may work too. 

The bars last for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

My measuring cup is 240 ml

The Gooey and rich caramel with the chewy oatmeal layers . Delicious . 

Darn. Should have made the whole batch .

I will see you soon . Until then , please stay at home . Lets break the chain . And while doing that , let’s enjoy this untimely gift of time we all have been given to cherish what’s ours and what matters .

 

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