Easter chocolate

In my house, there couldn’t be an ingredient that’s more quintessentially Easter than chocolate.

This year, as with most years, my youngest daughter gave it up for Lent. When I suggested that forty days without chocolate wasn’t bad compared to forty years of biblical wandering in the desert with nothing to eat but manna, she reminded me that manna may, in fact, have been available in chocolate.

When Lent was over, I wanted to serve the choclatiest dessert I could find. That’s what led me to bake these Oatmeal Cookie Magic Bars. It’s pretty much over the top, and that was the intention. Whether you’re breaking a Lenten fast with these bars, or just looking for a decadent dessert, it’s a sweet way to celebrate any family occasion.

Oatmeal Cookie Magic Bars

(from Crazy for Crust)

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant)

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup Reese’s Pieces (or pecans, or Skor bar pieces)

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” x 13” pan with parchment paper.

Cream butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda and cinnamon, and stir in by hand. Stir in rolled oats to combine.

Press dough into pan. (The dough will be sticky, and will form a thin layer on the bottom of the pan.) Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove hot pan from the oven and sprinkle evenly with toppings. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top so it’s all covered. Return to oven and bake for 25 – 30 more minutes until the edges are browning and the top is partially set. Cool completely before cutting.