Dark Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bars - originally posted May 19/15

Some time ago I came upon this recipe.  Maybe Pinterest?  Someone's blog?  Facebook?  Honestly, I don't remember, but it caught my eye even though it has the word 'healthy' in the title.  It was the dark chocolate that hooked me as well as the unique method of mixing up the dough.  This morning it's cold in my apartment so I needed to bake something.  These are delicious!  Look at the ingredient list-they qualify as granola bars.
Here's my interpretation;

• • 2 1/2 cups oats
  • 1/2 cup bran
  • 1/2 cup wheat germ
  • 1 1/2 cups flour

• • 1 cup brown sugar

• • 1 tsp baking soda

• • 1/2 tsp salt

• • 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted

• • 2 eggs

• • 1 tablespoon vanilla

• 8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped into chunks (about 1 1/2 cups)  You could use chocolate chips if you want.

Mix all the ingredients together in the order listed EXCEPT the chocolate.  Yup, it's that easy.  The dough will be crumbly, like wet sand.  Stir in about half the chopped chocolate.

Press half of the mixture into a greased 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chunks, then top with the rest of the dough and press it down again.  That's it!
Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 20-25 minutes.  Allow them to cool completely before cutting into bars.
Because they are mostly oats, I found it hard to tell if they were done so after 20 minutes I left them in another 5.  I wish I had taken them out at 20 because they would be softer.  They are delicious though and would work well with almost any combination of dried fruit, nuts and seeds.

Enjoy!