Fudge Nut Bars / Caramel Fudge Bars

When I married my husband, my whole world changed. New responsibilities, new way of living, and new foods from his mother. I was quickly introduced to the BEST homemade cinnamon rolls, new potatoes and peas, sloppy joes, chewies, and fudge nut bars, just to name a few. (And have no fear, these recipes are coming!) So today, I’ll be sharing my mother-in-law's Fudge Nut Bar recipe with you, just tweaked a little.

It’s kind of funny that I still call them Fudge Nut Bars because ever since I started making them, I have never once put nuts in. I even omitted them from my recipe. So I suppose I should call them Fudge Bars. No, no, that still won’t do. I have been converted to the optional way of making these bars by drizzling caramel on top of the fudge. Maybe the new name for these could be Caramel Fudge Bars. Ooh, that sounds yummy. PERFECT! We’ll go with that. Caramel Fudge Bars. Here’s what you’ll need:

1 C. butter, softened
2 C. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 ½ C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 C. quick oats
1 (12 oz.) pkg. milk chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 tsp. vanilla
½ C. Mrs. Richardson’s Butterscotch Caramel (This is the absolute BEST caramel ice cream topping! If you can find it, I’m so sorry!! Hershey’s Caramel ice cream topping will do.)

In a large bowl, mix together the 1 cup butter, brown sugar, eggs and 2 tsp. vanilla. Then add the flour, soda, salt, and quick oats. Stir until combined.

In a medium microwavable bowl, combine chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter. Microwave on High for 1 minute. Stir until well combined and smooth.

You can microwave 30 seconds more if chocolate is not melted all the way after you have stirred it. Once melted and combined, add the 1 tsp. vanilla to the chocolate mixture and stir well.

Press 2/3 of the oatmeal mixture on a greased 15”x18” rimmed cookie sheet. Cover with chocolate mixture. Drizzle caramel on top of chocolate. Dot remaining oatmeal mix on top.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25-30 mins.

If you would like to add nuts and call them Caramel Fudge Nut Bars, then add 1 cup of chopped almonds or chopped walnuts to the oatmeal mixture. And the caramel is totally optional. It’s still way good with just the chocolate! Try it both ways, drizzle a ¼ cup of caramel over half of it and see which way you like it better.

One way or another, this is an easy, yummy recipe that makes a lot of treats. Enjoy!