Recipe Round-Up: Sara's Oatmeal Cinnamon Bliss Bars

Don't worry. I didn't misspell my name. These bars come to you from the delicious kitchen of my fabulous friend Sara. 

She's so rad.

The weekend before Christmas, I invited myself over to Sara's house so she could share this amazing recipe with me. A few weeks prior, her dad (my boss) brought in a pan of these beauties and after the first bite I knew I needed to learn how to make them. 

You guys, these things are UH-MAZING! They are soft, chewy, comforting, and delicious. They are not too sweet, which is the perfect transition food as we slowly detox ourselves from the holidays.

(Yes, there is such a thing as "transition food.")

Plus, they are really, really easy to make. I made two batches in the last week and I already passed on the recipe to Melanie. They are that good.

I am a huge fan of Sara for many, many reasons but one of them would be that she has a lime green mixer.

This makes me want a lime green mixer. Actually, I would like to have a mixer in every color but the impracticality of that is slightly mind-numbing, not to mention a bit out of my budget.

So, grab whatever color mixer you have (or a bowl and a hand-held mixer) and let's bust these out.

First, add sugar and brown sugar.

And a couple of sticks of butter...

...and mix.

SO EASY!

Next, add a couple of eggs...

...and some vanilla and mix again.

SO SO EASY!

After a thorough beating, add your dry ingredients: flour and baking soda.

And...(wait for it)...mix again.

Now add your oats. You can use either old fashioned or quick, but not instant. Just say NO to instant.

And give it a quick turn around the bowl.

Finally, add your cinnamon chips. Now, do not be scared of cinnamon chips. They are the perfect ingredient for this recipe. To be honest, I had never heard of them until this recipe but I found mine at Walmart (naturally) by the holiday baking aisle.

SIDE NOTE: If you cannot find cinnamon chips, add 2 teaspoons of cinnamon instead. You can also add dried cranberries, walnuts or even chocolate chips.

Once the chips are incorporated, scoop dough into a greased pan.

The dough is thick and sticky so you may want to use your hands to spread it out. And as a helpful trick, spray your finger tips with cooking spray so it spreads easier.

And then pop those suckers in the oven and wait for your house to smell DI-VINE!

Oh man. These are so dang delicious!

Once they are cooled, cut into squares and dive in! 

The cinnamon chips melt pefectly into the dough, creating a richly flavored treat that warms your soul and makes you sigh with contentment.

(That should be on a Hallmark card.)

Hot, black coffee goes great with these.

Hot tea is also magical.

And if you add a Diet Coke, you have dinner.

You're the best, Sara!

Sara's Oatmeal Cinnamon Bliss Bars:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1.5 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2.5 cups oats
6 oz cinnamon chips (can use more if you'd like!)

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and two types of sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Combine flour and baking soda, add to butter/sugar/egg/vanilla mixture. Stir in oats and cinnamon chips.
Spread batter into lightly greased 9x13 pan. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown.  Enjoy!

**UPDATE**
I just made this with milk chocolate chips and chopped pecans and it was fabulous!