Brown Butter Oatmeal Currant Cookie Bars

For an oatmeal cookie, which sounds innocent enough, these are incredibly rich and decadent.  The brown butter and dark brown sugar give them a depth of flavor that is a bit surprising.  These cookie bars are crumbly, tender, moist and chewy and I may or may not have had one for breakfast for the past three days.

Oatmeal + Dried fruit = Breakfast

Just to warn you, a cold glass of milk may be necessary.

I used currants simply because I had some in my pantry.  Raisins would be fine to use instead if you have them on hand.

Let’s talk about brown butter.  Very simply, you melt your butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring it for somewhere between 2-4 minutes.  It will bubble and foam up, but what you are looking for is little specs of brown to appear on the bottom of the pan.  At the same time, you will notice that the butter will develop a nutty aroma.  Continue stirring, and when the butter has turned golden brown, remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the butter to another bowl to stop the browning process and allow it to cool down a bit before adding it to the recipe.

During this process the butter develops a richness and depth of flavor like no other.

When I tasted these brown butter oatmeal currant cookie bars, I immediately began to think of what else I could make with brown butter.  I’m sure this won’t be the last time you hear me sing the praises of brown butter…

Brown Butter Oatmeal Currant Cookie Bars

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review

• Author: Julie
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 12 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

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Description

For an oatmeal cookie, which sounds innocent enough, Brown Butter Oatmeal Currant Cookie Bars are incredibly rich and decadent.

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Ingredients

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• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup currants (or raisins)

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk continuously and be careful not to let it burn. Gently boil the butter until it foams, and then turns brown and has a nutty aroma. Remove from heat, transfer to another bowl, and allow to cool.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
4. When brown butter is cool, whisk in brown sugar and egg.
5. Pour butter mixture into dry ingredients and stir to combine.
6. Mix in the currants.
7. Line a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving excess paper hanging over the edges.
8. Press dough into the dish and bake for 20-22 minutes.
9. Allow the cookie bars to cool completely before lifting out of the dish onto a work surface to cut into bars.
10. This recipe makes nine large bars or twelve medium bars.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 bar
• Calories: 316
• Sugar: 19g
• Sodium: 274mg
• Fat: 17g
• Saturated Fat: 10g
• Unsaturated Fat: 5.4g
• Trans Fat: 0.6g
• Carbohydrates: 39g
• Fiber: 2.2g
• Protein: 4.1g
• Cholesterol: 56mg