Suicide Bars

Suicide Bars

or Fabulous Fudge Bars

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup softened butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3 cups quick cooking or regular oats

12-oz pkg. of semisweet or milk chocolate chips

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

2 Tbsp. butter

1 cup chopped nuts

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees ... grease 9x13 pan

Mix brown sugar, 1 cup butter, eggs and 1 tsp. vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, soda, salt and oats. Reserve 1/3 mixture. Press rest of mixture in greased pan.

Heat chocolate chips, milk and 2 Tbsp. butter until melted, stirring constantly (if using microwave, cook in 30 second increments, stirring between). Stir in nuts and 1 tsp. vanilla. Spread over oatmeal mixture in pan. Drop reserved oatmeal mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls onto chocolate mixture. Bake 25-30 minutes or until slightly golden.

For years now, a local desert cafe, Bread & Chocolate, has served Suicide Bars, an oatmeal/cookie bar with fudge and caramel centers. The cafe caught a lot of flak for the name and a few years ago, renamed the ooey-gooey treat "Fabulous Fudge Bars."

Several years ago, the St. Paul Pioneer Press published Bread & Chocolate's original recipe and I thought I died and went to heaven! I make them for super special occasions when I know I'll have a lot of help eating them. When you taste this bar, you'll understand where the original name, Suicide Bars, comes from: You'll want to eat the whole pan of goodies.