Chocolate Oat Square Extravaganza!

This is the first one sold out when our 4-H club hosts a concession stand for the annual rabbit-breeders' show every June. Thick and gooey and very filling.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Yields: 24 bars

Ingredients

• Crust

• 1  cup butter, softened
• 2  cups brown sugar, packed
• 2  eggs
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 3  cups quick-cooking oats
• 2 1⁄2 cups flour
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon baking soda

• Gooey Filling Stuff

• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2  cups chocolate chips (semi-sweet OR milk choc)
• 2  tablespoons butter
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  cup  chopped  nuts
• 1  teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350; grease a 13x9 pan; set aside.
2. Cream butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla.
3. In another bowl, combine oats, flour, salt, baking soda; stir into creamed mixture.
4. Divide oat-butter mixture into thirds--press two-thirds into pan for a crust.
5. In saucepan, combine milk, choc. chips, butter and salt; cook & stir over LOW heat until choc. is melted.
6. Remove pan from heat, stir in nuts and vanilla; spread chocolate-nut mixture over crust.
7. Spoon-sprinkle remaining crust-stuff over choco-nut stuff.
8. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown; cool, then cut into squares.