Ingredients
Crust and Topping:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped salted, roasted cashews
Filling:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces premium semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chopped
- 3 large eggs
Directions
For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square metal baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang for easy removal. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
Whisk the flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir in melted butter until combined. Set 1 1/4 cups oatmeal mixture aside. Press remaining oatmeal mixture firmly into prepared pan. Bake until light golden brown, about 8 minutes. Cool completely. Stir cashews into the reserved oatmeal mixture.
For the filling: Whisk the flour, brown sugar, instant espresso powder, cinnamon, chili powder and salt in a medium bowl. Put the chocolate and butter in large microwavable bowl; microwave on medium power until chocolate is softened, stopping every 30 seconds to stir. Stir until mixture is melted and smooth. Whisk in eggs, then stir in flour mixture. Pour filling over cooled crust and sprinkle with reserved oatmeal mixture.
Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with few crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool to room temperature, at least 1 hour. Remove using foil overhang and cut into squares.
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By emilianaH
on August 31, 2011
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Very good taste. The chilly gives it a great kick. Interesting texture.
By mgenn101
san francisco
on November 16, 2009
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These are a definite keeper and I've made them a bunch of times, always to rave reviews. The chili gives it a great kick (after making it exactly as listed, I now double the chili to give it some extra spice. Both pecans and cashews taste great and when I couldn't find instant espresso, I found instant coffee tasted almost as good (and for half the price. Nescafe makes little individual packets that are the perfect size. When you bake them, they will look underdone and gooey, and the toothpick never comes out clean (I tend to add 2 extra minutes and they're done perfectly. I don't have kids, though, and I've always made these for adults, so I can't speak to whether it's a good kid recipe. My guess is that it's not! Beware though: Once you make these, there's a good chance you will eat the entire pan yourself. They are that good.
By snowbourne_11761371
Huntington Beac...
on May 15, 2009
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I think these bars are wonderful! I made them precisely as the recipe indicated using all the ingredients listed and baked them for 40 minutes. As they cool they set up nicely. You have to realized the toothpick isn't going to come out clean from hot fudge. I was pleasantly surprised at the subtle depth the espresso powder provided as well as the understated zing the chile powder gave. I'm a chocoholic so I really appreciate it when there are those subtle elements that enrich the taste. The cashew crunch topping and crust were fantastic.
Read all 18 reviews