Mennonite Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Bars With Quick Caramel Frosting

By Kevin Williams

This recipe is from one of my favorite Mennonite recipe collections, an out of print cookbook from years ago.  The Mennonite writer says this old-time bar recipe is her all-time favorite and it is good. I'm sure it'd be even better if you aren't chasing a 14-month-old and trying to busy a 4-year-old as you are making them.

Recipes like this are the stock and trade of old Amish and Mennonite cooks: scratch-made cakes, bars, and cookies culled from ingredients already in your pantry.  I used a banana glaze and that tasted okay, but I'd recommend something like a caramel frosting.  Banana glaze has a good taste but after a day or two the banana glaze begins to look like, well, a banana that has sat out too long.  I ended up not getting a photo of the final bar, not sure how that happened.

The basics build a great bar!

I had great help in my 4-year-old daughter, Aster!

And into the oven....

OLD-FASHIONED OATMEAL BARS

1 1 /2 cups boiling water

1 cup quick oats

1 /2 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

½ cup butter

2 eggs

1 1 /2 cups flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 /2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine water and oats. Let set 20 minutes. Cream butter and sugars.  Stir in oatmeal mixture. Add vanilla and dry ingredients.  Bake in a greased and flour 9 X 13 pan. Bake in a 350 over for 30 to 35 minutes.

QUICK CARAMEL FROSTING

4 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. milk
2 cups powdered sugar (or as needed)

In a saucepan combine the brown sugar, butter, and milk, heat over low heat till just boiling. Stir immediately and then remove from the heat. Let cool completely.

Thicken the frosting with powdered sugar to your desired consistency.