Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Becca here with a tasty dessert I made for a family gathering recently.  While I would definitely hesitate to call the recipe 'healthy' (I always wonder exactly what "healthy" means anyway!), it is definitely 'cleaner' than most desserts of this type, while still tasting like a really rich, gooey treat.  They kind of remind me of the layered bars with graham cracker crumbs, chocolate chips, etc. that I've heard called a bunch of different things, but definitely 'healthier' than those :)  I followed this recipe closely.  Enjoy!

3/4 cup coconut oil + 1 Tablespoon, divided (or butter)
1 1/2 cups organic demerara sugar (or brown sugar)
2 large eggs
6 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
2 cups whole wheat flour (I use hard white wheat I've milled)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt, divided
2 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together 3/4 cup coconut oil, demerara sugar, and eggs.  Add 4 teaspoons of vanilla extract, flour, baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and oatmeal and stir well to combine. 

Press 3/4 of the dough into a greased baking pan.  I used a 8x11 pan and it worked well.  A slightly differently sized pan would work great also, you just may need to adjust the baking time slightly, depending on the thickness of the bars. 

Melt together (either in the microwave or on the stove) remaining ingredients (1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 Tablespoon coconut oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and sweetened condensed milk).  Don't boil, just heat until melted enough to stir together.

Pour filling over crust in prepared pan, and spread evenly.  Top with remaining crust you set aside, crumbling it over the top.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Let cool fully before cutting into bars and serving.