Do you know about the October Cookie and Dessert Share-fest? All month long, if you share a cookie or dessert recipe on the Merry Monday Link Parties, the hosts will share them on their blogs each week! Once a week, each host will post a new recipe on their blog that will include a special link-up with dessert recipes that were shared on the Merry Monday parties. Scroll to the bottom of this post and see what’s been shared so far and find some new treats to bake for the holiday season. 
Have you ever had Christmas crack? No, it’s not a special holiday drug, although it will give you a sugar rush and can be addictive :-). I was introduced to it two years ago via Pinterest and have been hooked ever since. It’s basically saltine crackers covered in a butter and a sugar mixture with chocolate smothered over it. It’s soooo good! So of course, when I was flipping through an old “Better Homes and Gardens” cookbook and came across a variation of Christmas crack, I just HAD to try it!
The version I’m going to introduce to you is the “grown up” version of Christmas crack – Chocolate and Oats Graham Bars. It uses graham crackers, rolled oats, and smoked almonds to produce a rich and tasty treat. Are you ready for yummy awesomeness?!
The first thing you’re going to do is line your pan with foil. Don’t skip this part as you’ll need the foil to pull the bars out of the pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the rolled oats, sugars, and flour. Add in the melted butter, egg, and vanilla. Spread this mixture over all of the graham crackers. Makes sure to cover the edges of the crackers to prevent burnt cracker edges.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 – 2o minutes or until the oats and sugar mixture is bubbling and golden brown.
Sprinkle chocolate chips over the hot oat mixture and return the pan to the oven for a minute or until the chocolate softens. Remove from the oven and gently spread the softened chocolate over the oat mixture.
Sprinkle chopped smoked almonds over the warm chocolate. Press the almonds into the chocolate if needed. Let the bars cool. Use the foil to lift the bars out of the pan and cut or break into serving pieces.
Store the bars in the refrigerator. Serve cold or at room temperature.
***I added about 1/4 cup more almonds because I love almonds. The additional almonds actually balanced out the sweetness of the bars and I’m glad that I added the extra nuts to the topping. If you prefer a sweeter bar, do not add extra nuts.***
Chocolate and Oats Graham Bars
Print recipe
| Serves | 32 |
| Prep time | 1 hour |
| Cook time | 25 minutes |
| Total time | 1 hour, 25 minutes |
| Meal type | Dessert |
| Misc | Serve Cold |
| From magazine | Better Homes and Gardens |
Ingredients
- 12 Whole graham crackers
- 1 1/2 Cups rolled oats
- 3/4 Cups sugar
- 3/4 Cups brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 2/3 Cups butter (melted)
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 12-oz. pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 - 3/4 Cups smoked flavored almonds (coarsely chopped)
Directions
| Step 1 | |
| Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 15 x 10 inch baking pan with foil and place the graham crackers in a single layer on it. | |
| Step 2 | |
| In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugars, and flour. Add in the melted butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir well and spread over the graham crackers. Try to spread all the way to the edges of the pan to prevent the crackers from browning. | |
| Step 3 | |
| Bake 15-20 minutes or until the oat mixtures begins to brown and bubble on top. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. | |
| Step 4 | |
| Return the pan to the oven for 1 minute. Remove the pan and spread the softened chocolate over the oats to cover it. Then, sprinkle the almonds over the chocolate. Let the pan bars cool and lift out of the pan using the foil. Cut or break into pieces. Store in the refrigerator. | |
See what the hosts of the Merry Monday Link Party have shared:
See what the Merry Monday Party goers have shared:
These look amazing, I am going to make these, I don’t have any almonds in the house but I do have a giant bag of cashews so I will give it a try! Thanks for coming and linking up at #The Weekend Social. Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST on KitchenDreaming.com ! I hope to see you there! Pinned
This looks so delicious! I have to try this soon…thanks for sharing this recipe! It looks like it would be easy to do and taste awesome!
Wow! These Chocolate and Oats Graham Bars sound absolutely amazing! Love all the flavors you’ve got going on here! I’d be thrilled if you shared this at my Creative Ways Link Party this week. It goes live on Wednesday night at 8pm central. Hope to see you there!
Blessings,
Nici
Oh these look delicious! I would double the recipe too! Visiting from Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party.
Mmmm Looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
Wow, these look delicious! I have heard of Christmas Crack, but never actually tried it. I will definitely have to try these! Pinning.
Years ago, someone made the original version and brought it to a party and I loved it (of course!)… This “grown up” version looks so good Erlene! Pinning and printing off so that I have this for upcoming parties! 🙂 Julia
Looks so good…All I want to do is to have a bite of one of these!!! Pinning!
Oh my goodness, Erlene. These look AMAZING! I need to make them right away! Pinned. 🙂
This may have just made my list of give-away desserts to make for Christmas!!!
Shame on you Erlene! I want a piece of that right now. Pinned it. Christmas Crack is so addictive! I only learned about it a couple of years ago myself. You have taken that treat to a whole new level! Pinned it
Oh, this looks yummy! I bet it is addictive. PINNED
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
Oh dear, I think I might be in trouble. These look GOOD. And I love the extra nuts. Oh dear, I need more willpower. Pinning for later…
This looks AMAZING!!! I saw it on Facebook (#ibabloggers) and had to drop in! Also pinned! Thanks for sharing this fun recipe!!!
It does look addictive! I know I would have to double the recipe, too.
Those cookies bars look amazing and sound easy! That’s right up my alley. I will be trying these.