I have a confession to make. I’m crazy. If my eyes glaze over and get a little too wide, I suggest you run.I get into these moods sometimes where I turn into a bottle full of crazy sauce and I can’t be stopped. I’ve been told I need Ritalin, but I’m just going to blame it on the full moon instead.
I have this friend who’s been around for about half of my life now. I’m surprised he’s put up with my crazy for this long, because I think he’s one of the only people I unleash all my crazy on. From screaming like a banshee/cackling like a madwoman and jumping on his back, to waking him up with wet willys, he never gets a break. So a few weeks ago when he was distracted, and I thought I was being sneaky, I snuck up on him and grabbed his snack (which happened to be these bars) and started to merrily munch away. Obviously unhappy with me, he yelled, and I ran away snickering. Yeah, his yelling didn’t stop me from doing it a few more times.
A few days later this recipe popped up in my inbox. I guess getting his mother to send me her recipe was a subtle way of him telling me to get off his back (literally, and figuratively).
This recipe is so simple it doesn’t even seem like one, and the best part about it is how the condensed milk settles at the bottom and turns into this super gooey and delicious dulce de leche. These bars make the perfect on the go breakfast, and you’ll eat em so fast that you won’t even remember eating half the pan (oops).
Breakfast Bars
Adapted from Nigella Lawson
Makes 16
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (10 oz)
2 1/2 cups Large flake oats
1 cup Unsweetened medium coconut
1 cup Mixed seeds (I used sunflower and pumpkin seeds)
1 cup Nuts (I used peanuts)
1 cup Dried fruit (I used dried cranberries)
Preheat oven to 250˚F. In a microwave safe bowl, heat the condensed milk in the microwave for one minute. Mix all the other ingredients together and then add the milk. Stir until well combined. Pour into a greased and parchment lined 9×13 pan, and even out the mixture with a spatula for a level surface. Pop into the oven, and bake for an hour, or until the edges are slightly golden. Cut the bars into 16 squares, and store in an airtight container.
weyfairing 
I used to make these regularly, then I started pouring melted dark chocolate on the top of them after I’d cut up the bars but before they cooled down completely. Then a batch stopped lasting me through the week, then more than a couple of days, then I had to stop.
Yours look much better than mine ever did though.
Melted dark chocolate sounds soooo dangerous, but I think I might have to give it a try. I just stuck with my friend’s mother’s standard recipe, but I’m sure next time I’ll mix it up and I think melted dark chocolate is a good start. Maybe even chop some up and throw it in the actual mix. …I feel like these bars are going to go from somewhat healthy to pure gluttony real quick.
And thanks for the compliment! :) :)