Creamy Lemon Oat Bars

Our local downtown grocery store, Harvest Fresh, makes the BEST lemon bars I've ever had.  They have a baked cookie-like crust, a creamy lemon middle, and an oat crumble top.  They are heavenly.  Every now and then I've Googled ingredients and recipe names, searching for something similar.  Nothing has looked quite right.  Until now.

As I was browsing Pinterest, I found a photo that looked just like the bars from Harvest Fresh.  Upon looking at the ingredients, I realized I'd been searching for something with cream cheese in the middle, not condensed milk. Aha!  Tonight I tried them, and they did not disappoint!

This recipe come from Simple Daily Recipes, and after finding it, I'm making a note to head back to her blog for more recipes.

Creamy Lemon Oat Bars
Simple Daily Recipes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix together:
     1- 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk*
     2 tsp grated lemon zest
     1/4 C fresh lemon juice

In a food processor, mix together:
     1 1/4 C flour
     1/2 C brown sugar
     1/4 tsp baking soda
     1/4 tsp salt

Add in:
     1/2 C unsalted butter, cut into smaller chunks

Pour into a medium bowl, and stir in:
     1 C old fashioned oats

Grease an 8" x 8" pan.  Place half of the dry mixture into the pan and press evenly.  Bake for about 10 minutes.

Stir the lemon mixture again, making sure it's mixed well and thick; not soupy.  Pour over the oat crust.  Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the lemon mixture. 

Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden on top and the lemon center has set.

Cool completely before cutting into 16 pieces.

*While I used the regular condensed milk, the blog's author made the recipe with regular and non-fat condensed milk.  She served them both and found no difference in taste.  Next time (and yes, there WILL be a next time...) I will make it with the non-fat milk.

Refrigerate leftover bars.  (They actually taste best cold, though if you're like my family, you won't be able to be that patient!)