Jane’s Sweets & Baking Journal -- janessweetsblogspot.com--April 2012

(This recipe is adapted from the cookie recipe at this link within Jane’s Sweets: http://janessweets.blogspot.com/2009/05/fail-safe-oatmeal-cookies.html)

Use-It-All-Up Cookie Bars

Preheat oven to 350. Line bottom and sides of a 9" x 12" x 1" (that's a quarter sheet pan) pan with parchment paper.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

2 eggs

1 Tbsp. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. almond extract

1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 pinch ground nutmeg (optional)

3 cups uncooked oats (old fashioned or quick)

3/4 cup raisins

3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut, loosely packed

1/3 cup pecans, chopped small

1/2 cup mixed chocolate chips (mine were dark and semisweet)

1/2 cup chopped marshmallows (if you want to use homemade marshmallows, try this reliable recipe!)

Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg (if using) in a medium bowl with a whisk. Set aside.

In the large bowl of your mixer, cream together the butter, shortening, and the two sugars on medium speed. Add in the eggs, milk, and the two extracts; beat on medium speed until very well combined.

On the lowest speed, add in the flour mixture. Beat just until combined. Add in the oats and the raisins, again beating only until combined.

Roughly plop chunks of the dough more or less evenly atop your parchment lined baking pan. Sprinkle atop the dough first the coconut, then the pecans, then the chocolate chips, and then the marshmallows.

Bake for at least 25 minutes, until golden all over and no longer jiggly in the middle. Let the bars cool on a rack before cutting them with a sharp knife.