Marshmallow

Iced Oatmeal Pie Bars

by:
September 21, 2017
5
1 Ratings
Iced Oatmeal Pie Bars
Photo by Posie Harwood
  • Makes 9 medium bars
Author Notes

This easy-to-bake recipe is my childhood dream: a mix of all the things other kids had in their lunch boxes (Little Debbie oatmeal pies! Marshmallow fluff!). The frosting is even better the second day. —Posie (Harwood) Brien

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the bars
  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) butter
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup (7 1/2 ounces) brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (3 1/8 ounces) quick-cooking oats
  • 3/4 cup (3 1/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • For the frosting
  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) confectioners' sugar
  • 7 ounces marshmallow cream (fluff)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
  1. In a large skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Swirl it constantly until the butter begins to brown and dark solids appear--it will start to quickly smell nutty. Remove it from the heat and whisk in all the spices, then set aside to let cool to room temperature.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8" x 8" baking pan (I like to line it with parchment for good measure).
  3. Add the egg, brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, and salt to the cooled butter and beat until light in color and well-mixed.
  4. Fold in the oats and the flour. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while you prepare your frosting.
  5. Beat the softened butter until fluffy, then add the confectioners' sugar and keep beating until pale in color.
  6. Add the marshmallow cream, vanilla, and salt and beat until light and fluffy.
  7. Spread over the bars, cut into squares, and serve!
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Steven Williamson
    Steven Williamson
  • Rhianna
    Rhianna
  • Posie (Harwood) Brien
    Posie (Harwood) Brien
  • mtaylor010
    mtaylor010

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6 Reviews

mtaylor010
mtaylor010 November 9, 2021
i love this recipe so much. i make it for every work party or dessert opportunity, it's always a huge hit.
 
Steven W.
Steven W. September 23, 2017
make a less sweet icing...maybe cream cheese?or a drizzle of thinned royal icing?
 
Tracy
Tracy September 22, 2017
Do you have any other suggestions for a topping other than the marshmallow?
It looks amazing!
 
Posie (.
Posie (. September 23, 2017
Any frosting you like -- a classic seven min frosting is so good and much less sweet. You could also do a bittersweet chocolate glaze or ganache or a bit too sweet peanut butter frosting. Or try a whipped mascarpone or Greek yogurt type of frosting. You can also eat them plain, they'd be great that way!
 
Rhianna
Rhianna September 22, 2017
How do you think these would be without the icing? I'm not a fan. Maybe add chocolate chips or the like to add more sweetness to the bars themselves as a workaround?
 
Posie (.
Posie (. September 22, 2017
Definitely! They'd be great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream actually but even if you make it plain, chocolate chips or even raisins would be awesome in the bars. They are sweet enough as is though I'd say -- dark chocolate would be delicious.