kitchen sink cake bars
~ kitchen sink cake bars ~
I was craving a certain treat that I had enjoyed when Jeff and I were vacationing in Chicago. There’s this little coffee shop in the Water Tower Place Mall called “Sacred Grounds” that makes these huge cookies called “Kitchen Sink Cookies.” I remember they were chock full of chewy, crunchy, chocolaty, “stuff” and on Saturday I decided to create a bar inspired by that cookie.
preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
butter a 9 x 13 glass cake pan
In a large bowl, combine:
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
stir until completely combined and smooth
Add:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups old fashioned cooking oats (uncooked)
Mix well.
Fold in:
1/4 cup sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup coarse chopped pecans
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks
1 cup crispy bacon crumbles, cooled
2 Tablespoons bacon drippings
mix until all ingredients are evenly distributed
Spread the bar batter into the buttered cake pan, mixture will be thick. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until completely set and golden brown.
Cool completely, cut into squares, drizzle with maple glaze (combination of powdered sugar, milk and maple extract.)
Enjoy!
~Melissa
Ah, I was hoping these weren’t actually *made* in the kitchen sink… that would be kind of “ick”… now I see it’s because of the myriad different ingredients inside! Sounds delish, and bacon……aaaaaaaahhhh!
LOL! That’s exactly what my husband said. “Um, are you sure you want to call them ‘kitchen sink bars'”? hee hee. But, I had to…everything but the kitchen sink in there. They turned out pretty darn yummy. xo
Wow, Melissa! Those sound amazing! How can they not be with both crispy bacon *and* bacon drippings?! Quick question: do you use the warm drippings, or drippings from the jar in the ‘fridge?
Hi Kirsten! thanks for commenting! either cold or warm drippings will work 🙂 xo
I am Australian, can you please tell how big a stick of butter is, weight wise.
Hi Judie 🙂 A stick of butter is 1/2 cup (1/4 pound.) Hope this helps! enjoy the recipe.