My sister named these bars. You may think the name strange, but for her it’s tame. And it really is accurate. These bars come with a warning: if you make them, you will eat them all and your butt will get big.

Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything…

Anyway, this recipe is very special to me because it is my first originally developed recipe! Inspired by feed back from my previously blogged Monster Cookies, I entered it in Kowalski’s snack foods contest, all entries had to be unpublished originals, but sadly did not make the final cut.

However their loss is your (weight) gain, because I can now publish the recipe I’ve been sitting on (literally) for weeks now.

Now, I put the puns behind me (ha!) and reveal to you the Big Butt Bars!

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Layer Ingredients:

• One 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Caramel Layer Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 24 individually wrapped caramels
• 1 cup lightly salted roasted peanuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a jelly roll pan (15x10x1 inch pan).

2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir in the oats.

3. In another bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, cream together the 1 cup butter and brown sugar until smooth.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the vanilla and mix to combine.

4. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour-oat mixture in 2 batches, beating well after each addition.  You should have a stiff dough.

5. Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the greased pan. Set aside.

6. In a medium saucepan, combine the chocolate and sweetened condensed milk, cooking over low heat until the chocolate melts. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the chocolate mixture over the pressed dough in your pan.

7. In another medium saucepan over low heat, warm the cream, stirring gently and frequently to avoid burning. Add the caramels and continue stirring until they are completely melted. Fold in the peanuts, and pour the caramel/peanut mixture over the chocolate layer in your pan.

8. Top the bars with the remaining 1/3 of the oatmeal dough, breaking it into small pieces and gently flattening it before topping the caramel layer.

8. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack, then cut into squares and watch your booty grow!