After getting a thumbs up from Carolyn, who left a comment with her opinion on the Brownie Bark, I took her advice and tried making an oatmeal version. Definitely more of a brittle than a bark, this Oatmeal Cookie Brittle is from Texas legend Helen Corbitt. And for those of you limiting gluten, you'll be happy to know it does not contain any flour.
Helen Corbitt's Oatmeal Crisps
Helen Corbitt called this recipe Oatmeal Crisps and she somehow managed to cut it into "narrow fingers". I'm still trying to figure out how she did that because my batch went from being a bowl of soggy oats to a deliciously crisp slab that must be broken rather than cut. But hey, no big deal! Brittle was what I was going for, and this cookie definitely falls into that category. I didn't think it would really become crisp since it was so wet coming out of the oven, but it did.
Oatmeal Cookie Brittle. It's a buttery, crunchy, hard-to-stop-eating treat! Just make sure you have a tin nearby in case you have to hide it from yourself.
Latest Photo of Oatmeal Brittle Plus Tips
To follow-up on Mary's comment, I made a small batch of this today (3/27/2023) and was happy with the results. This time I was even able to cut them into narrow fingers. The key was letting them cool for about 3 minutes and not attempting to do it right when I pulled them from the oven. Also, using a pizza cutter helped. They were not greasy, but they were definitely buttery. I've added gram amounts to the recipe for convenience. Also, I tested with unsweetened shredded coconut.
Recipe
Oatmeal Brittle
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted (114 grams)
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup Karo (20 grams)
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed (100 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ¾ cups oats, old fashioned (140 grams)
- ⅓ cup shredded or angel flake coconut (40 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 13x18 inch heavy duty rimmed baking pan with nonstick foil or parchment paper;
- In a large bowl, stir together the butter, corn syrup, sugar, salt, vanilla and baking powder. Add the oats and coconut and stir until thorough mixed. Spread the mixture as thinly as you can across the baking sheet.
- Set in preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are browned. Let cool completely on a wire rack. When cool, the cookie should be perfectly crisp. Break it into pieces.
Anna
Mary, maybe for your next try just make a quarter batch and use the parchment. I'm going to make my next batch with sweetened coconut just to see if I can get the greasy result. Adding a little coconut flour would also do the trick since it absorbs moisture like a sponge. But honestly, you shouldn't have the problem in the first place. And maybe it is was the Silpat.
Mary
All your suggestions are wonderful. I am a senior, so next time I go shopping, I will get some unsweetened coconut and give it another go. I'm an oat-lover and really loved taste and texture. I just used Quaker oats. I will also try 300 degrees to let them bake a bit longer. Something else I thought of is I baked them on a Silpat. Perhaps the parchment paper would absorb some of the butter? Will try that next time. Thank you so much for all your help. It is so appreciated. Blessings....
Anna
Mary, I just made a test batch to see if I could figure out your problem. I put the gram amounts used in with each ingredient. For the coconut, I used unsweetened shredded. The oats were just store brand old fashioned (nothing fancy and not Whole Foods brand). The cookies are very good. They are definitely buttery, but you'd expect that. I certainly wouldn't call them greasy because that would imply overly buttery.
I can only think that one of your ingredients, either the oats or coconut, wasn't as absorbent. I know that when I've made granola with oats from the bin at Whole Foods, the granola has a different texture because the oats are (or were) different. Also, unsweetened coconut tends to absorb moisture, so if you used sweetened it is possible that could have contributed. The recipe just says "coconut". Maybe take another crack at it and try a half batch?
One thing I did notice was that they baked much quicker at 325 in my Breville toaster oven and I pulled them at around 18 minutes. Is it possible yours were underbaked? Maybe they were browning too quickly and you pulled them out too quickly? The answer to that would be to lower the heat to 300F.
Mary
Tried this and loved the flavor but mine came out greasy. Sandwiched it between paper towels overnight with a weight on top and it still left your fingers greasy when eating it. Suggestions?
Anna
Hi Jessie, I always keep it in the freezer and am not sure how long it would stay fresh. Your best bet might be to go with peanut brittle or candy of some sort.
Jessie
Hi there! How long do you think these will keep for? I'd like to ship them across the country for the holidays. Do you think they could survive if well packed? And would they remain delicious? Thanks & can't wait to try them!
Anna
I used old fashioned but you could probably use quick cooking as well.
Felicity
Hello, should I be using quick oats for this or rolled (old fashioned oats)?
Colleen
These are FANTASTIC! I used a combination of large flake and quick cooking oats, so mine aren't quite as lacy, I also used large flakes of shaved coconut. Next time around I'm making a double batch, one will have chocolate drizzled on it along with dried cherries and the second will have my oatmeal cookie spices mixed in. LOVE IT! very quick to make, economical and most people already have the ingredients on hand.
Sue
I made this and we loved it. I liked it even better on Day 2 because I thought I could taste the coconut more. It's addictive though!
Angie
Hi, this is Angie from http://www.alilcountrysugar.blogspot.com. I just wanted to let you know that I am sponsoring your recipe in my menu plan today. This will be going in my Christmas gift boxes this year.
Jennifer J-W
I would say this was a hit in my house. I really didn't expect it to be, as my family is very into chocolate and (other than me) they do not like coconut. However, I left the bark in a container on the table and the next day it was gone.
I think I'll experiment with it a little and slightly lower the amount of sugar. I'm wondering about replacing part of the butter with egg whites, but I wonder if that would totally change the texture? I figure I wouldn't be wasting too expensive of ingredients to try that.
Anna
Hi Anj, Thanks so much for trying it! It's definitely perfect for the holidays.
Anj
Anna: I tried this today. It is wonderful. I am definitely adding this to my Christmas goodie list. Thanks so much as always for great recipes.
Anna
Carolyn, that's great! I didn't know Betty Crocker had an oatmeal bark, but it sounds good. From the picture, it looks like it could use some nuts or something to liven it up (other than chocolate). I've been working on one for the past few days, but I haven't perfected it yet. Mine is more like a granola bark at this point.
Thanks reviewing Helen Corbitt's recipe, Jennifer. I totally agree with you about the nuts. They'd offset the sweetness a little, too.
Jennifer J-W
I made the recipe today. I did use salted butter and a scant 1/4 tsp of kosher salt and they don't seem too salty. I don't think I could have cut these into strips, either, so I just broke them into ragged sections.
I kept the coconut in, even though my kids don't like it, and they didn't even notice it. Nuts, such as walnuts, might be a really good addition.
Carolyn
Hi again -- I hope you don't mind... I tried another recipe - more cookie than candy like. I made the recipe exactly as is (except I halved it). If making a full recipe, I think it needs to be patted out onto 2 medium sized cookie sheets. These are really good -- not too sweet. Next time, I think I'd add some coconut. http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/crispy-oatmeal-cookie-bark/7d976cc7-a7fa-4e34-82f0-e4d3bc50e97a
Anj
Wow, this looks wonderful. I need to take a treat this weekend and this just might fill the bill. Wonder if some finely chopped pecans would work in there as well.
Sue
I was all excited to make the brownie brittle and now this too!!
Cookie Sleuth
What a neat idea!
Carolyn
THANK YOU!!! I can't wait to finish work and other obligations today so I can go home and make this!
Anna
I tried that while it was still. It separated a little and then ran back together. Maybe the trick is to do it while it's warm rather than hot?
Darlene
I wonder if it would be easiest to cut the Oatmeal Brittle into "narrow fingers" with a pizza cutter (while still warm, as Martha suggested).
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust
Wow, this looks SO good! I could see it for breakfast!
Heather of Kitchen Concoctions
I am so pinning this to make later!
Nancy
Yikes -- you're killing me! This looks so good! The 8th grade bake sale is next weekend, and I am going to wow them with brownie brittle and oatmeal brittle (with proper attribution, of course!).
corinne
I like Martha's drizzled with chocolate idea. These sound tasty!
Martha in KS
This reminds me of Lace Cookies I used to make that were drizzled with chocolate. Maybe Helen cut them right out of the oven before they cooled. I have all of the ingredients for this & I'm tempted to try it today.