Here it is the end of April in 2011 and tomorrow is Easter Sunday.  So finally I think, What, I am going to serve tomorrow for our Easter family dinner? There are several of us.  To start with there is Uncle Henry, the school bus driver, and Aunt Helen, his wife.  My finicky mother and her “sickly” other half.  All three of our kids, Kate, Ross, and Mickey, spouses, and their kids (over 15 last count) which will make a total of between 30 and 40, including friends of all the above.  The most important serving is the desert or the available-to-snack-on anytime treat.  The one thing I have served over the years, and that all family members and friends require, are my Easter Walnut Chocolate Brownie Chews.  The new mothers are all stuffing them into their burberry diaper bags.

These wonderful, mini, chewy, chocolate-topped walnut bars are easy to make.

Bar cake ingredients
1 ½ cups oatmeal – your choice
1 ¼  cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup butter softened – you can substitute margarine and alike as desired
1 extra large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla flavor or extract
1/3 finely chopped walnuts

Topping and Garnish
5 ounces semisweet chocolate or white chocolate
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or alike – as desired
20 walnut halves

How to make

• First preheat oven set to 325 degrees
• Grease a baking pan of 8 inches or larger
• Mix together flour, oats, baking soda and salt
• You want to cream together the butter and brown sugar using a medium speed on your mixer.  Beat until light and fluffy and then beat in egg and vanilla for more fluffy.  Then at low speed fold in the flour mixture approximately ½ cup at a time, until blended well
• Stir in chopped nuts
• Once cooled cut into squares and place on wax or parchment paper
• Pout melted chocolate topping over each piece and top with a walnut half or halves
• Let set and serve.

The babies can chew in their amber teething necklaces and we can have the chocolate chews.