Chocolate Espresso Revel Bars

After more than six months of being "homebound" (relatively speaking), I thought a change in scenery would energize my spirit as well as bring some much needed euphoric joy to my heart. A trip away to one of my happy places was something I wanted, needed to do.  And what better way to celebrate a milestone birthday than to spend almost a week hiking in the mountains of Colorado. Like my first trip there twenty years ago, this one too would be solo as time spent alone is restorative on so many different levels for me. One of the many lessons learned all those years ago was that being alone in nature was my favorite, best form of therapy. Being able to test my resilience, to push myself to take on physical challenges, to confront (and overcome) my fears on difficult trails, to reflect on all that matters, and to take in the wondrous beauty of the outdoors are just some of the benefits I get from my solo adventures. And everyone else in my life gets a much happier, definitely better, more energized version of me when I return. A kind of win-win you might say. No longer do I explain or defend to others why I love, why I need these solitary adventures as I have learned over the years it's relatively simple to explain but can be hard for some to understand. Especially in the year of a pandemic when many of us (including me) have experienced so much social isolation.  Going out west to see both new and familiar landscapes during my birthday week this year had to be the best gift I have ever given myself. I can say with a fair amount of confidence this trip will turn out to be exactly what my spirit needs to help me get through the next six months of living in a pandemic. 

For almost a week I lived in a small house at the base of the Flatirons in Boulder. In spite of having a full kitchen and making a trip to the grocery store on the day I arrived, I never cooked. Peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwiches, bananas, amazing local peaches, homemade nutty granola with dried cherries and cranberries, some microwave popcorn, and Zone Bars pretty much summed up my diet for the first three days of the trip. If it weren't for the takeout cheeseburger I devoured after five hours of hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, the lobster roll savored outdoors at a favorite restaurant on Pearl Street in Boulder, the most sumptuous homemade meal made by dear friends, a slice of Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake (my birthday cake) from an incredible chocolate store in Boulder, or the turkey/bacon/brie sandwich relished at the Denver Botanic Garden, it would have been a very uneventful week of eating for someone who considers themselves a bit of a foodie. As much as I loved the short respite from cooking and baking, I never stopped thinking about the things I wanted to make when I returned home. First up would be these Chocolate Espresso Revel Bars. 

For those of you who have never had a Chocolate Revel Bar before you might be wondering what they are. These Chocolate Espresso Revel Bars are chocolate ganache filled nutty oatmeal cookie bars. Or as I like to refer to them as the Oatmeal Bar version of the Sluttiest Brownies. In other words they are richly decadent. There are two theories regarding their origin. One claims a woman by the name of Tracy Revel who lived in the Sacramento (CA) area made them for her co-workers in the late 90s. The other possibly more plausible origin credit goes to a recipe printed in the 1968 edition of the Better Homes and Garden magazine. Regardless who or where they were first created, 2020 should be the year the Revel Bars make a resurgence. 

Traditionally Revel Bars have a fudgy, truffle like chocolate center. One made with sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips. But these bars are made with an ambrosial, be still my heart espresso infused ganache center. The chocolate ganache and the deeply flavored dark brown sugar, nutty oatmeal cookie layers combine to make the most luscious confection. 

Once the dough is made it is divided into 2/3 and 1/3 portions. The toasted coarsely chopped walnuts and chocolate chips are added to the larger portion. The chocolate chip/nut oatmeal dough is then pressed into the bottom of a parchment paper lined 9" x 13" pan. 

The espresso infused ganache is then poured and spread evenly over the base cookie layer. After being lightly sprinkled with flaky sea salt, the remaining dough is used to create to the top layer.

Instead of dropping tablespoonfuls of the dough on top of the ganache, I placed slightly flattened pieces of the dough randomly (but not overlappingly) on top of the ganache. One more light sprinkling of flaky sea salt and they were ready to go into a preheated 350 degrees (F) oven. 

Baking time ranges between 35 and 40 minutes or until the bars are golden and slightly pull away from the sides of the pan. After removing the baked bars from the oven, leave them to cool to room temperature in the pan. Waiting for them to cool is the biggest challenge to making them. Resisting having more than one is the second biggest challenge!

As soon as the pan has cooled to room temperature, they are cut into bars. However, if you let them chill in the refrigerator for several hours your cuts will be much cleaner. Note: The photos here show unchilled cuts bars. 

This may now be my new favorite way to satisfy my craving for an oatmeal cookie. The Chocolate Espresso Revel Bars are insanely, drop the mic delicious. With a chewy, crunchy, and hearty texture these bars have something for everyone. And that middle ganache layer, well it will send chocolate lovers over the edge. If only I had these bars with me on my trip who knows how many more miles I could have hiked. Who knows how much longer I would have stayed.

Recipe

Chocolate Espresso Revel Bars (inspired by Shauna Server's Chocolate Espresso Revel Bars in her cookbook "Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland")

Makes 20 generous sized bars or 32 more balanced sized bars

Ingredients

Ganache

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup (50g) caster (or confectionary sugar)

3/4 teaspoon instant espresso or espresso powder

1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 cup (170g) semisweet or dark chocolate (53% cocao) chocolate chips

Revel Bars

3 cups (300g) old-fashioned oatmeal (not quick oats)

1 3/4 cups (225g) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups (400g) dark brown sugar

1 Tablespoon vanilla

2 large eggs

1/2 cup (85g) semisweet or dark chocolate (53% cocao) chocolate chips or. an equal amount of chopped chocolate

1/2 cup (65g) walnut halves, toasted and coarsely chopped

Flaky sea salt for sprinkling on ganache layer and top layer

Directions

Ganache

1. In a small saucepan, add in the whipping cream, caster sugar, instant espresso and Kosher salt. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture has reached a simmer and is bubbling along the edges. 

2. Remove from the heat and add in the chocolate chips. Let sit for 1 minutes.

3. Whisk until smooth and glossy. Set aside to cool. 

Chocolate Espresso Revel Bars

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a 9" x 13" baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oatmeal, baking soda and kosher salt. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium-high speed for approximately one minute or until light and creamy.

4. Add in the brown sugar and beat at medium-high speed for about one minute or until the mixture is slightly lightened in color.

5. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing at medium speed until fully combined.

6. Add in vanilla and mix until incorporated.

7. Reduce the speed to low and add in the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.

8. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Transfer approximately 1/3 of the dough to another bowl and set aside. Note: Weighing the mixture enables you to more evenly divide the dough.

9. To the bowl with 2/3 of the dough mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts using a spatula or wooden spoon.

10. Press the chocolate chip/walnut dough into the prepared pan. Press the mixture into an even flat layer but press mixture up slightly along the sides so there is a bit of an elevated edge.

11. Pour the ganache over the dough. Spread with an offset spatula to smooth out evenly. Lightly sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

12. Using your hands, take tablespoons of the remaining dough, lightly press down then place randomly (but not overlapping) on top of the ganache. Lightly sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

13. Place baking pan on a large baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top of bars are golden and begin to pull away slightly from the sides of the pan. Note: My baking time was 37 minutes.

14. Remove from oven and place pan on a cooling rack. Allow bars to remain to remain in the pan until they have cooled completely.

15. Remove the cooled bars from the pan. Cut into 20 squares. Note: Can refrigerate the bars for several hours. in order to have cleaner cuts. 

16. Serve and enjoy.

17. Stored in a tightly covered container the Chocolate Espresso Revel Bars will be good for at least 3 days, if they last that long.

Notes: (1) To toast walnuts, preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Spread walnut halves out on a baking sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Remove from pan, let cool, then coarsely chop. (2) I used these Dark Chocolate Morsels from Nestle. But if I were to do one thing differently next time, I would chop up chocolate instead of using chips.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, Colorado (September 2020)