Oatmeal Lemon Creme Bars

I found this recipe for Oatmeal Lemon Creme Bars on this blog through Pinterest. They looked so good and I love lemon, so I was waiting for the perfect time to give this recipe a try. I have been working really hard on loosing weight and getting in shape, so I didn't want to make a whole batch for myself.  I decided the James Family Picnic would be the perfect time to try out this recipe.

Although Just Call Me Maria does have a shortcut recipe, I decided to use the from scratch recipe she provided from The Pioneer Women.

Oatmeal Lemon Creme Bars

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter, slightly softened
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup oats
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 8x11 pan.
2. In a large bowl mix the butter and brown sugar until they are well combined. 
3. In a separate bowl sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
4. Add oats and dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix to combine.
5. Press half of the oat mixture into pan. In a small bowl mix together sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Spread evenly on top of the oat mixture in the pan. Top with the remaining oat mixture.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let cool and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set. Cut into bars and store in the refrigerator.

Getting all my dry ingredients together, ready to mix up!

Fresh out of the oven. It smelled so good!

Ready to eat! They were sooo good!

This desert is a great combination of cream and crunch with the creamy lemon filling and the oatmeal crumble topping. The lemon flavoring is perfect, not too strong, but not too weak. I really liked this desert and I will be making this again soon!