Over the past 12 months we’ve simultaneously done so much and so little. We’ve had tough conversations, channeled energy into our hobbies, embarked on self-improvement journeys and discussed our visions of the post-pandemic world. But amongst all that, most of us have also been bored.
Late in the last decade there was a flood of internet content associating boredom with unoccupied time. That feigned dream for those of us caught up in accumulating social status with our busyness. Our ongoing obsession with productivity and scheduling produced lifestyle articles imploring you to allow yourself to be bored while offering how-tos for building boredom back into your life. So why, after being released from the monotony of our commute and the entanglement of social obligations, are we still contemplating the benefits and harm of boredom?
Because boredom is a two-part feeling. It can stem from having unoccupied time or lacking interest in the task at hand. Sometimes both. Pre-pandemic articles invited us bravely shed the ennui of our self imposed overscheduling to make way for bright future full of the idyllic boredom found in free time. An offer to trade the boredom you had for the boredom you thought you wanted.
Nowhere has this double-edged sword of pandemic boredom played out more clearly for me than in the kitchen. Occasionally I’ve gotten bursts of energy, opened a trending new cookbook and tackled a three page recipe for a show stopping stuffed grape leaf casserole. More often I’ve found myself staring blankly at the pantry.
However, some of the most interesting things I’ve baked in the last year came precisely from those moments of stillness. Last spring I shocked myself with a delicious gluten-free lemon coriander cake rooted in an abundance of brown rice flour. In the summer Violet Bakery’s egg yolk chocolate chip cookies revealed themselves to me after a failure with buttercream in an 82 degree kitchen. A leftover box of Fruity Pebbles from an ambitious list of holiday baking and Smitten Kitchen’s brown butter rice crispy treats served as a jumping off point to invoke flavors of an island cocktail by swapping in dark rum and coconut oil.
What these projects shared was their ability to fill my temporary surplus of time without taxing my shortage of concentration. An opportunity to escape my boredom, without requiring I abandon it completely. A little place for my boredom to blossom.
caramel oatmeal bars
In an attempt to work through a hoarder’s amount of dulce de leche I took an internet meander that led me to British “flapjacks.” UK Grocer Waitrose had a recipe that used condensed milk which seemed a close enough invitation to expand upon. Borrowing some chocolate and oatmeal lessons from Deb Pearlman, the result was something that provided the ease of a rice crispy treat with the payoff of homemade caramel.
what you need
10 ounces (2.5 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey
7 ounces (2/3 cup) dulce de leche
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1-18 ounce canister of quick-cooking "1-minute" oatmeal
Optional level-ups:
Spices that compliment caramel. I like 2 teaspoons of cumin, but garam masala, cinnamon + cayenne or anything earthy/smoky/spicy would taste great too.
1/2 cup small pieces or well chopped buttery nuts like cashew or macadamia
1 cup chocolate chips
what to do
Preheat the oven to 340F.
Line a 13” x 9” pan with parchment paper.
Melt the butter, sugar and honey in a large pot over low-medium heat. Add the dulce de leche, stirring occasionally until melted. Remove from heat and mix in the salt, spices, nuts and oats until coated.
Scoop into the pan and press down evenly with a spatula or second piece of parchment. Bake for 30-45 minutes. This will vary a lot based on your pan type (aluminum = shorter, glass/ceramic = longer). You'll know they are done when it starts to bubble and brown around the edges.
If adding chocolate: Immediately sprinkle ~ 1 cup of chocolate chips over hot oatmeal. Cover pan with a cookie sheet or aluminum foil, wait 15 minutes for chocolate to melt then spread evenly. Cool completely in the fridge/freezer.
Cut when they are very cold! Serve at room temperature.
This is a great story. Keep it up, girl.