There’s something supremely comforting about oats. From oatmeal for breakfast to oatmeal cookies, cooking with oats adds special hominess to almost anything.

These Chocolate-Oat Tarts are based on a recipe I’ve had on file for years. They’re simple to prepare and feed a crowd. If you don’t have tart pans with removable bottoms you can make them into bar cookies by baking in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. However you bake them up, be sure to serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

• 4 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking oats)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 14 ounces (3 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups bittersweet chocolate morsels*
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Vanilla ice cream, optional, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray bottom and sides of two 9-inch tart pans with removable bottoms with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine oats, flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in melted butter. Press one quarter of the mixture evenly on the bottom of each of the prepared pans. Reserve remaining oat mixture for topping.

Melt the chocolate morsels and 2 tablespoons of butter in a double boiler over low heat, stirring until smooth. Stir in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. Mix well.  Spread half of the filling evenly over each of the crusts. Crumble the remaining oat mixture evenly over the top of the chocolate filling. Bake for 30 minutes, or until firm. Cool the pans on a wire rack before cutting. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 16 servings.