Oatmeal Bars

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If you love oatmeal cookies, then you need to try these amazingly easy and tasty Oatmeal Bars! This recipe makes an unforgettable sweet and salty marriage of oats and chocolate that you will daydream about. These bars come together quickly and easily. They taste like a mix of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and blonde brownies!

What You Will Love About This Recipe

• These oatmeal bars are quick and easy to make.
• Only 15 minutes of prep time.
• They are made with only pantry staple ingredients.
• Oats and the optional nuts add a little healthy substance to the classic chocolate chip dessert bar!
• Kids and adults agree on this chewy and chocolaty flavor!
• Oatmeal bars are the perfect treat for cookie trays, sweet snack boards, and dessert buffets!
• This delightful recipe comes together in no time with no need for special equipment and fancy techniques!
• They have chewy golden edges and a soft gooey center.
• Check out these Iced Oatmeal Cookies for another family dessert favorite!

Ingredients & Substitutions

Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom for the full oatmeal bars recipe.

Unsalted butter allows you to control how much salt ends up in your bars. If needed, use salted butter and omit the pinch of sea salt later on.

These perfectly sweet bites are sweetened by the one-two punch of brown sugar and granulated sugar. Brown sugar gives the bars a nice depth of sweetness and rich blond color. On the other hand, granulated sugar adds a simply clean sweet flavor to the recipe.

Eggs are like a multitool for a baker. They act as an added fat, a leavening agent, and a binder to enrich, raise, and hold these bars together. If you want a simple egg-free swap, use 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce total.

Pure vanilla extract brings a smoothness to the flavor of these bars that cannot be beaten. Choose natural and pure vanilla whenever possible, or trade the extract for the pure vanilla bean. 

Use all-purpose flour. For gluten-free, use gluten-free 1 to 1 flour. I always use Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Flour for my baked goods.

Baking soda is the first choice of leavening agents when making cookies or bars.

Just a hint of fine-grain salt brings harmony to all the sweet flavors in these bars.

The final touches to this tasty dough are the old-fashioned rolled oats and chocolate chips. These two delicious mix-ins add texture and excitement to the recipe. The oats make the bars hearty and chewy. The chips bring a sweet melty flavor that is just over the top!

If desired, try adding some of your favorite chopped nuts for extra earthy and toasty flavor as well as a nice nutty crunch! Either way, these oatmeal bars will become a new favorite.

Taste & Texture

These oatmeal bars are chewy, chocolaty, dense, and oaty! They are reminiscent of blonde brownies with oats added in.

These bars check every flavorful box from sweet to salty to chocolate and nutty! They are perfectly sweet. The oatmeal helps cut the sweetness slightly.

How To Make 

Step 1

First, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease the 13 inch by 9 inch baking dish.

Step 2

In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar and mix until smooth.

Step 3

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Step 4

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add this dry mixture to the butter and sugar mixture, stirring until just combined.

Step 5

Stir in the oats until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter. Then, mix in the chocolate chips and nuts, if desired.

Step 6

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish, using a spatula to smooth the top.

Step 7

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Step 8

Remove the baking dish from the oven. Allow the oatmeal bars to cool completely before cutting into squares or bars.

Step 9

Once cooled, enjoy!

Expert Tips

Fully mix the melted butter, brown sugar, and sugar. This helps to add air to the dough, so the bars stay beautifully light, chewy, and delicious!

Once you add the flour to the wet ingredients, the gluten in the flour starts to form bonds that can make your bars tough. That is why it is essential not to overmix the flour in bar, cookie, or blondie dough.

Do not bake too long! They will look slightly gooey in the center as soon as they come out of the oven.

If you are making these bars to share, consider slicing them into smaller squares. That way everyone gets to try at least one tasty bite of these awesome oatmeal bars!

How to Serve & Store 

Yummy oatmeal bars are delicious when they are still a little warm but they are also perfect when fully cooled. Serve them with a hot cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk for the perfect relaxing afternoon treat!

To store these bars, allow them to cool, slice them, and then transfer them to an airtight container or bag. Store them at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.  For another snack, make these Oatcakes!

You can even freeze these oatmeal bars. Wrap them tightly in plastic before placing them in a freezer-safe bag. Stored in the freezer, these bars will last up to 2 months and can be thawed in the fridge overnight.

Flavor variations & Add-Ins

These oatmeal bars are great as is, but consider these flavorful additions!

Add in white chocolate chips.

Add in mini chocolate chips.

Mix in chopped chocolate bars.

Mix in pecans, walnuts, or another nut.

Add in a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg.

Mix in dried cranberries or another dried fruit.

Top with melted chocolate or peanut butter!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Equipment Needed

• Baking Dish – This oatmeal bar recipe makes enough for everyone, so grab a 9×13-inch baking dish. One trick for greasing baking pans is to use the inside of the butter wrapper after you unwrap it. There is plenty of creamy butter on there to swipe all over the pan. 
• Mixing Bowls – Although this recipe is for bars, it is made with the same methods as a cookie recipe. So you will need a bowl for wet ingredients and dry ingredients.

You May Also Like

• Oat Flour Waffles
• Oat Flour Pancakes
• No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
• Instant Pot Oatmeal
• Peanut Butter Oatmeal

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