Oatmeal Fudge Bars
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I’ve discovered that oats and chocolate are a very underrated combination. While I don’t typically put chocolate in my morning oatmeal, I have found that chocolate added to an oat-based baked good is, in almost all cases, a very, very good decision. Chocolate chips instead of raisins in oatmeal cookies? Superb. Mini chocolate chips in homemade granola bars? No-brainer. Chocolate and caramel in Oatmeal Carmalita Bars? Heaven. Chocolate and oats together in desserts and snacks will always make your taste buds smile. Which is exactly why these Oatmeal Fudge Bars are a huge win. You’re going to love them!
This is an easy-peasy bar recipe that only requires a couple of bowls, a whisk, and a spatula. Don’t you just love those?! An oatmeal crumb crust serves as the bread in this amazing brownie sandwich. Part of it is used as a bottom crust, and the rest as a crumble topping. In between? A wonderful layer of fudge-like brownie awesomeness. It’s part crunchy, part dense and chocolatey, and part crumbly. An easy recipe perfect for after-school snacks, an easy dessert, or something to bring along to a work potluck or friend’s picnic. The epitome of a versatile recipe!
One year ago: Broccoli Salad
Two years ago: Dark Chocolate Truffles
Oatmeal Fudge Bars
Yield: 16 bars
Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1¼ cups light brown sugar, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt + ¼ teaspoon salt, divided
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or instant coffee
1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 eggDirections:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, allowing excess to hang over pan edges. Grease foil; set pan aside.
2. Combine the oats, 1 cup of the brown sugar, ¾ cup of the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and the pinch of salt. Stir together in a bowl to combine. Melt 8 tablespoons of the butter and stir into the oat mixture until combined. Reserve ¾ cup of the mixture for the topping.
3. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the bottom of the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake until light golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
4. Combine the remaining ¼ cup of flour, the remaining ¼ cup brown sugar, the instant espresso powder, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl; set aside.
5. Melt the chocolate chips and the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large bowl, microwaving at 50% power in 30-second intervals, stirring after each. Let cool slightly. Add the egg and whisk until combined. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, stirring until just combined.
6. Pour the chocolate filling over the cooled crust and sprinkle with the remaining oatmeal mixture. Bake until a toothpick inserted in to the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Using the foil overhang, lift the bars from the pan and cut into squares. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
(Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Holiday Cookies)
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I definitely agree that oats and chocolate are fantastic together! I want one of these right now!
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YUM! This is one of my all time favourites. Yours are so lovely!!
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Chocolate added to anything is good!
Well…mostly everything. These look super delicious and I love the photos….currently drooling.
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bars, fudge, oatmeal, oatmeal bars, caramelitas bars…you just mentioned some of my fave things!
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Nutella in oatmeal is really good!
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Chocolate is suuuuccchhh a better choice than raisins! These look ridiculous!!
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I occasionally DO enjoy chocolate with my morning oatmeal! I add a little hot chocolate mix to my oats, then add the water and zap in the microwave.
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Kris on April 19th, 2012 at 1:23 pm
What a great idea! I know what I’m having for breakfast tomorrow!
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That fudge later looks amazing!
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Mmmm – that fudge layer looks so, so tempting.
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I love easy recipes like that and love that thick layer of fudge!
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These need to appear in my kitchen soon. Yum!
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You had me at Fudge!
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Oh man, this is pure heaven. This sounds amazzzzzzzing! Yum!!!!
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These look downright sinful…but you know with oatmeal so you can kind of make a case of how healthy they are HAHA!
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The pictures make me wanna grab one right off the screen. mmmmm… I can’t wait to try these.
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If there is oatmeal in it, I consider it breakfast. Sooooo….oatmeal fudge bars for breakfast! Sounds like a winner to me! I cannot wait to try these. They look wonderful!
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Yum! Love the pictures. A thick chocolate fudge layer sandwiched between two oatmeal cookies sounds wonderful!
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I’m dying to make some of these!! Love oats + chocolate!
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Sounds so good with the touch of instant coffee. They look so moist and delish.
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I”m all for chocolate and oats! Love these!
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Michelle, I have made these bars from America’s Test Kitchen, too and know how darn good they are! I like to add a little nutmeg as well, which goes really well with the oats and chocolate. You’ve reminded me that I need to make another batch!
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I agree, never a bad idea to add chocolate to anything made with oats! I loved these when I made them, and now I want them again seeing yours
By the way, love that turquoise napkin!!
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I’m a big fan of oatmeal and chocolate so I have no doubt that I will love these bars. They do look delicious.
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Oh these look delicious!
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Today’s snack would be perfect if I had one of these and a tall glass of cold milk *yumm*
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My grandma used to make something similar to this when I was a kid. Haven’t had them in years!
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the chocolate looks so soft almost like a mousse texture, love the crumbles on top!
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Love these! I was thinking of you when I found a recipe for chocolate cream cheese ball that has peanut butter in it too. I made it and its fabulous!!! Check out thesisterscafe.com. You’ll love it!
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Chocolate + oats = heaven! Love these bars!
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Looks wonderful! The only question I have is can I use old fashioned oats and not the quick ones? Would it be an alright substitute?
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Michelle on April 19th, 2012 at 11:11 pm
I haven’t attempted that with these bars. Sometimes when quick cooking oats are called for and you use the old-fashioned, you end up with a coarser texture and things don’t set up and old together as well. I would try with quick oats if you can.
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oksana freeman on April 20th, 2012 at 7:17 pm
Just what I figured. We don’t eat quick oats, but I’ll have to get them just to try and recreate this deliciousness! Thank you for your prompt responce, btw! Not everybody reads all responces to their blogs.
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Sarah on April 28th, 2012 at 9:28 am
I used old fashioned oats in mine. I pulse them in my food processor a few times to slightly break them up. Mine probably had a slightly coarser texture than having used quick oats, they turned out delicious! But, I also made a few other adjustments in order to make them gluten-free.
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A girl after my own heart. I, in fact, put chocolate chips or cocoa into my oatmeal every day! My two favorite things together
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These bars look beautiful and delicious! How do you cut your bars so evenly? Mine are always oddly shaped and do not have clean edges. Thanks!
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Michelle on April 19th, 2012 at 11:15 pm
Hi Tracy, I always cut them one of two ways, depending on which tool is closer to me (or clean) at the time: I either use a sharp 8″ chef’s knife, and use one motion to cut down (no sawing), or I use a pizza cutter to make nice clean lines. I hope that helps!
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Anne on April 20th, 2012 at 9:34 am
Use a plastic knife to cut bar cookies, even when they are hot. The cookie doesn’t stick to the plastic and they cut perfectly every time.
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Lorry on April 21st, 2012 at 6:11 pm
A bench scraper also works great for cutting bars. Always had a problem cutting through fudgy brownies but not anymore. Plus its a great tool for working with sticky doughs.
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Oh my, those look good. I love bars made with oatmeal anyway, so adding chocolate just sends to my happy place
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I needed to make a quick dessert (using stuff I already had) for a dinner party tonight, so I made these! They couldn’t have been more delicious. They have all the yummy flavor The Baked Brownie, but with a yummy oatmeal crumble. Like a date square, only better!
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Kris on April 19th, 2012 at 11:49 pm
I’m sorry but that’s impossible. Nothing is better than a date bar.
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Oooo, I’m going to make these this weekend. They look so tasty!
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This is a wonderful recipe. My daughter will love it. bookmarked it
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hi! these look lovely . so simple! can’t wait to make!
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these look perfect! my husband would love them.
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They have oatmeal in them so that makes it a super-healthy recipe. Right? Not that it matters. I’m already in “need to have it” mode!!
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One of my favorites and to make now. I love it. And the picture makes it look so outstanding.
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Oh my goodness, these look so tasty! I just made a batch of muffins, but I think I should make these right now as well!
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I made these tonight, and they taste really good! However, I’m wondering if perhaps I didn’t bake them quite long enough? I baked them for the full 30 minutes, and tested them with a toothpick, but I couldn’t tell for sure, with the toothpick, if they were done. I didn’t want to overbake them, so I went ahead and took them out of the oven. When I cooled them completely and cut them, the fudge part was soft and gooey. Is the fudge part supposed to be soft like that, or is it supposed to be more like a cake brownie consistency?
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Michelle on April 23rd, 2012 at 12:22 am
Hi Liddy, They should have the consistency of a dense, fudgy brownie. Definitely soft, but not gooey to the point of being unable to cut it. It sounds like maybe they were just a tad underbaked.
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Liddy on April 23rd, 2012 at 10:41 am
Thanks, Michelle! I was able to cut mine without any problem, so maybe they weren’t as underbaked as I’d thought. I’ll give them a few minutes extra next time, and see how much of a difference it makes. Thanks! Love your recipes! Many of them have found their way into my recipe notebooks!
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Just made them tonight and they are delicious! My fudge layer was gooey!
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I made these a few nights ago and I found them unbelievably dry. I did not overbake them and even as I was mixing them they seemed quite crumbly. I went ahead with it anyway even though I knew I should have added more moisture. 1/2 cup of butter was not enough for the oatmeal mixture to stay soft. Not a fan of these. Maybe next time I’ll use my own date bar recipe, omit the date filling and replace it with the fudge-like layer.
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Do you think I can double this and put it in 9×13?
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Michelle on April 23rd, 2012 at 9:04 pm
Yes, I think that would work just fine.
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Ooh, these look and sound amazing!
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These look so good! We recently started adding baking articles on our site too, they’re very popular!
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I love your site and have great success with many of your recipes (your peanut butter chocolate chips bars are a fave in our house) but I think I may have messed something up and I’m looking for some guidance.
When I melted the chocolate chips in the microwave (exactly as you directed) they became thick and almost fudge like. I thought may I over cooked them so I decided to melt a new batch of chips in a double boiler and the same thing happened. Is this typical or should I be doing something different? I think the bars turned out okay but I wonder if they might have been better.
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Michelle on April 27th, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Hi Nicole, I have had that happen, and it usually occurs due to one of two reasons: (1) the chocolate gets scorched either because the bowl got too hot or it was cooked for too long; or (2) the melting chocolate came into contact with water – even a drop can cause it to seize up.
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I made these last night & they are super delicious!!! I even converted them to be Gluten-Free that way my son, who has Celiac disease, could also enjoy them! I used GF oats & a combination of almond, coconut & millet flour. Mine we sweeter than I would have preferred them to be, so next time I am going to cut some of the sugar. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!
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yummy looking! do you know if these freeze?
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Michelle on May 1st, 2012 at 12:23 am
Hi Alice, I haven’t frozen them, but I imagine that they would freeze just fine.
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My son is allergic to oats and I sub flaked Kamut or flaked barley in most recipes. He is not allergic to wheat. I am going to try these with Kamut or barley and see what he thinks. Thy look really delicious.
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Tried these today and they were fantastic! and the fudge layer is OHMYGOD HEAVENLY!!! My new loooove.
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I am not allowed to make these anymore…
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I just made these oatmeal fudge bars and they are delicious but VERY chocolaty. I am thinking that the next time , I would double the oatmeal /flour etc part of the recipe and use a 9×12 pan. This would balance out the chocolate better for our tastes. I might add some chopped nuts into the crumble part.
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Kit White on December 19th, 2012 at 9:18 pm
I am also thinking that a layer of a raspberry or blackberry jam might also be good in this recipe.
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I adapted these bars to be gluten free and have been LOVING them! They are so
delicious! I subbed the flour out for Pamela’s GF Baking MIx and used certified GF oats. Thanks for sharing!
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I just made these and they were delicious!! I made them with oil instead of butter so it would be dairy-free, and they taste fantastic. They are very crumbly, which might be because of the oil.
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