These chocolate oatmeal bars are a blend of 7 ingredients, including chewy oats and chocolate chips. These delicious dairy free bars are ready in under an hour, bake or no bake bars.
These chocolate oatmeal bars are so easy to make. There is just one recipe for both the crust and crumble top, and another for the chocolate filling. Similar to my peanut butter oatmeal bars and my three layered chocolate coconut bars, they can be made no bake. Or bake them to create a brownie-texture middle.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy to Make. Since the oatmeal crust and top crumble are the same recipe.
Nourishing. Oat flour provides fiber and protein, and the sugar levels are relatively low.
Perfect for all diets. Anyone can eat these, including those who follow a dairy free, vegan, plant based diet.
Ingredients
Oatmeal Crust & Top
- Oat Flour & Rolled Oats - Both are needed for structure, although all purpose flour can be used instead of oat flour. See substitutions for amounts.
- Sugar - Brown sugar or coconut sugar.
- Butter - Use dairy free or regular butter.
- Salt
Chocolate Filling
- Chocolate chips - Use at least 60% cacao or semi-sweet. Add a tablespoon of cocoa for flavor.
- Applesauce - Applesauce provides stability instead of eggs. Regular eggs can also be used or aquafaba.
- Butter - Use dairy free or regular butter.
- Peanut butter - Or use cashew butter for a less peanut-y flavor. Or any nut butter works.
See the recipe card at the bottom for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
Flour. You can use all purpose flour instead of oat flour, but use less, 1 ¼ cup instead of 1 ½ cup.
Sugar. Use brown sugar or coconut palm sugar to keep them refined sugar free.
Applesauce. Aquafaba, the liquid from a can of unsalted chickpeas, can be used instead. Both replace 2 eggs.
Equipment Needed
- A bowl, measuring cups and spoons
- Hand mixer, or use a spoon or whisk to stir
- Square baking pan, 8-inches square
- Parchment paper to fit, 12-inches x 8-inches
Steps by Step Instructions
For more detail, visit the complete recipe at the bottom of this post, but here are general steps.
Make Crust & Crumble
Step 1: Make the crust and crumb recipe. Melt the butter in the microwave at 10 seconds until the butter is warm and liquid. Add all ingredients to a bowl.
Step 2: Stir together with a spoon.
Step 3: Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper and press ¾ of the mixture, flattening the surface with a spatula or spoon.
Step 4. Bake the crust for 30 minutes and let it cool. Set aside the remaining ¼ for the crumble on top and go make the brownie filling. Or for a no-bake version, just set aside and make the filling.
Make Chocolate Filling
Step 1: Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave.
Step 2: Add all the ingredients to a bowl and stir with a spoon or hand-mixer.
Step 3: Pour the filling mixture onto the cooled crust. The center layer is thick so the filling will seem considerable.
Step 4: Sprinkle on top the remaining crumble that you held back.
Step 5: Bake the bars until the top is golden. The center will seem moist and leave a testing stick fudgy. Or for no bake, freeze the pan covered for 30 minutes.
Recipe Tips
How to Get Clean Slices. If baked, the center chocolate filling will come out of the oven soft so if you want the clean slices you see here, let the bars cool out of the oven around 30 minutes, cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.
FAQS
Oatmeal bars are healthy to eat as a breakfast or snack because they are full of healthy fiber that fills you up and protects your heart as well as boosts your digestion. These bars have about 3 grams protein and 2 grams fiber per bar and are low in sugar compared to commercial oat bars.
These oat bars last a long time refrigerated, at least two weeks, and months if frozen. That makes them a very convenient snack to have on hand.
The middle layer of this recipe is a brownie and to keep it baking even, be sure to bake it at 325 F, and do not exceed 35 minutes. Overbaking is often the reason the edges of brownies rise while baking.
More Healthy Bars
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
Equipment
- 1 Measuring cups & spoons
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Hand-mixer Or use a fork or spoon to stir
Ingredients
Bottom Crust & Top Crumb
- 1 ⅓ cup oat flour or 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- pinch of salt
- ½ cup peanut butter softened in microwave for 10 seconds; I use Earth Balance vegan butter
Chocolate Filling
- 1 cup oat flour or ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar or cane sugar
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips Enjoylife melts well.
- 6 tablespoon applesauce unsweetened or use room temperature aquafaba, same amount
- pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoon butter softened, 10 seconds in a microwave
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
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Instructions
Prep
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Gather ingredients.
- Line a 8-inch by 8-inch pan with parchment paper.
- Melt the butter for the crust in microwave for 10 seconds. You want it melted as it is the glue that holds the crumble together.
Make Crust & Crumble Top
- Combine crust ingredients and melted butter. I used a hand mixer. You want the mixture to be crumbly.1 ⅓ cup oat flour, 1 cup rolled oats, 1 cup brown sugar, pinch of salt, ½ cup peanut butter
- Remove ¾ cup of the mixture and set aside to use for the top crumb.
- Press the rest into the parchment-lined pan and level off with a spatula.
- Bake the crust for 8 minutes at 325 F. Or for a no-bake version, just set aside and make the filling.
- If baked, remove from oven, keep the crust in the pan and allow it to cool while you make the filling.
Make Chocolate Filling
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. (note the temperature change) Measure out filling ingredients.
- Put the butter and chocolate chips, into a 2-cup pyrex glass measuring cup and microwave for 1 minute. Stir in sugar and stir until creamy. Spoon in the apple sauce, and nut butter and stir again.1 ½ cups chocolate chips, 6 tablespoon applesauce, 3 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 cup brown sugar
- Into a medium mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients.1 cup oat flour, pinch of salt
- Add the chocolate mixture to the dry mixture and stir into a batter. It will be like a brownie batter.
- Spoon batter onto the baked crust and smooth the surface with a spoon.
Add Crumb Top
- Sprinkle the reserved crumb top onto the brownie batter.
- Bake at 350 F for 30 to 35 minutes or until the crumb is golden brown. The center layer will seem moist and leave a testing stick fudgy. Or for no bake bars, freeze the pan covered for 30 minutes.
- If baked, remove pan from oven and let the bars cool in the pan for 30 minutes.
- For clean slices, refrigerate the pan until you can slice cleanly.
- Store the oatmeal bars in the refrigerator for 1 week in sealed container. Or freeze for 3 months.
D'vorah
These look amazing I can't do seeds and nuts so what can I replace instead of the nut butter or is that possible?
Dee Dine
Yes, you can replace the nut butter in the filling with regular butter. Good luck!
sarah
I saw cocoa powder in the picture but not in the recipe?
Dee Dine
Yes, adding 1 tablespoon of a quality unsweetened cocoa to the dry ingredients deepens the chocolate flavor. It's an option in notes.
Andrea Dort
Can you use something other than chocolate?
Dee Dine
You mean replace the middle brownie layer with something else? I suppose some kind of apple crisp would work, making these apple bars. I'll think about that, thank you!
Ethan
I made these no bake, and baked. That middle layer has incredible flavor. Thank you for this!
Marisa
When I made this I found that there was too much chocolate compared to oatmeal when I put it in the pan. I scooped some out because it seemed excessive. Also when I took it out of oven and lifted the parchment paper to let it cool it was extremely gooey so it spread out a bit. It it was definitely tasty.
Dee Dine
Glad you liked it Marisa! It will definitely need cooling to stop it from oozing out the sides straight out of the oven. I chilled it for several hours to get clean slicing. And the brownie layer is thick!
Emily
Do you whipped up the aquafaba or use it just as is out of the can? Thanks!
Dee Dine
Straight out of the can Emily!
Joelle
If I want to use real eggs, would it be two eggs?
Dee Dine
I think 1 large egg or 2 small eggs would work well to replace the 6 tbsp of aquafaba.