Make these soft, chocolaty, and ultrafudgy NO BAKE Chocolate Oatmeal Fudge Bars!
Just one chocolate bite and people fall in love with the recipe instantly!
When I first posted the bars on Instagram, it quickly got over 10,000 likes and hundreds of comments. I couldn’t answer fast enough.
And the chocolate oat fudge bars have only gotten more popular since then!
Also try these vegan chocolate chip cookies
Above – watch the step-by-step Chocolate Oatmeal Bars recipe video
Classic chocolate oat fudge bars
Oat fudge bars have been a popular potluck recipe for generations.
But only because they contain oatmeal not Make the standard version of these treats a healthy choice.
Many classic oat fudge bar recipes, including copycat recipes you can find online for the famous Starbucks oat fudge bars, contain a shocking amount of butter and sugar, even by traditional dessert standards.
Think a cup and a half of butter, two cups of flour, and a whopping two cups of sugar, not to mention all the sugar from two cups of chocolate chips and a can of sweetened condensed milk.
If any recipe screamed for a healthy dessert makeover, it would be the traditional Chocolate Oatmeal Fudge Bar.
Since so many facets of the original oat fudge bar recipe needed updating, I decided to start from scratch.
These lightened oatmeal snack bars can be dairy-free, flour-free, gluten-free, and vegan. And they are just as deliciously chocolatey as the originals.
For a breakfast version, make baked oatmeal bars
Ingredients for the chocolate oat fudge bar
If you’ve never eaten an oat fudge bar, imagine eating a homemade oatmeal sandwich with a layer of smooth chocolate fudge in the middle.
That’s pretty much what this recipe tastes like.
Oh, and I forgot to mention the BEST part.
Instead of using oil in the recipe, I made the bars even tastier and healthier by adding peanut butter.
They basically pack all of my favorite foods into one handheld dessert.
If you’re not a peanut butter addict like me, you have many alternative options for these bars, including almond butter, cashew butter, coconut butter, or even sun butter.
The recipe works with rolled oats, rolled oats, or an oat-free alternative like quinoa flakes or spelled flakes. I haven’t tried replacing steel cut oats.
I like to use dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips. Or go for a fun twist by using white chocolate chips or even peanut butter chips.
No chocolate chips on hand? Substituting an equal amount of broken candy bars that I used in the photo above is fine.
Chocolate oat fudge bar serving ideas
Serve them up for an after-school snack or a weeknight dessert.
The oat bars are also an incredibly popular game day snack. Set out a tray at your next football playoff or Super Bowl party and watch the entire tray disappear.
Store leftovers in a covered container. You can leave them on the counter in a cool, dry place for a good day or two. For optimal freshness, I recommend refrigerating leftover healthy snack bars for up to a week.
Or, freeze leftover oatmeal candy bars in an airtight container with parchment or wax paper between each layer of bars for up to two months.
How to make Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
Line an 8-inch rectangular pan with parchment paper or wax paper. Set this pan aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the liquid sweetener (plain maple syrup, honey, or agave), water, vanilla extract, and 1/3 cup peanut butter until smooth.
Stir in the oatmeal and salt. Pour about two-thirds of this mixture into the prepared pan. Place a second sheet of parchment on top to evenly press the oat mixture to the bottom of the pan as firmly as possible.
Remove the second sheet of parchment paper.
In a new bowl, very gently melt the chocolate chips. (If you’re not sure how to melt chocolate, read my post on Chocolate Covered Strawberries.)
Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of nut butter until smooth. Pour this thick chocolate fudge mixture over the oat crust in the baking pan.
Finally, sprinkle the remaining oat crumbles onto the chocolate layer and press down firmly with a fork or spoon.
Chill or freeze the bars until firm enough to cut into squares.
Also make the popular Black Bean Brownies
- 2 3/4 cup Oatmeal, or here is a keto version
- 1/2 Cup pure maple syrup, honey or agave
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/3 Cup peanut butter or allergy-friendly sub
- 1 tablespoon Water
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 – 8 ounces Chocolate chips or sugar free chocolate chips
- 1/2 Cup additional peanut butter or allergy-friendly sub
-
**The bars in the photos were made with the lower amount of chocolate chips and the bars in the video were made with the higher amount. It’s your choice!Line an 8×8 pan with parchment or wax paper and set aside. Whisk together maple syrup, 1/3 cup peanut butter, water, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the oatmeal and salt. Pour about 2/3 of the mixture into the pan and press down very well, using a second sheet of parchment to press evenly onto the bottom of the pan. In a separate bowl, gently melt the chocolate and 1/2 cup peanut butter. Stir until smooth. Pour this evenly over the crust in the pan. Scatter the remaining oat crumbles over the chocolate layer and press down. Refrigerate or freeze until firm enough to cut into squares.View nutritional information
Popular Game Day Recipes
Brownie batter dip
Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip
vegan brownies
Keto Cookies
pumpkin dip
More about the cookbook