Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

These oatmeal chocolate chip bars are Soft, chewy, and LOADED with chocolate chips- They are a five ingredient dessert that bakes in just 12 minutes. 

If you love dessert bars but want to make them a little wholesome, swap out the standard flour and use oatmeal to make these chocolate chip oatmeal bars.

They are thick and chewy and make the perfect afternoon pick-me-up or post-dinner sweet tooth fix! I love making them for my family and know that it’s something more wholesome than a generic candy bar or ice cream.

Table of Contents

1. Why this recipe works
2. Ingredients needed
3. Tips to make the best recipe
4. Recipe variations
5. Storage instructions 
6. More oat-based dessert bars to try
7. Frequently asked questions
8. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars (Recipe Card)

Why this recipe works

• 5 ingredients. Simple pantry staple ingredients mean no eggs, butter, or milk! Instead, I use mashed banana to add moisture and also extra sweetness.  
• Quick and simple. With barely any prep time and just 15 minutes in the oven, these make a speedy, sweet treat.
• Healthier. Similar to raisin cookie bars, these are packed with whole grains, healthy fats, and naturally sweetened; these make a fabulous guilt-free dessert.
• Easy to customize. This is the kind of baked good you can easily adapt to use up any mix-ins you have on hand. I love to use up leftover nuts and seeds or even candy bites.
• Perfect texture and flavor. These cookie bars are soft, slightly chewy, and have an almost buttery texture without any actual butter in it. It has notes of chocolate with every bite. They taste like a thick and jumbo oatmeal chocolate chip cookie but with a more tender exterior.

Ingredients needed

As mentioned earlier, this recipe calls for just five simple and wholesome ingredients. Here is what you’ll need:

• Rolled Oats (Old Fashioned Oats)– They provide a chewy texture and a fabulous substitution for flour. They are also a much healthier alternative to it, providing fiber and protein too!
• Almond Butter– Gives these cookie bars that buttery texture and flavor we love without any butter!
• Maple Syrup– Provides sweetness and also masks any banana flavor. Do not omit, as it will change the texture of the cookie bars.
• Bananas– Overripe, mashed bananas! The riper they are, the sweeter they will be! Bananas replace any need for butter or eggs while also providing sweetness and a softer texture.
• Chocolate Chips– What is a good cookie without chocolate chips? I like using semi-sweet chocolate chips, but milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips work, as do chocolate chunks. 
• Baking soda– Optional, but helps with the leavening of the bars.

How to make oatmeal chocolate chip bars

What I love about this recipe is that everything is made in one bowl! Clean up is almost non-existant.

Step 1- Make the batter. Stir together all the ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Fold them through, then transfer to a lined pan.

Step 2- Bake the bars. Bake the oatmeal cookie bars for 15-17 minutes or until golden on top.

Step 3- Cool and slice. Let the bars cool completely before slicing and serving.

Tips to make the best recipe

• Don’t overmix the batter. When making the batter, mix everything until just combined. You don’t want these to turn out rubbery!
• Avoid over-baking. These bars will continue to cook as they are cooling down. I like to remove them from the oven once the edges are golden brown.
• Add mix-ins. Enhance the bars by adding mix-ins like pecans, walnuts, butterscotch chips, or vanilla extract. Like i said above, candy bits are also fab.
• Press the batter firmly. Press it firmly into the baking pan when transferring the batter into the pan. This will cook them more evenly.
• Cool completely before cutting. This is important to ensure the bars are fully set. 

Recipe variations

These cookie bars are very forgiving and have plenty of ingredient substitutions, including basic pantry staple ingredients.

• Gluten-free oatmeal chocolate chip bars. Swap out the oats for gluten-free rolled oats or buckwheat flakes. 
• Banana alternative. You can substitute the banana for unsweetened applesauce or pumpkin puree. Neither are as sweet as bananas, but they will still yield a similar texture. You may need to add extra maple syrup to make up for the lack of sweetness from the banana.
• Use other nut butter. Swap out the almond butter for either peanut butter or cashew butter, or keep them nut free by using tahini or sunflower seed butter. 
• Lower the sugar. Instead of maple syrup, you can use a sugar-free or reduced-sugar version.
• Use regular sugar. If you don’t want to use syrup, brown sugar or coconut sugar work.  

Storage instructions 

To store: Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They will keep fresh for up to 5 days.

To freeze: Wrap individual bars in parchment paper and place them in ziplock bags or a freezer-safe container. They will freeze well for up to 6 months.

Reheating: These bars become firm once refrigerated, but to have a gooey cookie bar, microwave it for 20-30 seconds.

More oat-based dessert bars to try

• Raspberry bars
• Blueberry bars
• Zucchini bars
• Chocolate oatmeal bars

Frequently asked questions