I love recipes that call for Oatmeal (as evidenced by my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe!), and this is my top go-to recipe when I am craving a dessert with oatmeal. This Chewy Oat Bars recipe has been a family favorite for years. I like to share good things, so I decided to share with you how to make Irresistible Chewy Chocolate Oatmeal Bars! Everyone should have this handy dessert recipe in their recipe box!
Hard chocolate coating on top, chewy goodness underneath
What I love about this chewy cookie bar recipe, in addition to the flavor, is the combination of textures. The bottom is oatmeal held together by butter and sugars, which makes it a chewy texture. The top is smooth and hard…and chocolate. When you take a bite into one of these bars, it is pure bliss.
Can you use regular oats instead of quick oats when baking?
You can use regular oats or quick-cooking oats when you are making a dessert recipe that calls for quick-cooking oats. If you don’t have the quick oatmeal that a recipe calls for, you can just use old-fashioned rolled oats. You’ll need to put them in a blender and pulse several times to make the oats a little smaller. I personally always use quick cook oats when I make this Irresistible Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Bar recipe.
What is the best chocolate to use for baking?
The best chocolate to use in cookies or other baked desserts is whatever kind you like. That is my personal opinion at least. If you prefer milk chocolate over semi-sweet chocolate, then by all means, use milk chocolate. If you prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate, use dark chocolate in your recipes. Of course you can use a combination of both to really switch up the flavor. You can even add white chocolate to the mix!
As far as the quality of the chocolate you use, there are several choices. The brands that grocery stores carry are perfect for general baking. If you are making a fancy dessert, or if you are bringing a dessert to a dinner party or fancy event, then a higher quality chocolate might be desired. If you just really enjoy fine chocolate, then you might consider Guittard, Sephra, Callebaut, and Valrhona. I really like Guittard Chocolate Chips (which can sometimes be found at your local grocery store. The reason being is that they are larger than the average chocolate chip, which make your chocolate treat extra gooey. Gooey chocolate is a good thing! But of course, for your Chewy Oatmeal bars, just use the milk chocolate of your choice. Or if you prefer semi-sweet chocolate, by all means, use it!
But my all-time favorite chocolate chip brand is Sephra. These are fine Belgian chocolate chips that are silky and smooth, and oh-so delicious. I discovered Sephra Belgian Chocolate Chips on Amazon actually, for my daughter’s graduation party. We were having a chocolate fountain and I needed a good Belgian Chocolate for Chocolate Fountains. I was not disappointed! It’s a great Belgian Chocolate Fondue option too.
Ingredients for Chewy Oatmeal Bars
- ¾ cup butter {melted}
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup Karo syrup {light or dark}
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 4 cups quick cooking oats
- ⅔ cup peanut butter (optional)
- 1-6 oz. package chocolate chips
How to make Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Bars
Mix butter & sugars. Stir in corn syrup and vanilla then add the oats. Pat mixture into greased 13 x 9 x 2” pan. Bake in 350 oven 20-25 Minutes. Cool slightly, and sprinkle melted chocolate chips all over the top. Wait until chocolate chips start to melt, then spread over the top of the baked layer until evenly coated. Chill. Cut into bars. Makes 24 cookies {depending on how big you cut your squares!}.
For Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Bars with Peanut butter: If you want to use peanut butter with the chocolate topping, you will do the same as above, except you will put spoonfuls of the peanut butter on top of the chocolate chips, so it can be smoothed and spread out with the chocolate when melted.
This cookie bar is so, so good. The combination of a chewy, buttery oatmeal base, with chocolate is absolutely dreamy. If you’ve been wondering how to make Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Bars, I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe!
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