Fudgy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars — Chewy oatmeal cookie bars with a thick layer of fudge in the middle! Whoa, hello chocolate overload!!
Table of Contents
Chocolate Oatmeal Bars Recipe
I love oatmeal cookies. Add chocolate chips? Even better. Make them as easy cookie bars with a layer of fudge in the middle? Better yet.
The chocolate chip oatmeal cookie bars are soft, chewy, and chock-full of texture. They’re hearty and packed with oats but aren’t overly crumbly or dry.
I love oatmeal cookies that have as many oats packed in as possible, but often that means they lose softness and moistness, which isn’t the case with the bars.
I tweaked my trusty no-mixer, easy blondie base by adding old-fashioned whole-rolled oats. The fudgy layer is made with melted chocolate chips and half a can of sweetened condensed milk.
After the bars came out of the oven, I sprinkled them with chocolate chips. Between the fudgy layer and the chips on top, the bars tamed my chocolate cravings. It’s smooth, rich, and a perfect contrast to the oats.
I promptly donated most of the pan to my neighbors. So much chocolate and way too good to keep around.
Ingredients in Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
To make these oatmeal cookie bars with chocolate chips, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Light brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Old-fashioned oats
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Sweetened condensed milk
Recipes to Use Up Leftover Sweetened Condensed Milk
Make 7-Minute Microwave Caramels, Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Crumble Bars, or Milky Way Chocolate Cookie Crumble Bars with the other half can of sweetened condensed milk.
How to Make Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
These chocolate chip oatmeal bar cookies couldn’t be any easier! Here are the basic instructions:
- Melt the butter, then whisk in the egg, brown sugar, and vanilla.
- Add the oats, flour, and salt, then turn 3/4 of the mixture into a greased 8×8-inch pan.
- Melt the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk together. Once fully melted and smooth, pour over the oatmeal cookie crust.
- Crumble the remaining oatmeal cookie dough over the chocolate layer, then pop the bars into the oven to bake.
- Once done, sprinkle with additional chocolate chips and let the bars cool for at least an hour before slicing.
Love Salty-Sweet Desserts?
For more of a salty-sweet flavor, sprinkle with flaky sea salt once the oatmeal chocolate chip bars come out of the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, don’t use instant or quick cook because they’re finer and behave more like flour, which would make the oatmeal chocolate chip bars dry and crumbly.
Yes, but I prefer using semi-sweet chocolate chips since the slightly bitter chocolate balances out the very sweet condensed milk.
I’m sure this oatmeal cookie bar recipe is fine to double. You’d need to bake the bars in a 9×13-inch pan, and I think the bake time would be roughly the same.
These chocolate chip oatmeal cookie bars freeze very well. You can freeze an entire pan or individual slices. To thaw, set on your counter to come to room temperature.
If you want regular cookies, I recommend following my classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe instead. Those cookies truly are the best ever, and I know that recipe works as written.
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Fudgy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups old-fashioned whole-rolled oats, not quick cook or instant
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, for batter
- half of one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, just eyeball it
- about 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the oats, flour, and stir until just combined, don’t overmix.
- Turn three-quarters of the batter out into prepared pan, smoothing it with a spatula to form a crust; reserve remainder and set aside.
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, add 1 cup chocolate chips, pour sweetened condensed milk over the top, and heat on high power until the chips melt and mixture can be stirred smooth, about 45 to 60 seconds.
- Evenly pour chocolate mixture over crust, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Work somewhat quickly because mixture begins to set up after a couple minutes.
- Evenly crumble the reserved oatmeal mixture over the chocolate layer. I find it easiest to make heaping 1-tablespoon-sized ‘blobs’, and after all the blobs are in the pan, smoosh and smooth them together with a spatula. The entire surface will not be covered and there will be some gaps.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until top is set; it should be very pale in color for soft bars; golden colored means bars will be crunchier.
- Evenly sprinkle bars with about 1/3 cup chocolate chips, or as desired. Chips will soften and melt slightly. Avoid jostling the pan because it will cause chips to melt more rather than stay intact.
- Set pan aside and allow bars to cool in pan for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Thanks for sharing this recipe.. Super easy and looks amazingly delicious! I read all your posts daily. Im a HUGE fan :) Keep well and happy baking xxx
Thanks for your support & encouragement!
These look absolutely amazing! Layer upon layer of deliciousness!
(Btw, can I request a tutorial sometime on how you get those perfect oooey goooey chocolate chip shots? You’re the pro!!)
Thanks for the Bhg pin, too :)
And Jaclyn says the same thing about me and chocolate chips. Well, I need a tutorial from you on how to get such CRISP clear shots! Always mind-blowing how perfectly white, not yellow/blue, and tack-sharp crisp they are!
YES. 100x yes! These are absolutely perfect. They remind me of the caramel ones but with chocolate in the center (which is way better IMO!) Pinned, obvi.
Thanks for pinning and I hadn’t thought about the Carmelitas comparison until I was dragging in the related recipes images. And I was like oh whoops, I already made these almost :) Thank god these have chocolate. Seriously feel like some days I need to check my OWN archives before I bake something. LOL
Wow, that is some SERIOUS chocolate-y goodness. These looks fantastic. I’m tempted to toss in some walnuts here for crunch. I can’t wait to try these! Thank you for sharing!
I almost did but I have a walnut post next week :)
Oooh, I am dying to sink my teeth into that fudgey layer. These look absolutely fabulous, Averie!
LOVE that fudgy center in oatmeal cookie bars! I love making bars instead of cookies because they are seriously so much easier!
What a great combination, Averie! I don’t think I’ve seen oatmeal bars before. I love these! Chocolate chips and oatmeal are the perfect pair!
These look fantastic, Averie! Love love the fudge layer! Pinned!
Thanks, Anna!
Seriously dying over that thick layer of chocolate! These look UNREAL! And I love anything with oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Pinned :) Hope you had a great labor day weekend!
THESE LOOK INCREDIBLE. OH WOW.
I’ve had some great fudge made with choc chips and SC milk–so having it with oats sounds like a dream bar. That fudgy center–I want to sink my teeth into it now (maybe the sugar fix could make me run better this am). I’ll probably be thinking about these all day!
I love oatmeal cookies and they have been on my baking wishlist for quite a while now. You have a nice collection of oatmeal cookie recipes on here, so I will definetely look them up when I’m ready to bake some myself! Thank you!
Anything with fudge in the middle is better! These look FAB!
That layer of fudge in the middle clinches it. I am making these. You’ve been posting such good bars this week, Averie! And I’m powerless to resist.
These look so good..I love the chewy texture that you get when you bake with oatmeal…I love oatmeal with butterscotch and can so see replacing the chocolate layer with a butterscotch layer..thanks for a great recipe.
Oh that chocolate layer as butterscotch would be excellent or still use the chocolate and then make a butterscotch layer, too. Like a double-stuffed bar :)
I have a recipe linked in the related recipes for my Oatmeal Scotchies. I love them and if you like oats + butterscotch, that’s a great cookie recipe!
Oh..my! I am a huge fan of an great oatmeal cookie, so I bet these taste amazing! I am in love with the fudgy center!! Hope you had a great holiday weekend! :)
Thanks Chelsea & hope your weekend was wonderful!