Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

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Chocolate Chip Oat Bars are thick and chewy with lots of toasty oatmeal flavor. Get all of the comfort and deliciousness of an oatmeal cookie in this quick and easy bar.

Overhead view of oat bars cut in squares.

Why you'll love this recipe

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars taste just like chewy oatmeal cookies.
Quick and easy to make.
A delicious lunch box or care package treat.

Oats have such a cozy, toasty flavor and these chewy bars are bursting with oat flavor. Lots of chocolate chips ensure chocolate in every bite.

The dough is identical to oatmeal cookie dough. Spreading the dough into a pan instead of individually scooping cookies saves time and makes a sturdier treat that's ideal for packing in lunches or care packages.

Just like with oatmeal cookies, the texture of these bars can be adjusted to taste by choosing your favorite kind of oats. The more processed the oats, the softer and less textured the bars will be.

Old fashioned oats produce a chewy, textured bar with lots of oat flavor.

Quick cooking oats break down while baking, making these bars soft and minimally textured. Because these more processed oats absorb moisture quickly while baking, oat bars made with quick cook oats stay soft a little longer.

Bake these treats for potlucks, bake sales, or after school snacks. They're sure to be a hit!

Ingredients

Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars until creamy.
Add the remaining ingredients to form the dough.
Press the dough into a parchment lined pan.
Bake 30 minutes until golden brown.

Storage

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

For longer shipping times, vacuum sealing is recommended.

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Stack of oatmeal bars showing interior with oats and chocolate chips.

Tips

Light or dark brown sugar can be used in this recipe. Dark brown sugar provides a little more flavor.
Substitiute chocolate chunks, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, or M&M's candy for the chocolate chips in this recipe.
Substitute raisins, craisins, or chopped dates for the chocolate chips and add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Use shortening instead of butter for safer hot weather shipping.
Quick cook oats in this recipe make chewy, softer bars with less texture and slightly less oat flavor.
Old fashioned rolled oats in this recipe makes chewy bars with more texture and oat flavor.
For longer storage or shipping, don't into individual bars. For best results, wrap the entire pan of chocolate chip oat bars without cutting will preserve moisture and help keep the bars from drying out in transit.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between quick cook oats and old fashioned rolled oats?

Old fashioned rolled oats, are oat grains that have been steamed minimally and rolled flat to speed the cooking process.
Quick cook oats are generally smaller pieces of oats, rolled thinner and steamed longer than old fashioned oats, to enable quicker cooking.

Do I have to line the pan with parchment paper?

Lining the pan with parchment paper makes it easier to lift the baked dough out of the pan for cutting. Spraying the pan with nonstick cooking spray will work but the bars will need to be cut in the pan.

Cut squares of Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars on a square serving plate.

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Closeup of textured, slightly crackled tops of Oat Bars cut in squares.

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