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Retro-style – but updated, Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars. Think doughy, buttery oatmeal cookie base, layered with creamy peanut butter, and sweet salted chocolate on top. All made with simple, wholesome ingredients: oats, pure maple syrup, natural peanut butter, and dark chocolate. They’re sweet, salty, heavy on the peanut butter, extra chocolatey, gluten-free, and butter-free. Every last bite is truly delicious.
When I think of February, I think Super Bowl Sunday, and then of course, Valentine’s Day. This year, we have the Olympics which makes things even more exciting. I’m sharing a couple appetizer recipes next week that will be great for viewing your favorite winter sport as well as the upcoming Super Bowl too. Lots of fun things this month!
For some reason, when I think of the Super Bowl, I always think of chocolate and peanut butter together. I’m sure it’s because I’m from Cleveland. Ohio is the Buckeye State, which means we all love our chocolate/peanutty sweets.
These bars are one of my favorite chocolate-peanut buttter combos yet. They’re somewhat inspired by my lunchroom peanut butter bars. But also by the Twix bars I shared a couple weeks ago. I took elements from both and incorporated them into this recipe.
What’s awesome is that they’re naturally gluten-free, butter-free, and have no added sugar other than pure maple syrup! We’re all loving the more wholesome desserts right now.
Start with the oatmeal cookie
I based this layer off of my mom’s oatmeal cookies, but made things less sweet. Just some oats, almond flour, and maple syrup with eggs and vanilla.
I also used coconut oil in place of vegetable oil, something I’ve been doing for years.
Then, just bake the cookies until set. They taste buttery and perfectly sweet, but with no butter or sugar!
The peanut butter layer
Simply just peanut butter, maple syrup, and coconut oil boiled together to thicken the mix. The secret to making this layer really delicious is to use a peanut butter with just peanuts and salt. Don’t use a no-stir peanut butter that contains oils and/or sugar. You just want a natural peanut butter. This will give you the best flavor and texture.
Pour the peanut butter layer over the oatmeal cookies, then freeze the bars. You only need them to freeze them for 30 or so minutes. This helps the peanut butter set up quickly.
When the peanut butter is chilled and stiff, pour some melted chocolate overtop to finish the layers up. My one piece of advice here is to slice the bars before the chocolate top becomes too hard. This will make the bars much easier to cut and prevents the peanutty filling from getting squished out.
The final review? Slightly chewy and crumbly on the bottom, with the creamiest peanutty filling – that’s perfect salted. The chocolate top adds a nice “crack” with every bite.
Delicious! And great for parties too since these can really feed a crowd!
Looking for easy party desserts? Here are a few ideas:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Blondies
Homemade Vegan Peanut Butter Twix Bars
Caramel Butter Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting
Lastly, if you make these Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Servings: 24 bars
Calories Per Serving: 322 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Oatmeal Cookies
- 2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
- 2 cups almond flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Peanut Butter Mix
- 1 cup, plus 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (just peanuts and salt)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
- sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper. 2. To make the cookies: In a mixing bowl, beat together the oats, almond flour, baking soda, salt, coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla. Press the dough into the prepared baking dish. Bake 25-30 minutes, until lightly golden. 3. To make the peanut butter mix: In a medium pot, mix 1 cup peanut butter, the maple syrup, and coconut oil. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Pour over the oatmeal cookies. Freeze 30 minutes, until firm. 4. Melt together the chocolate and 1/3 cup peanut butter in the microwave. Let cool 5 minutes and then spread the chocolate over the peanut butter mix. Return to the fridge to set, about 10 minutes, then slice. The chocolate will not be totally set, but slicing is easier this way. Keep in the fridge.
Notes
If the Cookie Dough is Dry: add 1/4 cup additional melted coconut oil to moisten it.
Sadly they turned out super salty (I didn’t even add the salt to top) and crumbly. Major disappointment 🙁
Hi Vanessa,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear they were salty and crumbly. Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Please let me know how I can help! xx
I like these bars but I’m also having some trouble with the cookie base unfortunately — I could really taste the individual oats and it feels like they didn’t really get moist or baked enough. When I tried to eat the bars fresh out of the oven they were crumbly and just not quite right. BUT now that I’ve stored them in the freezer overnight I think that’s given the oats in the base slightly more time to absorb some moisture. So I’m liking it more day 2! The batter didn’t seem dry but I might try to add more oil if I baked these again.
Hey Amy,
Thanks so much for trying these bars and sharing your feedback! Definitely keep these in the fridge and I think you might enjoy them more:) xx
I love HBH but if you’re considering making this, listen to everyone saying the cookie is crumbly and dry! This recipe needs a rework. Idk if it’s just not friendly to specific brands or what but I made it exact and the cookie part is awful. Don’t waste your money, my rec is to make any other cookie base and then add the pb and chocolate. Two stars still because the peanut butter is delish!
Hi Lydia,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
in process of making. measurements in grams needed for novices like me. That would make it alot easier. I’m guessing everything. looking forward to tasting tho. can’t wait
Hi Inez,
Thanks for trying this recipe. If you just click “metric” under the list of ingredients, all of the measurements will convert for you. We have this feature for all of our recipes:) I hope this helps! xT
I love how these aren’t super sweet. They were fun to make and who doesn’t love chocolate & PB. Great recipe Tieghan!
Hi Kristen,
Amazing! Love to hear that these were such a hit, thanks a lot for making them! Have a great Sunday! xT
They turned out perfectly and are delicious!!
Thanks a lot Jayne!! So glad to hear these bars turned out well for you! Have a great weekend! xT
I can’t have coconut oil, is there an alternative I can substitute?
Hi Jules,
Sure, you could use butter or another neutral oil in place of the coconut oil. I hope you love this recipe! xT
The recipe doesn’t say, should I let the cookie bar cool completely before adding the PB layer?
Hi Lisa,
You do not need to let the bar layer cool completely before adding the peanut butter:) I hope you love this recipe! xT
Agree with Brooke’s comments. My cookie dough was very wet, so I didn’t think it needed more oil, but when I baked it, it became dry and crumbly. I haven’t worked with almond flour before so maybe that was it. Agree as well that the peanut butter layer should be thicker.
Hi Lauren,
Thanks for making this recipe and sharing your feedback!! Almond flour definitely gives much different texture than what you might be used to with all purpose flour. Thanks again for trying the recipe! xT
I have never made a recipe of yours that didn’t turn out perfect, until this one. I was so bummed because this recipe calls for expensive ingredients. I didn’t make any alterations to your recipe either. The cookie base was very dry and crumbly, the peanut butter layer was too thin (not like the pictures at all), the the chocolate top was way too thick.
I am going to make this again and add a little bit more coconut oil to the cookie part, double the PB layer, and cut the chocolate top in half. 🤞🏻 I’m hoping for a better turn out with take two.
Hi Brooke,
I appreciate you making so many recipes and sharing your feedback! I’m so sorry this one didn’t turn out great for you, let me know what happens when you try again! xT
Do you have an alternative to almond flour – I have a tree nut allergy? Would an oat flour work?
Hi Samantha,
Yes, oat flour would also work for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it’s a hit! xT
Any recommendations on amount of all purpose flour that could be substituted for almond flour?
Hi Deanna,
I would start with 1 1/2 cups and see how that goes, if the batter is too wet slowly add more as needed:) I hope this helps! xx
Can I replace maple syrup with cane sugar in both the cookie and the PB? I liked the texture of the bars a lot but would prefer a sweeter dessert. Thanks!!
Hi Karson,
Sure, I don’t see why not! Thanks for giving this recipe a try and your comment! xT
These were delicious!! Thank you! Do you think they would freeze well?
Hi Kathryn,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out and your feedback! Love to hear it turned out well! Yes, you can freeze these! xT
Although these still taste delicious, the oatmeal cookie layer did fall apart when I cut it/eat it, like the other reviews reflect. The peanut butter layer was also not as thick as the pictures, which was also a little disappointing. I still give this 3 stars though because the flavor is great and I love half baked harvest 🙂
Hi Sarah! Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! I appreciate the feedback as well! xT
I just made these yesterday, and they turned out fantastic! I did not have any issues with crumbling or the layers sticking together, as other comments have said. I followed the recipe exactly. Kids and hubby all love them as well!
Thank you SO much Natalie! xT
I’ve made this several times now. Such a delicious non processed treat! Just a lil piece totally satisfies my sweet tooth without all the junk. Thanks for a great recipe.
Hey Karin,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe so often and your feedback, so glad to hear it always turns out nicely for you! Xx