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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.
The bars are delicious, but the oatmeal cookie layer is very dry and thick, more like a cake that falls apart.
Hi Kristina,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try!! The oatmeal cookie layer is definitely crumbly:) So glad you enjoyed the flavors! xT
I have never gone wrong with a Half-Baked Harvest recipe until now. As many have noted, the bars are cakey and basically fell apart due to the overly crumbly crust. Sadly, what I had hoped would be the best part – the PB filling – did not even come close the the picture as it was a very thin layer. The taste was subpar but maybe my hopes were too high.
Hi Holli,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear these were not enjoyed! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
I made these on Friday…just checking that the amount of baking soda is correct? Have you actually made this recipe with 2 teaspoons of baking soda? The whole thing had to be disposed of because it tasted like baking soda 🙁
So sorry to hear this! Yes, all of the measurements are correct and I actually made and tested this recipe several times with all of those measurements:) Was your baking soda old? Let me know how I can help! xx
Has anyone tried freezing these?
Hi there,
I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
This is a great recipe, works out really well every time, fantastic gluten free option but enjoyed by everyone!
Hey Emily,
I appreciate you making this recipe and I’m thrilled to hear that it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend! xx
This is a winning recipe. I’ve made it 3 times now and don’t plan to ever stop. It hits all the cravings with it’s delicious combination of ingredients – don’t skip the sea salt! Gosh I am already drooling. I have to stop myself from eating the whole pan.. and have started making a half batch just to keep myself in check! Bonus, you get to use wholesome, healthier ingredients. Hello, almond flour, nice to meet you! I honestly feel this recipe is perfection. And IMO it’s guilt-free. Yes I said it. It does take a few steps but it is SO worth it when you take a bite. Or shovel it entirely into your mouth. The end.
Hey Adrienne,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was a hit! xT
You mentioned above the recipe that you have been substituting the coconut oil for the vegetable oil for years. If I was to use regular vegetable oil instead, would the amount be the same, or does the ratio change?
Thanks!
Hi Sidney,
Yes, you can use an equal amount of vegetable oil:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this recipe turns out well for you! xx
The cookie to PB to chocolate ratio does not look the same as the photos. What am I doing wrong? It’s a really thick cookie even when pressed firm into the pan & very thin PB & chocolate layers. Help!
The Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars have great flavor, but Tiegan, how did you get the peanut butter layer so thick without doubling the recipe? The oat layer was more cake-like; I wonder if I didn’t cook it long enough. I cooked it for 30 min. @ 350 deg. 9×13 pan til light brown.
I was just about to leave a review and comment on the same things. The cookie layer was thicker, cakey, and more crumbly than the ones in the photos appear to be. I was hoping for them to be more like an oatmeal cookie – denser and a bit more solid. I wondered if I should bake it longer but it was golden brown. My peanut butter layer got lost between the thick base and thick chocolate. They are delicious, though. You can’t beat the combination of peanut butter, chocolate, and oats and flaky sea salt on top. I froze the finished bars longer before I cut in hopes that the base would hold together better.
Hey Amanda,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback!! Did you let the oatmeal layer cool a bit before adding the peanut butter? That should help with the thickness! xT
Same issue and your instructions did not say to let the cookie part cool before pouring the hot peanut butter mixture on top. They taste really oily from the coconut oil.
Made these the other day with a couple of tweaks. I doubled the recipe in a 9×13 pan. I used butter instead of coconut oil and I used half Nestle chocolate caramel chunks and half Giardelli dark chocolate chips. Took it to work for a special treat and they devoured it and are asking for more.
Hi Laurie,
Fantastic!!🌻 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for trying it out! xT
Hey Kym,
Happy Monday!! 💘 Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Did you let the oatmeal layer cool at all before adding the peanut butter? I would recommend that for next time! xx
Yes, I followed the recipe exactly. I will try it again and increase the chill time. Honestly, I don’t think it mattered. My three adult boys said they wanted to take home all of the leftovers 🙂 Happy Monday, Tieghan, and thank you for the great recipes.
Awe thanks so much!!
Delicious! Perfect layering. I recommend freezing for 20 minutes on the last step before cutting
Hey Anna,
Happy Sunday!!🏈 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Disappointed with this recipe. I didn’t make any modifications but it just didn’t taste that great.
Hi El,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it wasn’t enjoyed. Was there anything specific that I can help with? xT
I made the recipe as directed and both my husband and I disliked the end result. My husband has a huge sweet tooth and I was very disappointed after all the effort that went into making these.
Hi Elaine,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try, so sorry to hear they were not enjoyed. Was there something specific that was wrong with them or anything that I could help with? Let me know! xT
Question replacement for coconut oil i hate to keep asking for replacements but certain things I just can’t eat 😞 and I don’t want to miss out!
Hi Laurie,
Any other neutral oil that you enjoy will work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
These look gorgeous, could I sub the coconut oil? I really cannot stand coconut
Hey Claire,
Sure, any other neutral oil that you want to use will work! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
I made these but used regular flour. The crust was way thicker in my version and dry. My peanut butter layer was not as thick as yours. I suspect it soaked into the top part of the cookie crust. I would like to try these again but I guess there needs some accommodation if I use wheat flour. What would you suggest?
Hey Lori,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try! I would recommend using the almond flour for best results in this recipe:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
Made these for a dessert towards a recent neighbourhood dinner party. They were outstanding! Hardly any left !! I love your recipes. I would be interested in trying again and using olive oil just to see how they taste and eliminate the saturated fat – but honestly , the coconut oil would never deter me from making them again just as is according to recipe.
Hey Leanne,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it turned out well for you:)