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Making Tuesday a little more special and sweet with these Gooey Chocolate Oatmeal Bars. These easy homemade oatmeal cookie bars with chocolate chunks and a warm gooey “caramel” like center are the perfect way to bring something delicious to the average weekday. They’re made with a mix of pantry ingredients…oats, flour, butter, maple, vanilla, and a reduced amount of sugar. Most importantly, everyone LOVES these bars…they’re easy to make, difficult to mess up…and they always turn out GREAT!
So, originally these were going to be last Friday’s dessert, but then at the last minute, I panicked and convinced myself that no-one would care about oatmeal bars. NO ONE. So I switched things up…and I LOVE the caramel cake I created so much. Like so much, it’s one of my favorite cakes. I’m so happy I came up with it.
But the funny thing? I sent the oatmeal bars I had made home for my family to enjoy. The next morning, all I heard about from every last person currently staying at their house was just how delicious they were.
I mean, I knew they were good, but I have to say I was a little shocked. Someone even said that these bars are their new favorite dessert. Sooo, I clearly needed to rethink my stance on these bars. And now? With pretty photos and a very ooey-gooey dessert bar to share…I AM EXCITED.
I think it was all meant to play out this way. We got cake on Friday, which was perfect. And easy, sweet oatmeal bars on Tuesday, which feels very right to me.
The Back Story
My mom would often bake up oatmeal cookies. These bars totally remind me of something she’d bake up on Friday nights. They feel very “old school”, just like Friday’s cake and I’m loving it.
The idea is based on the dessert bars known as Carmelitas…oatmeal bars with chocolate chips and caramel in the center. I don’t love, love caramel. Especially the overly sugary store-bought candies. So instead of using real caramel, I used my trusty maple-based “caramel” sauce. It’s just as good but much less sugary. And to be honest? We think it’s better than real caramel.
So I put my maple-based caramel in the middle of the oatmeal bars and created my own version of Carmelitas.
Not only are these really easy to make, but they’re a true delight. Especially if you have the privilege of enjoying one warm, right out of the oven. DELICIOUS.
Here are the simple details.
This recipe requires just one bowl, a pot, and a couple of spoons. It’s completely no-fuss. Start to finish these will take less than an hour. You can’t mess these bars up. They’re that easy and they always turn out great.
In your mixing bowl combine all of the dry ingredients. Now, add all of the wet ingredients. Mix away until you have a crumbly dough. Stir in plenty of dark chocolate chunks, then press about half the dough into a baking dish. Bake for a bit to help the bottom layer set.
While that layer is baking, make the gooey layer. I use maple for sweetness, butter for creaminess, and a pinch of salt to create a silky, smooth, sweet, and salty sauce. As soon as the bottom layer has finished baking, pour over the gooey sauce, then crumble on the remaining dough.
Now finish the baking…
Smell the wonderfulness? Do you see the melty chocolate?
I know that nothing is perfect, but these bars are pretty close. Every bite is just perfectly sweet, chocolatey, and very gooey. When you eat them a little warm, they’re truly addicting. Fair warning…the salt on top really does keep you going back for seconds and thirds.
What I love about these sweet bars is that they’re so easy to make. They require no chilling and truly take almost no time at all. AND…I usually have these ingredients on hand. So when it’s Friday night and the urge for a deliciously warm chocolatey treat comes on? These bars are easy to mix up and deliciously satisfy the urge.
They’re great for all these cold, cold snowy days many of us have been having! This is very cheesy of me to say, but they’ll really warm you right up!
Looking for other easy winter desserts? Here are some favorites.
Healthier Baked Hot Chocolate Doughnuts
5 Minute Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Mug Cake
Lastly, if you make these Gooey Chocolate 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!
Gooey Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
Servings: 12 bars
Calories Per Serving: 311 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil or butter
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips
Gooey Caramel
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line an 8×8 inch square baking dish with parchment paper. 2. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until the dough is moist and all the ingredients are combined. The dough will be crumbly. Mix in the chocolate chunks. Press half of the dough evenly into the bottom of a prepared baking dish. Bake 10 minutes.3. Meanwhile, make the "caramel". In a medium pot, melt together the butter, brown sugar, and maple over medium heat. Gently boil, stirring constantly until thickened, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in a pinch of salt. 4. Remove the bars from the oven and pour the caramel over top. Crumble on the remaining oatmeal dough. Bake another 15 to 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let cool completely, then cut into bars…or eat them while warm and gooey with a sprinkle of sea salt on top.
Yum! Question, can I omit the Carmel (sounds delicious though) and bake all the dough at once for 25-30min? Thx!
Hey Carrisa,
Yes, that will work just fine. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Holy hell these bars were delicious, Tieghan!!! 🙂 I’m a big fan of your work, your detailed instructions + your postings. Thank you for sharing!
Hey Leah,
I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Made recipe as written. I did use butter instead of coconut oil. These bars turned out perfect. So perfect in fact, that my 17 year old son said they tasted like heaven! 🙂
Hey Debbie,
So so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try!! xxTieghan
Hi!! If you’re not a huge fan of caramel, can you leave that step out and just do chocolate oatmeal bars? Or do you recommend another replacement for caramel?
Hey Devyn,
Yes, totally fine to do! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These bars are fab-u-lous!! I am not a baker and I just bought ingredients for a third batch. I did use prepared caramel to make this easier. Once slightly cooled, every morsel was devoured! It’s great to bring to a friend’s house. You will impress!!
Hey Susan,
Happy Friday! I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxTieghan
Hi! These look amazing and I’m looking to make these for a bake sale to generate funds for the Covid situation in India. Don’t have easy access to maple syrup here. Can I use a recipe for regular caramel sauce using sugar, butter and cream?
Also it’s very hard to get old fashioned oats here, will the Quaker quick oats work?
Love your recipes, thanks! ♥️
Hey there,
I’m sure that would work just fine for the caramel sauce, but you do want to use old fashioned oats here. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Wow! I dont know where I went wrong. I didn’t have coconut oil so I used canola oil. But they bubbled up and over the pan in the oven. What a mess!
Hey Megan,
So sorry to hear this. I’ve never tried the recipe with canola oil, I would recommend using coconut oil or butter as the recipe calls for:) Please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Hello Tieghan,
I made these bars and they were delicious. But I also, like some of the others who have commented here, ended up with more of a praline caramel layer than a gooey one. I suggest that in the caramel making step, you offer more details describing what we’re looking for in the cooking process, or give a temperature to cook to and monitor with a candy thermometer. That would help us all to have more consistent results. Thank you. And thanks for the yummy bars!
~Margaret
Hey Margaret,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad you enjoyed it! Have a great weekend!! xxTieghan
I couldn’t decide between this and your peanut butter bars so I combined the two (okay, mostly, I’m not washing anymore dishes!) and…Girrrrrl! Delicious!
Hey Eden,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
My favorite bars are the healthy oatmeal bars (I make them probably once a month! It’s a problem!) but today I decided to make these bad boys instead and WOW were they amazing! I made the recipe exactly as listed with one exception—I swapped out flour for gluten free baking flour. It turned out FANTASTIC. Will definitely be fitting these into the rotation.
Hey Jean,
I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! xxTieghan
These are good but I recommend chilling them then cutting into little squares. Way better than any chocolate candy bar you can buy!!
Hey Stacey,
I am so excited that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! ?Tieghan
So yummy! Due to an egg allergy, I subbed the egg for one small ripe mashed banana and it was perfect! Gonna be making this again and again – thank you 🙂
Hey Tuyet,
I am so excited that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! ?Tieghan
This recipe is amazing. So quick and easy to make up. I’ve made it for two separate occasions now and both times I have been ask for the recipe, so of course I’ve sent them here! These are now my go-to for a dessert or treat for anything!
Hey Rebecca,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
These were so easy and SO decadent! A big hit with our family 🙂
Hey Kathy,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Easter ?Tieghan
Such an easy and delicious recipe! Second time making it in a week and a half!
Hey Mackie,
Happy Weekend! Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan