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
Chewy oatmeal cookie bars with a thick layer of fudge in the middle! Whoa, hello chocolate overload!!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 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 Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 650Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 109mgCarbohydrates: 86gFiber: 2gSugar: 70gProtein: 9g
More Cookie Bar Recipes:
Iced Oatmeal Cookie Bars (Little Debbie Copycat!) — The flavor of the classic cookies turned into fast, easy, chewy bars and the frosting is beyond amazing! They’re even better than original Oatmeal Creme Pies!!
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars — So much better than a bowl of plain oatmeal!! Easy, portable baked oatmeal bars perfect for snacks or breakfast on-the-go!!
Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars — A FAST and EASY dessert that is on the HEALTHIER side with only 1/4 cup butter and no oil!! Bold banana flavor, chewiness from the oats, and plenty of chocolate in every bite!!
Tagalong Cookie Bars — Say hello to year-round Girl Scout cookie season with these delish bars! All the flavors of the classic cookies in easy bar form!!
Loaded M&M’s Oreo Cookie Bars — These dense bars are a texture lover’s dream. There’s an abundance of crunchy chopped Oreos and M&M’s, contrasted with soft, buttery, moist dough!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Smores Bars – Between layers of super soft chocolate chip cookie dough there’s chocolate, marshmallows, and graham cracker crumbs for the most DECADENT smores ever!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Magic Bars — The bars are super soft, gooey, decadent, and have an amazing amount of texture and different flavors in every bite.
Sugar Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting — The bars are buttery soft in the middle with a bit of chewiness around the edges and have nice texture from the baked-in sprinkles.
The Best Snickerdoodle Bars — These soft and chewy bars taste just like snickerdoodle cookies minus the work of dragging out your mixer to cream ingredients, chilling dough, or making individual cookies.
I’ve been making these for years. They are ridiculously good. I generally double the recipe so I don’t have to worry about the other half of the can of milk, and I still think I could eat an entire pan of them on my own without even noticing.I have a bag of cinnamon chips and I’m going to try making them with those instead of chocolate chips. I think it will be awesome.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that you have been making these for years and generally double the recipe! I could eat an entire pan of these myself too :)
This was delicious and loved by all who consumed them!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad these were loved by all who partook!
I am very eager to try these recipes but I am looking for the sure shot replacement of eggs
I’ve only made as written so really can’t speak to results without eggs.
Whats the reason you use aluminum foil instead of baking foil/paper?
Thanks in advance for your answer!
I don’t know what baking foil is but aluminum foil allows me to press it into corners better than parchment paper does and I like the overall results better and I can lift it out of the pan easily to make clean cuts for photography and less cleanup than without lining pan.
So, I made these and…Wow! Â Super easy. Â I love that you don’t have to get the mixer out. Â Worked fine in a 9 inch square pan too. Â Dare I add a few pecans next time? Â I think so! Â Thanks so much for such a great recipe!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you! Glad it works in a 9×9 and pecans would be a lovely addition!
Is there a reason to use old fashion oats and not the instant oats?
Yes because the later would act more like flour, rendering the bars too dense. Make as written with old fashioned. Enjoy!
I brought a double batch of Fudgy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars to a party and everyone ate them before dinner was served. Everyone asked for the recipe and it was the best dessert by far! Thank You!!!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you and that it was eaten even before dinner was served and everyone wanted the recipe, too!
Every single time I come to your site I end up clicking on a dozen recipe links. Then I want everything! I guess it’s good for your page views, though!
Glad I’m making you hungry :)
I have not yet made the  fudgie oatmeal bars, could still happen today. In reading through  the instructions I just had to tell you how much I appreciate your down to earth directions. I don’t want to read about how ideally they should turn out, I want to read how you plop the dough on the top by spoonfuls and then spread it as best you can and that it will not cover entirely for example. Kudos
Glad you like my specific directions and being to the point about things – I try :)
These look delicious!!!! I know it says no quick oaks, but I’m stuck inside and that’s all I have. What would happen if I used them?
Probably the batter will be too dry because quick oats are finer and more like flour than like whole oats. I would use less if that’s what you end up doing but of course, can’t promise results as I haven’t tried the recipe this way.
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. I just made them last night – it sure was a quick thing to do.
By today I have adapted your recipe to German and set it on my blog. http://www.sabotagebuch.de/wordpress/2015/02/26/schokoladige-haferflocken-keks-schnitten/
:) Thx again,
Sandra
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
This recipe is excellent! I made it for New Year’s Eve for my family, and everyone loved it! Enjoy the new year, and thanks so much for all of the great recipes :)
Glad you and your family enjoyed these! Happy New Year!
Hi there! I saw above that you think doubling the recipe into a 13 x 9 would work. Any thoughts on baking time? I’m sure it’s hard to say if you’ve never done it yourself, but even an estimate or range would be awesome if you are willing to share. I’ve made so many of your recipes and they are always great, so I’m sure these will be no exception.
I would say a few minutes more, maybe not. I would just start checking a few minutes before they’re supposed to be done and then keep your eye on them and take them out when they look done. Enjoy!
And thanks for the praise and compliments and glad my recipes have always turned out great for you! :)
these are awesome i literally cannot stop eating them! i couldnt wait long enough for the chocolate to set so it got a little smudged ;)
Glad that you’re enjoying them and the smudged chocolate doesn’t effect taste :)
Just made these, and they are delicious!! I’m a week away from my due date and am cooking/baking up a storm right now. I saved half and put the other half in the freezer :) These were so easy to make and really yummy. Thanks for the great recipe!
You’re amazing to be baking right before your due date! My daughter came 2w early so all that ‘baking and freezer meal’ stuff I thought I was going to do…well, that never happened. I was lucky I had the onesies pre-washed :) Anyway glad these were a hit and that you froze half! Smart thinking! Congrats on your baby!
I wish I had added a 1/2 tsp of salt to these. The cookie part ended up a bit bland and I think that would have helped.
There is optional salt to be added to the crust and definitely add salt to taste if you prefer it. People’s palates and preferences vary widely with salt, so I always leave that up to a person’s taste. Thanks for trying the recipe.
Have you tried doubling the recipe & baking in a 9x13pan? Just wondering if it makes a difference.
Thanks!
This recipe would be fine to double. I haven’t personally tried that but I’m fairly sure it will be okay. Enjoy!
I am completely floored with these bars. So good!!!!!
Can I be your neighbor?? I mean, if you just give away large amounts of chocolate-laden goodies… And I’m a chocoholic… It’d be a match made in heaven! (Just don’t tell my skinny jeans or running shoes. They might not be too thrilled.)
o my gosh this is loooking awesome lovely fudge oatmeal choc chip cookie dear lovely place.. dear~ You have so many wonderful chocolate collection
Whoah–these bars look fantastic! I’m tempted to grab a bag of oats and mixing bowl and make them right now!
Wow! Your bars look so great!
Oh, yes….I really need to make the incredible bars!
Those bars look so yummy & fudgy! Wow! Looks like the perfect combination of chocolate & oats to me.
These look incredibly, like yum-o-Rama! Seriously chocolate and oatmeal call me totally sold on this recipe ;-)
Omg that fudge layer looks awesome! I need to try to veganise these, they look too good to resist!
These look amazing Averie! Totally craving a bite of one right now.. they definitely are fudgy and delicious.
Omigoshhhh that fudge layer is KILLIN MEEEE
Hi Averie,
I made these bars today because a friend was coming over. I need a reason to bake otherwise I’ll bake everyday and that could be deadly! :D
These were delish! I love the fudgy part and my hubby liked the oatmeal part. I’m gonna have a piece for breakfast tomorrow. Because there’s oatmeal and it and to me that sounds “healthy”. lol
thx so much
I agree about the ‘healthy’ part. I told a friend that I gave some too they were ‘breakfast bars’ because there were oats in them, after all :)
Glad you guys enjoyed them!
Hey Averie. I love your photography. My question is this: what do you do with all the baked goods? Do you and your family eat them? Do you freeze some? Share with neighbors and guests??
I always eat at least one (or two) of everything I make…cookies, pieces of cake, squares of brownies, etc. Then from there, I donate it to friends, family, neighbors, and basically anyone who want it, I give it away. Every once in awhile, I deem something worthy enough to hoard but after 5.5 years of doing this fulltime and writing 2 cookbooks, I am INSANELY picky and get pickier with each passing year!
I just made chocolate chip oatmeal bars a little while ago, and now I’m wishing I’d put a chocolate layer in the middle! That looks fudgy layer looks incredible. Pinned!
Thanks for pinning & everything’s better with chocolate in the middle, right!
Averie, I don’t know how you do it, not instantly scarfing down the entire pan. I love some oattmeal cookie withn my chocolate
Amazing bars Averie!! Pinned a few times :)
Thank you my awesome friend for always being a pinner and a sharer :) You know I’ve always got your back too!
Oh My…That chocolate layer looks divine!! Wish I could reach into my monitor and grab one of these! :)
These Fudgy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars look awesome, a must try, Pinned!
Thanks for pinning!
I love keeping a batch of these cold in the freezer and I am totally craving some now, so I’ll have to make them soon. Great share, Averie!
Oh I love these so much! That thick layer of fudge in the middle? Absolute brilliance!
Oatmeal cookies are some of my faves, and that middle fudge layer is making me drool! Love it.
I am in love with that fudgy center!
Yum! You can never, ever go wrong with chocolate and oatmeal!
That fudgy center is perfection, pinned!
Chocolate and oatmeal is one of my favorite combinations. The fact that they are in bar form makes me love it even more!
Considering I just looked through every cupboard, fridge, and freezer on the hunt for chocolate, it seems needless to say I want one of these bars now! I adore everything from the oatmeal to the chocolate to the fudgy middle. Pinned!
Thanks for the pin!
These look heavenly and extremely addictive. Pass me a fudgy bar!
Normally I only like oats in oatmeal raisin cookies and I HATE them in chocolate chip cookies, but that layer of fudge has convinced me that oats might have a place in cookies.
I’m sending this one to my mom!
It’s so down-home and I bet they’d love them!
OMG! These look so amazing. I love a good chocolate chip recipe, and might have to make these soon. I am actually a teen blogger- I just posted about creme puffs. Check it out if you like! :)
When people normally say “fudgy”, they’re referring to texture, which is pretty great, but ACTUAL fudge?! That’s seriously sweet. These bars look amazing and I would definitely not trust myself around them alone :)
Totally agreed – these aren’t just the texture of ‘fudgy’; they ARE fudgy!
These look absolutely amazing!! The only problem: I am sure I would eat the whole pan myself!! :)
That fudge in the middle makes it much more hard to resist!
I love the idea of having fudge in the middle! It’s been awhile since I baked with condensed milk, and I may have to crack open a can soon to make these!
It has been awhile for me too!
The fudge layer is amazing!!
Oatmeal in a bar cookie–how can you go wrong with that combo?
Good Gravy! Now THAT is an oatmeal cookie personified! Geez, I hate it when I start having a cookie craving this early in the AM.
yep it doesn’t get much better than that. Love the rich fudgy center
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!