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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.
Watch the How-To Reel
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.
This post was originally published on February 23, 2021
Didn’t think I was going to like the caramel layer, but soo good! Will definitely make again, thanks!
Hey Nicole,
Thanks a bunch for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I am so baffled why my caramel sauce didn’t turn out, and most other reviews are raving about it! I actually made the recipe twice because it was bothering me I messed up the caramel and I followed the directions exactly. It came out the exact same both times, and I set time for 4-5 min, It was like granulated sugar texture once it cooled, not at all chewy and amazing in the bars. I really want to make them again because it’s bothering me I can’t figure out this simple easy sauce that’s so amazing. The only thing I can think of is that it looked you have a nonstick pot and I used a stainless steel pot and the sugar granules got in the sauce from the sides on the pot and crystalyzed once it cooled? Please help me figure this out!! I want to make them again!
Hey Meg!! Ok, couple questions. What brand maple are you using and what brand sugar? I use a cast iron pan, not sure how the stainless affects the sauce.
My gut reaction is to tell you to cook the sauce less time. It sounds like it is getting over cooked. What if you tried 3 minutes? That might solve the issue and stop the sugar from crystallizing. Hoping this works and helps!! Let me know how it goes! xTieghan
I have made these so many times and I was having the same issue with the caramel being more of a praline caramel texture, still super tasty but I was not getting the Gooey that I want. I am going to try boiling the caramel less time and see if this solves it. Also, these are amazing with Hershey salted caramel chips with the choc chips.
Hey Laura,
I am thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Let me know if boiling for less time works. I hope you have an amazing week! xTieghan
These are delicious!! Would be over the moon with Vanilla Ice cream!
Thank you!
Hey Kayzie,
Thanks a bunch for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Made these last weekend and that caramel layer was everything!! So yummy!
Hey Samantha,
Thanks a bunch for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Is the caramel sauce supposed to bubble FOR 5-8 minutes or should it come to a boil IN 5-8 minutes? I did the later, and they turned out good (I think ;)). They are very decadent and sugary, but delicious all the same. Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Katie,
Thanks a bunch for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! You want the caramel to boil for 5-8 minutes. xTieghan
brittany asked about leaving out the caramel sauce. I did and the bars were too dry so I went ahead and made the sauce. Punched holes in the bars and poured over it all. It would’ve been better if I had just followed the recipe but my husband loves oatmeal raisin cookies (I added raisins instead of chocolate) and I didn’t think he’d want all that caramel. Lesson learned.
Thanks so much for trying the recipe Fran! xTieghan
Delicious, fast and easy – what could be better?
Hey Beverly,
Thanks a bunch for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Holy Smokes! I make a HBH recipe at least once a week and this is once of our new favorites! the 8×8 pan is was nearly devoured last night by my son, husband and me! I used coconut oil in the dough and love the crisp outside and chewy gooey inside! Yum!
Hey Deborah,
Thanks a bunch for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I was super excited about these, but they definitely didn’t turn out as expected. My dough was not crumbly, it was actually very gooey so I added 1/4 cup more oats and 1/4 cup flour and it was better and baked well. Then the caramel. You say to boil the caramel for 5-8 min… I did for about 4.5 min and my caramel looked great, but ended up being very hard and stiff. Because of the caramel issue the bars were not gooey at all and it was more of a toffee taste. I’m willing to retry and hopefully the caramel is better boiling for shorter time and on low vs medium heat. Wish me luck because I wanted to love these!!
Hey Lauren,
So sorry to hear this, let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Easy to make and very delicious!
Hey Julia,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have great week:) xTieghan
This recipe is fantastic! I love the sweet-salty combo. These will be on repeat at my house for sure!
Hey Kristi,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have great week:) xTieghan
So easy to make! And so delicious!!!!!!
Hey Katelyn,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have great week:) xTieghan
In your photos, the caramel layer is very defined and not mixed with the other layers. Mine really mixed into the other layers and created one giant gooey mess. The flavor was fantastic, but how did you get your caramel layer so perfect and defined? Thanks!!
Hey Erika,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try. Maybe the caramel needed to cook just a tad longer to firm up a bit. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
These are delicious and so easy to make! I recommend waiting for them to cool completely before enjoying. The crunchy edges with the caramel…yum. I will definitely be making these again!
Hey Mia,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have great week:) xTieghan
In the oven and they smell oh so good! Cant wait to dig in!
Thanks so much Mackenzie! Hope they are delicious! xTieghan