Chewy Oat Bars

The beauty of this recipe is in its simplicity. These oat bars have become a favorite in our home for their plain, wholesome goodness, and the fact that they’re so easy to make is a big bonus.

These oat bars are the perfect, uncomplicated treat to bake up on Sunday in preparation for the week ahead. Most people in our family (myself not included) really gravitate towards more simple baked goods with less add-ins or frills. We have our favorites that we make over and over again, but these have been a great new recipe to add in to my regular rotation. These oat bars are less like a homemade granola bar and more like a cozy, comforting oatmeal cookie in bar form. If you have a family full of “plain cookie” lovers like I do, give these a try!

Another favorite simple cookie recipe: Cake Mix Pudding Cookies

Ingredients Needed for the Chewy Oat Bars

You’ll need:

• Butter (or a plant-based substitute)
• Eggs (or a plant-based substitute)
• Brown sugar
• Granulated white sugar
• Cinnamon
• Flour
• Oats

I’ve been making these bars using gluten-free rolled oats and a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend and they work out beautifully. With certain baked goods, you can really tell when you use gluten-free substitutes, but these don’t have an unusual taste to them at all. For the oats, feel free to use rolled oats, quick-cooking oats, or whatever you have in your pantry.

Did you know you can make your own brown sugar? Try this if you’re out: Easy Homemade Brown Sugar Substitute

Method for Preparing the Simple Oat Bars

These bars are so easy to make that I don’t even bother getting the stand mixer out. I almost always use an electric mixer when baking because it really doesn’t create a lot of extra dishes, but in this case, it’s not even worth the extra few seconds of work.

Start by preparing an 8×8 baking dish by lining it with parchment paper, ensuring all sides of the pan are covered.

Melt the butter and pour it into a large mixing bowl. Add the egg or the prepared substitute, both sugars, and the cinnamon. Mix everything together until you have a smooth, even mixture.

Dump in the flour and the oats and mix until everything is evenly combined and well-coated. Transfer the cookie dough to the parchment-lined dish, press it into place so it fills the whole dish, then smooth it out with a rubber spatula.

Another basic comfort food recipe to try next: Brown Sugar Oatmeal Muffins

Bake the bar cookies at 350° for 45 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the dish. I like to place the dish in the refrigerator for about an hour to cool the bars off more quickly.

When the bars have cooled, remove them from the baking pan by lifting up on the parchment paper. Slice into bars and store in an airtight container.

Variations to Try

If you’re a bit more adventurous or you’d like to add something to these bars for more nutritious snacking, this recipe is a perfect blank canvas for all your creative additions.

Try adding melted peanut butter to the first step of the recipe, followed by a 1/2 cup of chocolate chips just before you turn the dough out into the baking dish for a peanut-butter chocolate chip version of these oat bars.

Crumbled apple chips mixed in, along with an extra 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, would make for a delightful apple cinnamon treat that would be welcome at any time of day.

For healthy snack ideas, try adding in any combination of dried fruit like dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, and raisins along with your favorite nuts and seeds. Flax seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds would all make great add-ins, as would shredded coconut, chopped almond pieces, cashews, and walnuts.

Here’s the full printable recipe.