Mom’s Layered Oatmeal Chocolate Bars are gooey, chewy, rich deliciousness – and one of the most popular recipes in our cookbook A Well-Seasoned Kitchen®.
My mom used to like to make bar cookies – like these Layered Oatmeal Chocolate Bars – because they are so quick to put together. No scooping, rolling or cutting!
In this recipe, a butter, brown sugar and oatmeal dough is pressed into a baking dish, covered with a melted chocolate-pecan mixture and topped with a sprinkling of more dough. After baking for around 25 minutes, you have chocolate-y, gooey, chewy, decadent bar cookies that will quickly disappear!
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Layered Oatmeal Chocolate Bars
My mom’s Layered Oatmeal Chocolate Bars are gooey, chewy, rich deliciousness – and one of the most popular recipes in our cookbook A Well-Seasoned Kitchen®!
- Yield: 3 dozen cookies 1x
Ingredients
Chocolate Layer
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 small can (5 ounce) evaporated milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Cookie Layer
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups quick cooking oats, divided
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square or 7-by-11 inch baking pan.
Chocolate Layer
- In heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, chocolate chips, milk and sugar. Cook, stirring, until melted and mixed together.
- Remove from heat and stir in nuts. Set aside to cool while you make the cookie layer.
Cookie Layer
- With an electric mixer using the whisk attachment, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and continue beating until light and fluffy.
- In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and 1 3/4 cups of the oats. Beat into the butter mixture just until blended.
- Press 3/4 of the cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared pan, pushing down with moistened fingers into a tight, even layer.
- Spread the cooled chocolate mixture evenly over the top.
- Mix the remaining 1/4 cup oats into the remainder of the cookie dough. Sprinkle evenly over the chocolate layer.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Cool in pan on a wire rack to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate before cutting into 36 bars. (I cut them into 18 pieces, then cut those in half.) Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Notes
High Altitude: Add 3 to 4 tablespoons flour.
- Category: cookies, desserts, make ahead, picnic, potluck
If I want to put in a 9×13 pan should I double the ingredients?
A 9 by 13-inch pan’s volume is 52% larger than a 7 by 11-inch pan and 44% larger than a 9-inch square pan. So, I would multiply the ingredients by 1.5, not 2!
something was very wrong with the ingredients in this recipe. sounded so good – everything was runny and had to cook the bottom first. hoping it will still magically turn out ok!
Julie – I’m sorry you were having an issue with our recipe. With 3 cups dry ingredients vs 1/2 cup butter and 1 egg, I’m not sure why it would come out runny. Maybe the butter was too soft. Or, are you sure you put in all the oats called for in the bottom layer (1 3/4 cups)?