Oatmeal Fudge Bars

These Oatmeal Fudge Bars have a crumbly oatmeal topping and a rich chocolate center.  A scoop of vanilla ice cream on one of these warm cookie bar is a magical dessert.

This summer I am working on updating the photos from some of the first recipes that I shared here on the blog from many, many years ago.

It has been fun seeing how much my photography has changed and improved over the years.  Of course, it's embarrassing as well because some of these old pictures are bad. We are talking, really bad.  I can't even believe I shared some of these.

But I guess that's what happens with anything.  The more you work on something, the more you learn and improve.  

As I was looking through some of the first recipes I had shared when I first started blogging, I came across this Oatmeal Fudge Bars recipe. If you want to see the first really bad picture, go to the very bottom of the post.  I left one picture, so I could compare.

Since I couldn't remember the last time I had made these fudge bars, I knew I wanted to try them again soon.

Our youngest was having some friends over to swim, and we had company coming for dinner, so I knew I would have plenty of taste testers to help me eat the crumble bars.

One word of warning when baking cookie bars.  Do not try to clean the house and bake desserts at the same time.

Multi-tasking and baking isn't the best idea. I tried to do it one time when I was making a batch of this Caramel Peanut Butter Pretzel Fudge and totally burned the chocolate and had to start all over.

This time I forgot to add the egg to the chocolate layer in the first batch of these fudge bars.  They still actually tasted fine, but the second pan of oatmeal bars was so much better because the fudge layer was creamier and fudgier.

How to make Oatmeal Fudge Bars

Mix together the dry ingredients and the melted butter until wet crumbs form. It will kind of remind you of damp sand.  Set aside ¾ cup of the loose crumbs for the topping later. Do not pack the crumbs in your measuring cup.

Press the rest of the crumbs firmly into the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan and bake.

Stir together the dry ingredients for the fudge layer.

Melt the chocolate chips and butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until creamy. You may need to heat it again for another 20-30 seconds. Pro Tip: Let the chocolate cool slightly before stirring in the egg. If you don't wait, you will end up with scrambled eggs in your chocolate, which isn't good.

Stir the chocolate into the flour mixture until it is thick and creamy.  Spread the fudge mixture on top of the cooled crust.

Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly on top and bake it again.

Let the cookie bars cool before cutting into bars. You can cut them into 9 bigger bars or cut them into 18 smaller bars, depending on how many you need.

More easy cookie bar recipes

• Take 5 Bars
• Loaded Blonde Brownies
• Homemade Samoa Bars
• Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
• Whatchamacallit Blonde Brownies
• Nutella Marshmallow Bars

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Recipe

Oatmeal Fudge Bars

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 33 minutes

Total Time: 53 minutes

These Oatmeal Fudge Bars have a crumbly oatmeal topping and a rich chocolate center.  A scoop of vanilla ice cream on one of these warm cookie bar is a magical dessert.

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Ingredients

Crust/Topping

• 1 cup quick oats
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee
• ¼ teaspoon table salt
• 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large egg

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 8x8 pan with foil and spray with nonstick baking spray.
2. Mix the oats, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and melted butter until mixed and crumbly. Reserve ¾ cup of the crumbs.
3. Press the remaining crumbs evenly and firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove and cool.
4. Stir together the flour, brown sugar, coffee, and salt in a bowl.
5. Place the chocolate chips and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds. Stir and heat again for another 20-30 seconds. Stir until melted and creamy. Let it cool slightly.
6. Stir the egg into the chocolate. Then stir the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients until creamy and thick. Spread on top of the cooled crust in the pan.
7. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs on top of the fudge layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool before cutting into bars. Store in a tightly sealed container.

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• 
  Pyrex 8 Inch Square Baking Dish with Red Lid

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 343Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 155mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 2gSugar: 31gProtein: 3g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.

Did you make this recipe?

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(Original photo from May 2010)

*The post for Oatmeal Fudge Bars was first published on May 18, 2010. The images have been redone and republished on July 19, 2019.