Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Easy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars are gooey cookie bars with a soft, chewy texture loaded with wholesome ingredients like peanut butter, pure maple syrup, and oats. Delicious, decadent, and surprisingly nutritious snack.
For more healthy treats, try Coconut Haystacks and Baked Cinnamon Apples.
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These chewy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal bars are ooey and gooey, like a mix of soft peanut butter cookies, oatmeal cookies, and chocolate chip cookies all rolled into one, but without tons of butter or processed sugar.
Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars are kinda-sorta on the healthy-ish side and made with simple ingredients. They're the perfect treat to meal prep ahead for the week to enjoy as an afternoon snack or lunchbox dessert. I'm pretty sure they could pass as a breakfast bar, too!
For a soft, naturally sweetened oatmeal cookie, try these Oatmeal Date Cookies.
🥜Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.
- Creamy peanut butter. Use a thick, no-stir, creamy peanut butter -- the kind that stays solid at room temperature.
- Pure maple syrup. In addition to being a natural sweetener, maple syrup adds warm, rich flavor without being too maple-y.
- Old fashioned rolled oats. Old-fashioned oats are the best choice for baking because they hold their shape. Quick oats will likely work just fine, they just won't have the same chewy texture.
- Chocolate chips. Any kind of chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, chopped chocolate bar in milk, dark, or semi-sweet ... use what you have and love.
🍫Variations
- Mix-ins. Swap out ½ cup of the chocolate chips for raisins or other dried fruit, nuts, or coconut.
- Toppings. Top with a chocolate drizzle, or for more peanut butter flavor, drizzle with melted peanut butter or a combination of melted peanut butter and chocolate chips.
🥣How to Make Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars
Step 1: Cream butter and peanut butter in a large bowl for about 3 minutes on medium-high speed until completely smooth. Add the maple syrup and mix for one more minute. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Step 2: Add the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and mix until combined. Sift in the flour and mix until just combined. Add the oats and chocolate chips and mix on low speed until incorporated into the dough. The dough will be thick and sticky.
Step 3: Spread the peanut butter oat mixture into an 8- or 9-inch square pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 20-23 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and set. A toothpick inserted in the center will not come out clean, the center will set as they cool. Do not overbake.
Step 4: Cool bars in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares and enjoy warm, at room temperature, or cold.
👉Helpful Hint: For best results, use an instant read thermometer to test for doneness. Look for a range between 175 to 185, with 175 for super gooey bars.
✅Top Tips
- Be careful not to overbake, check the baking time early.
- Bake until risen, the very edges are golden brown, and the top is lightly golden brown. The toothpick test won't work because the center will be underdone, but there shouldn't be any wet batter.
- For best results, use an instant read thermometer to test for doneness. Look for a range between 175 to 185, with 175 for super gooey bars.
- These bars are very soft. Let cool completely before lifting them out of the pan. If they're too soft, chill them in the refrigerator.
🎁Storage
Store peanut butter oatmeal squares covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about one week.
❓FAQ
Yes. Freeze in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Rolled oats, aka, old fashioned oats or whole oats, are great for baking in cookies and bars because they hold their texture well. They're also one of my favorite types of oats to use in these banana chia overnight oats.
Quick cooking oats may also be used in baking, however, the texture won't be quite as chewy. Instant oats, think the kind in packets that you microwave, are processed further than quick oats and are not recommended.
Swapping honey for maple syrup should work just fine, though I haven't tested it. The texture may be a little different since maple syrup has more moisture than honey. Just be sure not to overbake.
😋More Peanut Butter Dessert Ideas
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📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup creamy or chunky peanut butter I use natural "no-stir" peanut butter -- the kind that stays solid at room temperature
- ¾ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line an 8x8 or 9x9 square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Mix the butter and peanut butter on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Add the maple syrup and mix for another minute. Mix in the egg, then the vanilla.
- Mix in the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Sift in the flour and mix until just combined. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips on low speed until incorporated.
- Spread the dough into the pan. Bake for 17-23 minutes, until set and the edges are light golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the center won't come out clean. The internal temperature should read 175-180. Do not overbake. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. These bars will be very soft and gooey until completely cooled. If they're too soft to lift out of the pan, chill them in the refrigerator. Store covered in the refrigerator.
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Notes
- Be careful not to overbake, check the baking time early.
- Bake until risen, the very edges are golden brown, and the top is lightly golden brown. The toothpick test won't work because the center will be underdone, but there shouldn't be any wet batter.
- For best results, use an instant read thermometer to test for doneness. Look for a range between 175 to 185, with 175 for super gooey bars.
- These bars are very soft. Let cool completely before lifting them out of the pan. If they're too soft, chill them in the refrigerator.
A wonderful recipe that uses maple syrup instead of sugar. The maple syrup and cinnamon added great flavor.
Hi, Joan, thank you for the nice note, I'm so glad you enjoyed them!