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Oatmeal Chocolate Cookie Bars – (Gluten Free) Deep dish Cookie Bar Recipe

These gluten free deep dish oatmeal chocolate cookie bars are soft & chewy with the decadent taste of dark chocolate and brown sugar. This bar recipe is a cross between an chocolate chip cookie and an oatmeal bar and tastes amazing.

Do you love the taste of magic bars?   Those ooey gooey chocolate bars made with sweetened condensed milk and chocolate just got a bit of a make over. These delicious bars are rich and just scrumptious. And the recipe is very easy to make
These hearty oatmeal chocolate cookie bars are gluten free and super easy to make.

This recipe is not for a cook who likes to keep their hands clean.  It is messy and you need to dig into it to get the best results. The mixture is sticky but the end result is so worth the mess!

Easy desserts like this (and my no bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars,) are my cup of tea.

I have made a few adjustments to make this recipe fit a gluten free diet, so you can enjoy the dessert even if you can’t eat wheat products. (See my  maple syrup date bars for another tasty dessert idea.)

For an oatmeal bar that is made in just minutes in the microwave, try these delicious bars.

Making these Oatmeal Chocolate Cookie Bars

Starting by combining the butter, eggs and brown sugar with vanilla together in large bowl and set aside.  In  a separate bowl, whisk the gluten free flour, baking soda, salt and rolled oats.Wet and dry ingredients for the cookie base

These two bowls get combined to make the base and topping for the bars. It will be a very thick mixture.Oatmeal cookie base mixture

About 3/4 of it gets pressed into the base of a prepared 13 x 9 inch pan. This is where the hands get dirty.

Pressing oatmeal base in a pan

Next, making the chocolate topping by combining the sweetened condensed milk, 2 tbsp butter, 2 tsp vanilla extract and chocolate chips over medium low heat in a sauce pan until well mixed and smooth

Dark chocolate ans sweetened condensed milk.

Now spread the chocolate mixture over the crust. It will be very thick and creamy. (It looks almost like a frosted cake!)

chocolate layer

The last step in making these oatmeal chocolate cookie bars is to add the rest of the oatmeal batter to the top of the chocolate layer.  I used a cookie scoop to dot it here and then and then lightly pressed it out with a knife.  It will not cover completely but that is what we want.  The chocolate will ooze up a bit to mix with the topping.

Cookie topping on the top layer of the oatmeal bars

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 º F. Gluten free flour does not behave in quite the same was as normal flour, so it won’t rise quite as much.   The top when cooked will be quite smooth when you take it out of the oven (and not look very appealing!) The trick is to just use the tip of a knife to “rough it up” so the presentation is better for the finished bars.

Cooked oatmeal cookie bars

Be sure to let the bars cool completely before trying to cut it into squares.  I placed mine on the counter till it started to cool and then in the fridge until it was completely cooled. Make sure not to cut them too soon.  They need to be completely cooled first or they won’t cut well.   These are rich bars, so you can cut them into fairly small sized treats or big ones if you want a special treat.

Slice of an oatmeal chocolate cookie bar

Tasting these oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars

One bite of these amazing cookie bars and you’ll be hooked. The bars have a chewy texture that is oozing with decadent, dark chocolate and the yummy taste of sweetened condensed milk and brown sugar. The buttery crust adds a nice richness to the taste. They are SO YUMMY! Chocolate and oatmeal bar

The texture of these bars is amazing. They have a rich chocolate center that is very creamy and a crunchy top and bottom oatmeal layer that has the consistency of a cookie.These oatmeal chocolate cookie bars are perfect for a pot luck

The next time you are invited to a Pot Luck Dinner, bring a pan of these oatmeal chocolate cookie bars.  You’ll be amazed at how quickly they disappear.

These bars are gluten free for a healthier version of the normal bar. If you cut the pan into 24 bars, they work out to 346 calories each. Make them a bit smaller and cut 30 bars and they will be 277 calories!  They are a once in a while treat that is so worth the calories!Slice of an oatmeal chocolate cookie bar

Be sure to check out these chocolate chip oatmeal bars for another tasty version of this recipe for normal diets.

Admin Note:  This recipe first appeared on my blog in October 2013. I have updated the post with Gluten Free adjustments, new photos and a step by step tutorial to make it easier to make these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. 

Yield: 24

Oatmeal Chocolate Cookie Bars

These hearty oatmeal chocolate cookie bars are gluten free and super easy to make.

These delicious oatmeal chocolate cookie bars are gluten free, and very easy to make.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 2.5 cups Gluten Free Baking flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 3 cups Gluten free rolled oats
  • Chocolate Filling
  • 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 12 oz pkg Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 º 'F and line a 9 x 13" pan with parchment paper
  • Mix the butter, eggs and brown sugar together in large bowl. Add 2 tsp vanilla extract. Set aside
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, salt and baking soda.
  • Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient mixture and then add the rolled oats. Mix well. The mixture will be very thick.
  • Spread 3/4 of the mixture into the bottom of a prepared 13 x 9 in baking pan.
  • In a saucepan over medium low heat melt together the sweetened condensed milk, 2 tbsp butter, 2 tsp vanilla extract and chocolate chips until well mixed and smooth.
  • Pour the chocolate mixture over the base, then top with the rest of the cookie mixture in spoonfuls .
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 º F. Put aluminum foil over it for the last ten minutes or so if it looks like it's browning too much.
  • Use a knife to rough up the finish of the top layer as soon as it comes out of the oven to make it more presentable.
  • Let the bars cool completely and then cut into bars.
  • Nutrition Information:


    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 346.4Total Fat: 14.9gSaturated Fat: 9.0gUnsaturated Fat: 3.0gCholesterol: 43.0mgSodium: 179.5mgCarbohydrates: 55.8gFiber: 2.5gSugar: 32.2gProtein: 5.7g

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