Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars made with only a handful of basic ingredients! Flourless, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free, these fudgy, rich cookie bars are reminiscent of fudge brownies with big peanut butter flavor!

If you find joy in chocolate, peanut butter, and/or oats, I have great news for you, my friend!

These easy double chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookie bars are a spectacular combination of these three favorites.

They only require a handful of basic ingredients, most of which you probably keep on hand already.

Plus, you don’t need any fancy equipment like an electric mixer. Just a large mixing bowl and some sort of baking dish (both a square pan or round pan work!).

The concept is similar to my Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars, but with a couple added ingredients to make them extra chocolatey and fudgy. 

These soft cookie bars have a chewy texture and are such an easy dessert recipe.

If you’re a chocolate fiend and love brownies, you’re bound to love this explosion of chocolate delight with big peanut butter undertones. 

You could compare them to brownies, although the texture isn’t as fudgy due to the oats.

Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for these double chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookie bars.

Ingredients for Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars:

Creamy Peanut Butter: Any kind of well-stirred peanut butter works here! I use unsweetened natural peanut butter but regular peanut butter works too.

This ingredient takes the place of all purpose flour and butter in the sense that it keeps ingredients held together and provides richness. 

If you use sweetened peanut butter, it won’t be the end of the world! The bars will just taste even better.

Avocado Oil (or Coconut Oil or Butter): We need to add a little additional fat to the bars to moisten them up a bit. I like using avocado oil because it adds healthy omega 3 fats and doesn’t add any flavor. You can also use melted coconut oil or melted butter.

Pure Maple Syrup: Sweetening the bars with pure maple syrup makes them refined sugar-free and the liquid sweetener also adds to the moisture content of the bars.

The way the recipe is written, the bars are not super sweet. If you prefer very sweet treats, add 1 to 3 tablespoons of brown sugar to the batter.

Eggs: Bringing some rise to the peanut butter bars, we need a couple regular eggs. Flax eggs will likely work as a replacement for a vegan option, although the bars will have a denser consistency.

Vanilla Extract: Although optional, pure vanilla extract brings some warm flavor to this delicious dessert.

Oats: Pick your favorite oats for baking. Rolled oats, old-fashioned oats, quick oats, and instant oats all work. Old-fashioned rolled oats will give you more texture whereas instant oats incorporate into the bars with less of a noticeable texture.

If you need the recipe to be gluten-free, be sure you use certified gluten-free oats. I use gluten-free sprouted oats in all of my recipes that call for oats. 

Cocoa Powder: A good portion of the chocolate flavor can be attributed to cocoa powder. I like using raw cacao powder which has a creamier flavor, but you can use regular unsweetened cocoa powder for a little bitter flavor.

Chocolate Chips: We have chocolate chips to thank for extra chocolate flavor and for fudginess. It is because of the chocolate chips that the texture turns out fudgy so just be aware that the bars will seem a little dry if you skip the chocolate chips.

Ground Cinnamon and Sea Salt: Cinnamon is entirely optional here but I love adding it to my baked goods for a unique nuance. Salt enhances flavors like a champ so be sure you include it!

Looking for ways you can customize this recipe? Here are some ideas.

Recipe Adaptations:

• Add ½ to ⅔ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans if you love nutty treats.
• Replace the peanut butter with almond butter, sunflower seed butter (sunbutter), tahini, or any well-stirred nut or seed butter you love.
• Use dark chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, or sugar-free chocolate chips. For dairy-free, use dairy-free chocolate chips. You can also chop up a chocolate bar or peanut butter cups and add them into this great recipe!
• If you love dried fruit, dried cranberries or dried cherries are great here.

Now that we’re experts on the yummy ingredients for this easy recipe, let’s bake!

How to Make Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Bars:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper.

Transfer the eggs, peanut butter, pure maple syrup, avocado oil, and vanilla extract (the wet ingredients) to a mixing bowl and stir well until everything is well-combined.

Note: If your peanut butter has been sitting in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature, microwave it for 30-60 seconds, or until it stirs very easily.

Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl (oats, cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, and sea salt) and stir until everything is completely combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips. 

Transfer the cookie dough to the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer. If you’d like, you can sprinkle the top with extra chocolate chips.

Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cookie bars have set up. You can sprinkle the oatmeal bars with flaky sea salt if you’d like.

Allow the cookie bars to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Store leftover bars in an airtight container or zip lock bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also freeze these bars in a zip lock bag or freezer bag for up to 3 months.

If you’re a peanut butter lover looking for a sweet treat, you’ll love the chewy texture of this delicious treat!

Make these chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies on a regular basis whenever those sweet tooth cravings arise!

If you love easy oatmeal dessert recipes like this, also try out these reader favorites!

More Oatmeal Desserts:

• 5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Healthy Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
• Healthy 6-Ingredient Apple Oatmeal Cookies
• 4-Ingredient Healthy Blueberry Breakfast Bars  
• 6-Ingredient Oatmeal Apple Pumpkin Bars  

Enjoy this double chocolate adventure!

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars

A handful of ingredients and one bowl results in rich, fudgy, delicious cookie bars that are an incredible celebration of chocolate, oats, and peanut butter! Easy to make and no baking experience needed!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

12 Servings

Equipment

• ▢
  9-Inch Square Baking Pan

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 cup peanut butter*
• ▢ 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
• ▢ 2 Tbsp avocado oil**
• ▢ 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 ½ cups oats
• ▢ 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, optional
• ▢ 1/2 tsp sea salt
• ▢ 1 ½ cups chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
• Transfer the eggs, peanut butter, pure maple syrup, avocado oil, and vanilla extract (the wet ingredients) to a mixing bowl and stir well until everything is well-combined. Note: If your peanut butter has been sitting in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature, microwave it for 30-60 seconds, or until it stirs very easily.
• Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl (oats, cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, and sea salt) and stir until everything is completely combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Transfer the cookie dough to the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer. If you’d like, you can sprinkle the top with extra chocolate chips.
• Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the cookie bars have set up. You can sprinkle the oatmeal bars with flaky sea salt if you’d like.
• Allow the cookie bars to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Notes

*I use unsweetened natural creamy peanut butter but any type of peanut butter will work as long as it is well-stirred. I don’t recommend using a reduced fat peanut butter, as the bars will turn out dry and not as flavorful.

**You can also use melted coconut oil or 4 tablespoons of melted butter.

Store leftover bars in an airtight container or zip lock bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also freeze these bars in a zip lock bag or freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Slice (of 12) – Calories: 368kcal – Carbohydrates: 40g – Protein: 9g – Fat: 20g – Saturated Fat: 5g – Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g – Monounsaturated Fat: 2g – Cholesterol: 31mg – Sodium: 111mg – Fiber: 7g – Sugar: 23g

Course: Desserts & Treats

Cuisine: American

Keyword: double chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookie bars, easy oatmeal recipe, gluten free dessert recipes, gluten-free oats, healthy dessert, healthy dessert bars, healthy dessert recipes, oatmeal cookie bars, peanut butter oatmeal cookie bars

Servings: 12 Servings

Calories: 368kcal

Author: Julia

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