Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars are thick, chewy, studded with chocolate chips, and incredibly simple to make. And while these bars taste like a decadent treat, they are made without refined sugar or butter and are packed with nutrients and whole grains.

These Healthy Oatmeal Bars are like a cross between an oatmeal cookie and baked oatmeal in bar form. They bake up soft and tender, with a bit of chew, and are oozing with chocolate. Whether enjoyed as a breakfast on the go, a late-night snack, or an after-school snack, these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars are the ultimate healthy treat.

Notes on Ingredients

• Flour: This recipe calls for whole wheat flour. You can use all-purpose flour in this recipe for oatmeal bars, but whole wheat flour adds nutrients, fiber, and whole grains.
• Oats: Either rolled oats or quick-cooking oats work to make these oatmeal bars. Steel-cut oats will not work for these bars.
• Yogurt: Instead of an oatmeal bar full of butter or oil, this recipe replaces half the oil has been replaced with plain Greek yogurt. The yogurt keeps these bars soft and tender, cuts down on the fat, and adds a dose of calcium.
• Coconut Oil: For the remaining portion of oil, I love using coconut oil in place of canola oil or melted butter, as it keeps baked goods super moist and tender. However, feel free to use either canola oil or melted butter if desired.
• Sweetener: Instead of using refined sugar, these bars are naturally sweetened with maple syrup. And because maple syrup is so rich, less is needed.
• Chocolate: I highly recommend using dark chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate for an added dose of antioxidants! However, any variety of chocolate works.

Tips for Making Healthy Oatmeal Bars

As I stated, this recipe for Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars is extremely simple to make. But I have a few tips to ensure success.

Tip #1: Add the chocolate chips to the dry ingredients. By adding the chocolate chips to the oat and flour mixture rather than folding them into the batter right before baking, the chocolate chips will be coated with a bit of flour which will help to keep them suspended in the bar, rather than all sinking to the bottom of the bars.

Tip #2: Whisk the egg before adding to the batter. If you whisk together the egg in a small bowl, you can simply add all the wet ingredients right to the oatmeal bar batter rather than mixing them together in a separate bowl.

Tip #3: Don't overmix. Just like any cookie or muffin recipe that contains flour, it is best to just fold the ingredients together just evenly combined. That will prevent a dense, tough bar.

Tip #4. Use parchment paper. The batter for these oatmeal bars is quite thick and sticky, to prevent the bars from sticking to your pan or your hands, line your baking dish with parchment paper and use parchment paper to help press the batter into an even layer into the prepared pan.

Tip 5: Bake until just set. You don't want to overbake the oatmeal bars, as then they can become crispy, rather than soft and chewy. Simply bake until the top of the bars feel set and toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the oatmeal bars.

Tip # 6: Cool Before Serving. So that the bars are easy to slice and you don't burn your mouth when taking a bite, it is best to let the oatmeal chocolate chips bars cool in the pan for 10 minutes after baking, and then remove the parchment paper from the pan and cool another 10 minutes, before slicing into bars.

Recipe Modifications

• Egg-Free Oatmeal Bars: To replace the egg in this recipe, combine 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for 5 minutes. Add in place of the egg. The bars will be a bit denser, but still delicious
• Gluten-Free Oatmeal Bars: To make these bars gluten-free, use a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend in place of whole wheat flour and certified gluten-free oats. I have done this many times with success.
• Other Ideas for Mix-Ins: Feel free to add chopped nuts, raisins, or dried cranberries in place or in addition to the chocolate chips. Don't exceed more than 1 cup of mix-ins in total.
• Oil-Free Oatmeal Bars: In place of coconut oil, use unsweetened applesauce.
• Dairy-Free Oatmeal Bars: Use mashed banana or unsweetened applesauce in place of Greek yogurt. Also, be sure your chocolate chips are dairy-free, or omit the chocolate altogether.

More Healthy Treats

• Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
• Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana Bars
• Homemade Larabars
• Healthy Banana Oatmeal Cookies

If you enjoyed these Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.