Brown sugar oatmeal cookie bars filled with a creamy fudge filling. These easy Oatmeal Fudge Bars use the same mixture for the crust and topping making them come together quickly and easily. A delicious dessert for feeding a crowd.
These perfect little squares are the best way to eat oats. I’d describe this recipe as a brown sugar oatmeal cookie bar with a thick fudge filling. The crust and topping are chewy and crunchy, the chocolate filling is smooth and creamy. Love oats and chocolate? Try our Chocolate Oatmeal Cups, too.
This recipe is a variation of our popular Oatmeal Jam Crumb Bars (they’re so good!). We also have a Nutella Crumb Bars and Lemon Crumb Bars, but we felt like we needed a fudge version (because, why not?). So, here we are. They are delish!
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Recipe overview
Crust and crumb topping: The crust and crumb topping are made from the same mixture. It’s similar to a brown sugar oatmeal cookie dough. It’s buttery, sweet, and it comes together in minutes. Press a little more than two-thirds of the mixture into the bottom of the baking dish and reserve the rest for crumbling over the top.
Fudge filling: A mixture of sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, butter, and vanilla. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat, whisking frequently, until smooth and combined.
Bake: Once assembled bake for 18-20 minutes.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Fast and easy: This recipe requires about 15 minutes of hands on time. Bake time is 18-20 minutes.
No fancy equipment: No electric mixer needed. Make sure you have a whisk and a rubber spatula or wooden spoon for combining the dough.
Flavor: Rich and creamy chocolate paired with a buttery brown sugar crust and topping.
Texture: Creamy filling with a slightly crunchy topping and chewy crust.
Recipe tips
- Line your baking pan with foil or parchment paper. This will prevent the bars from sticking, and it allows you lift the whole pan of bars out of the pan for easy cutting and serving. Bonus: clean up is a breeze!
- Make sure your brown sugar is fresh and soft. Hard or lumpy brown sugar won’t blend into the crust/topping as easily.
- Allow the bars to cool completely. The crust will be really soft when they are warm (from the melted butter). Once the butter cools the bars will firm up.
Serving and storage
Serving: Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. You can also briefly heat the bars in the microwave and serve them warm but you will likely want to serve them with a fork because they will soften quite a bit.
Storage: Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, bringing to room temperature before serving. Freeze, double wrapped, for 2-3 months.
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Recipe
Oatmeal Fudge Bars
Ingredients
Crust & topping:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Fudge filling:
- 12 oz bag semisweet chocolate chips
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Crust and topping:
- Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the center of the oven. Line an 9×13 baking pan with foil or parchment and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until well combined, at least one full minute.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
- Dump a little more than two-thirds of the mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. You should have about 1-½ cups remaining, set it aside for the topping. Proceed with the fudge filling.
Fudge filling:
- In a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat, combine chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chocolate chips are completely melted and the mixture is smooth and combined. Stir in the vanilla extract then immediately pour over the crust. Gently spread into an even layer.
- Sprinkle the reserved topping over the fudge filling. Bake for for 18-20 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Natalie
What a lovely dessert. My family loves this.