These No-bake Chocolate Oat Bars are the quick, guilt-free craving fixer you were looking for! My 6-year-old niece whips it up for us sometimes, and I mean, yeah, that should give you the idea of the “expert” level this recipe requires. Quick, nutritious, dessert-level snack!
I absolutely LOVE making freezable treats! Like my chocolate peanut butter bars, or the super-moist Zebra Cake. It helps me control my indulgence, and I always have a sweet-tooth fix in the freezer!
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Ingredients and Substitutes
Here are a couple of pointers and notes about the ingredients.
- Roasted nuts – I used pecans, cashews, walnuts, and almonds. All of which were salted. Use any nuts you like.
- Toasted Rolled Oats
You can also use instant oats or steel-cut oats. Toast them in the pan or oven to use for the recipe. - Peanut butter
I’ve used unsweetened smooth PB for this recipe. If you are using a sweetened one, adjust the honey accordingly. And as always, crunchy or smooth PB is up to you. Here’s a list of PB alternatives if you are allergic:- Almond butter or cashew butter
- Coconut oil
- Coconut cream (the thick part only)
- Regular cream if you don’t have an issue with dairy
- Dark Chocolate
I used special dark chocolate chips for this recipe. Use any that you have at hand! Bars, chips, buttons, go crazy! - Honey
Honey adds softness to the bars. Since all the other ingredients solidify in the fridge, I would recommend NOT skipping the honey completely. IF you don’t like the sweetness from the honey, add milk or a little cream cheese instead, but keep in mind, the shelf life will decrease. - Add ons
The beauty of such recipes is that they are totally customizable. You can totally build it to your taste buds. Fun add-ons can be: roasted flax seeds, orange zest, salted crushed potato chips, or, you know, go crazy!
Method
These super-simple bars come together in a matter of minutes. Here’s a pictorial to make it easy for you.
Step 1: Heat the peanut butter and chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Step 2: Add your honey to a semi-mixed chocolate base and heat for another 30 seconds.
Step 3: Mix the chocolate base into a smooth mixture.
Step 4: Add your chopped nuts and oats.
Step 5: Mix the nuts well until fully combined.
Step 6: Pour the mixture into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
Step 7: Spread out the mixture evenly.
Step 8: Garnish the load with more chopped nuts and peanut butter. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cutting in.
Expert Tips
- If you are using the microwave to heat the chocolate, DO NOT do it for more than 30 seconds in one go. A longer heating time can cause the chocolate to burn.
- If your bars have been sitting for a longer duration (more than an hour) then allow them to thaw for 5 minutes on the counter before digging in.
- Sometimes I toast my nuts too when I toast the oats, and I love the intense nutty flavor the roasted nuts impart.
Frequently Asked Questions
The bars can stay well for about 2 months in the fridge.
Yes! You can freeze these bars for up to 6 months. Just leave them on the counter for half an hour when you’d like to have them. Or microwave them for 10 seconds.
Oh, the world is your limit! I’ve tried this recipe with added potato chips, digestive biscuits, and wafers too (not in the same batch, of course). Some of my Instafam have added lemon zest and blueberries, too, and gotten amazing results.
More quick treats on the blog
Do you have any questions? I’m happy to help! And of course, If you try this recipe, I’d loveeeee to see it or simply hear about it! Hit me up in the comment section below and I’ll get back to asap! Happy Cooking!
No-bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups Dark cooking chocolate 340 gm
- 1 cup rolled oats see notes
- 1 1/2 cup roasted assorted nuts chopped
- 1/2 cup unsweetened peanut butter see notes
- 1/4 cup honey
- a splash of milk if needed
garnish
- 2 tbsp chopped nuts
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
Instructions
- In a pan, toast whole oats until they turn golden brown. This will take around 5 mins. Set aside. (You can also toast them in a toaster oven)
- Add chocolate chips and peanut butter in the bowl. Heat it for 30 secs in the microwave. (see notes)
- Stir the peanut butter and chocolate around to mix them a little bit.
- Add honey and heat the mixture for another 30 secs in the microwave.
- Stir around everything until the chocolate is fully melted and you have a smooth mix. (do an extra 15 sec heat up if you need to)
- Add your assorted chopped nuts and toasted oats. Mix until well combined.
- Pour the mixture on a lined baking tray and spread out evenly
- Sprinkle chopped nuts all over the bars.
- Heat honey and peanut butter in the oven for 15 sec. Mix them together and drizzle all over the bars.
- Refrigerate for 30 mins at least.
- Remove tray from fridge and cut the set chocolate into bars or squares.
- You can even wrap them up individually to store them in the fridge.
Notes
- The nuts I used in the recipe are salted, so I didn’t add any extra salt to the mix.
- You can also heat the chocolate, honey, and peanut butter in a saucepan if you do not wish to use the microwave. Keep the heat at a low.
- You can use any oats you have on hand, but I still recommend toasting them before use.
- If you are using sweetened peanut butter and milk chocolate, reduce the honey quantity to 2 tablespoons.
- A splash of milk is listed as an ingredient only if your mixture turns too thick and you need to loosen it up.
- You can store the bars in the fridge or freezer. Just thaw for 5 to 10 minutes before eating.
Questions? Thoughts? Leave them below