No-Bake Chocolate Fudge Oat Bars

Nobody will consider these no-bake chocolate fudge oat bars didn’t come out of a sweet bar wrapper! Take pleasure in a pleasant mixture of chewy-crispy-crunchy textures and salty-sweet chocolate-peanut butter flavors in each chunk. They’re a simple, more healthy deal with recipe (properly, in comparison with chocolate cake!) that you simply’ll wish to make many times.

overhead photo of chocolate fudge peanut-filled oat bars cut into squares..

This recipe has lived on my web site since 2012, and after making the no-bake bars for the one hundredth time, I made a decision they wanted some new photographs, and easier-to-understand directions. Whereas a lot has modified within the final decade, the recipe for these extremely irresistible bars has stood the check of time.

Comprised of pantry staples like oats, coconut oil, peanut butter, maple syrup, and chocolate chips, and textured with crisp rice cereal, crunchy nuts, and chewy plump raisins… I swear there have to be some Willy Wonka magic in these bars to show such easy elements into one thing that tastes like a sweet bar.

Reader Sandy commented: “These are SO scrumptious!! I get so many requests for the recipe each time I make them. I additionally add slightly chia seed and any further dried fruit I can discover. ★★★★★”

Reader Lisa commented: “I made these immediately and the entire household cherished them. My add-ins have been coconut, pecans, and dried cranberries. My 7-year-old favored them a lot, she requested them for her birthday! ★★★★★”

Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love These No-Bake Chocolate Fudge Oat Bars

Tastes like a sweet bar—nobody will consider it’s a more healthy deal with
Straightforward no-bake recipe comes collectively in 10 minutes
Gluten free if utilizing licensed GF oats and rice crisp cereal
Dairy free and vegan if utilizing non-dairy chocolate chips
Select your favourite granola bar add-ins, like nuts and dried fruit
Chewy, crispy, crunchy, smooth—it’s texture paradise
Excellent stability of salty and candy, and oh-so-chocolatey!

Assume Chewy Granola Bar Meets Crispy Chocolate Bar…

A mix of coconut oil, chocolate, peanut butter, and maple syrup coats the dry elements in what tastes like chocolate fudge. Severely.

The oats give the fudge-like bars essentially the most scrumptious chew, the rice cereal provides the crispy texture of a Nestle Crunch bar, and when you embody peanuts, these bars have particular Snickers vibes as properly.

ingredients on counter including oats, maple syrup, peanut butter, coconut oil, chocolate chips, and more.

The recipe is sort of a chocolate model of those peanut butter path combine bars.

Begin With These 6 Elements

Coconut Oil: Melted along with chocolate, coconut oil provides these bars their smooth, fudge-like texture. If you would like an alternative choice to coconut oil, use butter; you want a fats that’s strong at room temperature, so liquid oils wouldn’t work for this recipe.
Chocolate Chips: We’re utilizing chips for ease right here, however you could possibly additionally use chopped baking chocolate. Usually, if melting chocolate (like when making chocolate ganache or coating Oreo balls), I like to recommend utilizing chopped baking chocolate as a substitute of chocolate chips, however as a result of we’re melting the chocolate with coconut oil, chocolate chips work simply high quality.
Peanut Butter: Both creamy or crunchy peanut butter work. I normally use natural-style, however processed peanut butter equivalent to Jif or Skippy works too. You can additionally make these with almond butter, or use sunflower seed butter for a nut-free possibility.
Maple Syrup: Pure maple syrup sweetens the bars, however they don’t style like maple. You can use honey as a substitute, when you favor.
Oats: Old school complete rolled oats give the bars construction with a barely chewy texture.
Crispy Rice Cereal: Rice Krispies (or related type crisp rice cereal) present essentially the most scrumptious crisp in each chunk.

Now, Select Your Add-ins

You possibly can select no matter add-ins you want, simply use about 3/4 cup whole (roughly 100–120g). I sometimes embody peanuts and raisins, for that crunchy-chewy texture combo, however be at liberty to make use of no matter mixture of nuts, dried fruit, and/or seeds your interior self needs (or occur to already be in your pantry). Listed below are some solutions:

Peanuts (salted, unsalted, or honey roasted)
Chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds
Pistachios
Raisins, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, or dried cherries
Currants
Chopped dried apricots or pitted dates
Coconut flakes or shredded coconut (or strive these no-bake coconut granola bars)
Massive seed equivalent to pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Chopped pretzel items

Or skip the add-ins and add a Tablespoon of a small seed equivalent to chia seeds or flax seeds. I additionally high the bars with slightly unsweetened coconut, however that’s elective.

Soften the coconut oil and chocolate chips collectively on the range, after which stir within the peanut butter and maple syrup. Pour this combination over the oats, crispy rice cereal, and add-ins. Stir to mix.

oats in chocolate mixture in glass bowl and shown again mixed together with a red spatula.

red spatula smoothing chocolate oat mixture into parchment paper-lined baking pan.

Press right into a lined 9-inch pan, after which refrigerate for two hours or till set.

The bars ought to be saved within the fridge. Saved at room temperature, they get slightly smooth and melty. Nonetheless scrumptious, however crumble simply!

close up photo of chocolate fudge oat bars with raisins and peanuts.

Are These Chocolate Oat Bars Wholesome?

I say this so much with the lightened-up recipes I publish, however “wholesome” is a relative time period. In my eyes, these are fairly wholesome granola bars. They’re made with complete meals like pure peanut butter and fiber-filled oats. Nevertheless, they could be too sugary for somebody who wants to look at their sugar consumption.

With regards to labeling recipes as wholesome, use the most effective judgement for YOU. 🙂

I’m uncertain of the dietary data for these, however be at liberty to calculate it your self utilizing an internet calculator and the precise elements/manufacturers you utilize.