Just because you’re tired of all that holiday cooking and baking doesn’t mean you’re tired of sweet treats! And trying to back away from the sugary sweets doesn’t mean you have to go cold-turkey on dessert, either. The perfect answer to both dilemmas? Our No-Bake Chocolate Oat Bars!
Now, we won’t claim that these bars are some sort of health treat, but you can feel better about eating them than you did all those cookies and trifles from Christmas. The oats give them a delicious crunch, and the chocolate drizzle gives them the perfect amount of sweetness. Even better? All you need to do is mix them up, stick them in the fridge, and enjoy. Let us demonstrate this simple sweet, then read on for the full recipe so you can try them yourself.
No-Bake Chocolate Oat Bars
Makes 16 to 20 bars
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
Directions
Grease a 9×9 inch square pan.
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and vanilla. Mix in the oats. Cook over low heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until ingredients are well blended. Press half of mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Reserve the other half for topping.
Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips and peanut butter in a small heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Pour the chocolate mixture over the crust in the pan, and spread evenly with a knife or the back of a spoon.
Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the chocolate layer, pressing in gently. Cover, and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours or overnight. Bring to room temperature before cutting into bars.