These chocolate revel bars have a nutty oat crust and a rich chocolate filling! They make a great breakfast, after school snack, or dessert.
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This recipe really stands the test of time. Finely chopped nuts add the perfect toothsome chew to these bars as well as adding protein (which makes them dinner, right??).
With the oats and white whole wheat flour these bars would probably qualify as health food in my book if it weren’t for the rich, gooey layer of chocolate that simply can’t be beat. It all works so well together in a sweet/salty/chocolate/crunchy kind of way.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- Dark brown sugar
- Eggs
- Pure vanilla extract
- White whole wheat flour
- Old fashioned oats
- Chopped walnuts or pecans
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Semisweet chocolate chips
- Sweetened condensed milk
How to make chocolate revel bars
- Using a stand mixer, beat together ¾ cup butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add the egg, yolk, and 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla and beat again.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, ¼ cup nuts, baking soda, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Add to the egg mixture in two or three parts, beating just until incorporated each time.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir over low heat until smooth. Stir in ¾ teaspoon vanilla and remaining ¾ cup nuts. Remove from the heat.
- Pat two thirds of the oat mixture into a prepared baking pan so that it covers the bottom. Pour the chocolate mixture over the top and spread it out evenly. Take the remaining dough and dot it over the chocolate. Bake 25 minutes or until the cookie top is just beginning to brown. Let cool completely in the pan before cutting and serving.
Top Tips
Using white whole wheat flour
White whole wheat flour is made with white wheat berries, which gives it a lighter color and more subtle flavor than whole wheat flour. I use it in this recipe to keep it whole grain while still having a tender crumb.
If you don’t have white whole wheat flour, you can substitute an equal amount of whole wheat flour. If you prefer to use all purpose flour, you will likely need to add more since whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid.
Start by adding an extra 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour, and check your batter against the process photos in this post. Your batter should be thick and wet.
How to chop nuts easily
Chopping nuts can be a real pain because they roll all over the place. I love using a nut grinder to make chopping nuts super easy!
You can also buy pre-chopped nuts. They are generally less expensive than whole nuts. Since you’ll be chopping them anyways, purchase the chopped pecans to save time and money.
How to store chocolate oat bars
These chocolate oat bars can be stored in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
You can also store them in a zip top freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tips for customizing chocolate revel bars
- Swap the chocolate for dark chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter, or any favorite combination of baking chips
- Swap the walnuts for pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts, or hazelnuts
- Bake in a smaller pan (adjusting the cooking time as needed) to achieve a thicker bar
- Serve spread with peanut butter
FAQ
There is quite a bit of sugar and chocolate in these bars, but also plenty of whole grains and nuts. I’d say these bars are healthy-ish, or maybe even healthier than what you’d find in a bakery or made from a box mix.
I recommend letting these cool completely before enjoying. I know, it’s so hard! Cooling will let them firm up a bit as well as develop the flavors.
More dessert bar recipes
- Scotcheroos
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
- Peanut Butter Oat Bars
- Pecan Pie Bars
- Gingerbread Bars
- Vegan Cookie Dough Bars
- Nutty Chocolate Oat Bars
- White Chocolate Pistachio Blondies
- Chocolate Chunk Blondies
- Butterscotch Bars
- Crispy Brown Butter Peanut Butter Cereal Bars
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Chocolate Revel Bars
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 ¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided
- 1 ¾ cup white whole wheat flour
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, or a mixture of both
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon plus a pinch salt
- 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9×13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together ¾ cup butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add the egg, yolk, and 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla and beat again.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, ¼ cup nuts, baking soda, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Add to the egg mixture in two or three parts, beating just until incorporated each time.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir over low heat until smooth. Stir in ¾ teaspoon vanilla and remaining ¾ cup nuts. Remove from the heat.
- Pat two thirds of the oat mixture into the prepared baking pan so that it covers the bottom. Pour the chocolate mixture over the top and spread it out evenly. Take the remaining dough and dot it over the chocolate. Bake 25 minutes or until the cookie top is just beginning to brown. Let cool completely in the pan before cutting and serving.
Amy says
Oats and whole what flour cancel out chocolate in my book! These look fantastic! Can’t wait to give them a try!
Heather (Delicious Not Gorgeous) says
these sound really tasty- all that chocolate, plus the streusel-y topping!