Fudge Nut Bars – A Chocolate Oat Squares Recipe
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Fudge Nut Bars are a thick and luscious three layered cookie. The top and bottom is a sweet oatmeal cookie, and the middle is a decadent nut-filled chocolate fudge. These chocolate oat squares recipe makes a huge pan which is perfect for your next bake sale or family gathering.
Fudge Nut Bar Recipe
These oatmeal fudge bars are amazing. You might remember these chocolate oat squares from your school lunch back in the day. The reason lunch ladies made these is because the recipe makes a huge pan.
The base is an oatmeal cookie with the yummy flavors of butter and brown sugar. The base is topped with a rich chocolate fudge with chopped nuts. Then, to top it off, some of the base that been set aside gets sprinkled over it.
Let’s talk about the fudge layer. It’s luscious, and thick and sweet and chocolaty. And we aren’t just talking about a thin little layer. The chocolate fudge goes from crust to crust in an even, hefty layer.
Chocolate Oat Squares Recipe
These oatmeal fudge bars are perfect to feed a crowd, to share with friends and family at the holidays, or to prepare for a bake sale. The recipe makes huge portion which fills a jelly roll pan (find a link to one in our Amazon store) in a layer. The fudge nut bars measure around an inch in thickness once baked.
The original recipe intends for the fudge nut bars to be cut into small bars. For a bake sale, cut them in large squares, put two cookies in a zip lock bag, and you are ready to roll. You can easily get 24 super large bars from a pan of old fashioned oatmeal fudge bars.
I found this recipe in my handy, dandy Farm Journal, Homemade Cookie Cook Book. It’s my go-to when I’m wanting to find a new cookie to try. I made these for the church bake sale.
Oatmeal Chocolate Nut Bar Recipe Ingredients
Butter, softened
Brown Sugar
Large Eggs
Vanilla Extract
Flour
Baking Soda
Salt
Instant Oats
Chocolate Chips
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Chopped Nuts
How to Make Fudge Nut Bars with Oatmeal
Step by Step Instructions
- Cream softened butter and brown sugar; add in eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; add in the oats.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just fully incorporated; set aside.
- Over a double boiler, add chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, butter and salt. Heat until melted and smooth.
- Stir in chopped nuts and vanilla to the chocolate mixture.
- In a greased or parchment-lined jelly roll pan, press 2/3 of the oatmeal mixture.
- Pour chocolate nut mixture evenly over top the oatmeal mixture.
- Sprinkle the remaining oatmeal mixture over the chocolate layer.
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Cool in the pan, and cut into the desired bar size.
For the full recipe for three layer fudge bars, scroll to the bottom of this post.
Recipe FAQs
- Use a jelly roll pan. For easy transport and storage, buy one that has a lid like this one.
- Parchment paper is an easy alternative to greasing a pan. Line the jelly roll pan with a piece of parchment that is longer than the sheet pan. You do not need to grease the parchment paper. Once the bars are cooled, pull out the cookies and the parchment will peel right off.
- Margarine can be substituted for butter in these fudge nut bars with oatmeal if desired.
- Be sure to use quick oats NOT old fashioned oats.
- To easily press the oatmeal cookie base, put your hand in a small plastic sandwich bag and press with the bag so it does not stick to your fingers.
- Use a double boiler for the fudge layer. If you do not have one, then follow this method. Put water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Find a glass bowl that will nestle over top the pan. Be sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl. This will gently melt the chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, and butter to form the perfect fudge.
- Use sweetened condensed milk. Do not use evaporated milk. 1 cup sweetened condensed milk is not quite an entire 14 ounce can. The rest is a treat for the chef. Try sweetened condensed milk in your coffee. Yum!
- An offset spatula is the perfect tool to spread the chocolate fudge layer from crust to crust.
- Chopped pecans or walnuts are my nuts of choice for oatmeal fudge bars.
Old School Cookie Recipes
Looking for some more cookie options?
Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Salted Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chunks
Linking up to Weekend Potluck.
Fudge Nut Bars – A Chocolate Oat Squares Recipe
Ingredients
Oatmeal Base and Topping
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 eggs
- 2 teapoons vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups quick oats
Fudge Layer
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup nuts, chopped
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare jelly roll pan by greasing or lining with parchment paper.
- Cream butter (1 cup) and sugar; add eggs and vanilla (2 t.) until smooth.
- Sift flour, baking soda and salt (1 t.); stir in quick oats.
- Add dry ingredient to the wet ingredients in small additions, mixing in between. Set aside.
- Using a double boiler, melt chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, butter (2 T.) and salt (1/2 t.) until smooth.
- Mix in nuts and vanilla (2 t.) to fudge mixture.
- Spread 2/3 of oatmeal mixture into prepared jelly roll pan.
- Spread chocolate mixture over top from crust to crust.
- Sprinkle remaining 1/3 oatmeal cookie mixture over top of chocolate.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly brown.
- Let cool in pan; cut into desired sized bars.
Notes
- Use a jelly roll pan. For easy transport and storage, buy one that has a lid like this one.
- Parchment paper is an easy alternative to greasing a pan. Line the jelly roll pan with a piece of parchment that is longer than the sheet pan. You do not need to grease the parchment paper. Once the bars are cooled, pull out the cookies and the parchment will peel right off.
- Margarine can be substituted for butter in these fudge nut bars with oatmeal if desired.
- Be sure to use quick oats NOT old fashioned oats.
- To easily press the oatmeal cookie base, put your hand in a small zip lock bag and press with the bag so it does not stick to your fingers.
- The fudge layer is made using a double boiler. If you do not have one, then follow this method. Put water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Find a glass bowl that will nestle over top the pan. Be sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl. This will gently melt the chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, and butter to form the perfect fudge.
- Use sweetened condensed milk. Do not use evaporated milk. 1 cup sweetened condensed milk is not quite an entire 14 ounce can. The rest is a treat for the chef. Try sweetened condensed milk in your coffee. Yum!
- An offset spatula is the perfect tool to spread the chocolate fudge layer from crust to crust.
- Chopped pecans or walnuts are my nuts of choice for oatmeal fudge bars.
- Love bar cookies? Try our Rice Krispies Scotcheroos.
Nutrition
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