These Healthy Oatmeal Cookie Bars actually are healthy and clean, although they don't taste it! Made with no refined sugar (thank you maple syrup for the sweetness) and only ¼ cup whole wheat flour. The majority of these bars is nut butter (I used almond) and oats! See, I told you. Healthy! Great for kids and adults alike! I love them for a sweet treat or quick on-the-go snack.
The inspiration for these healthy cookie bars came after I completed a January Whole30. I was SO excited to have all the foods back into my life, but I didn't want to go crazy either. I wanted a sweet treat that I still felt good about. And boy, did these fit the bill.
What You'll Need for these Oatmeal Cookie Bars:
- Rolled Oats
- Whole Wheat Flour (you can use all purpose white flour if it's all you have on hand)
- Baking Soda and Salt
- Ground Cinnamon
- Chocolate Chips (I prefer using mini!)
- Eggs
- A smooth Nut Butter of choice. I use Almond Butter (hello peanut allergy).
- Pure Maple Syrup. The real stuff! It provides the sweetness in a natural way.
- Vanilla Extract
These bars are SUPER easy to mix together. No stand or electric mixer needed. Just stir it all up with your handy dandy spoon. You will want to mix the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls before combining. The dough will be THICK.
Once combined, add the dough to your prepared pan. Press it all around so it's nice and even. I like to spray my pan with cooking spray, line with parchment paper (to give easy handles to lift the bars out), and spray the paper one more time for good measure. Then into the preheated oven they go!
Your Oatmeal Cookie Bars will be done in less than 20 minutes. You'll know they're ready when they're set - give the pan a shake and see if they stay put and don't jiggle. They'll also be very lightly browned. Try not to over-bake them so they still have that soft, slightly gooey center.
Are you on board that these Healthy Oatmeal Cookie Bars can be enjoyed any time of the day? Quick on-the-go breakfast or morning snack? Yep. Afternoon pick-me-up to get you past the 3pm slump? Yep. A late night treat to satisfy your chocolate craving with a cold glass of milk? Heck yes.
PrintRecipe
Healthy Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Healthy Oatmeal Cookie Bars are soft, made with clean ingredients, and easy to mix up. Adult and Kid-friendly, these cookie bars taste like your favorite Oatmeal Cookie without any of the guilt. Recipe at KathleensCravings.com
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 9 bars
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American, Cookies
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour (can sub all purpose flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch salt (about ⅛ teaspoon)
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips (I used mini!)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup nut butter (I used almond butter. Peanut butter or cashew butter would be fab.)
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Prepare your pan. Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. I like to do both!
- In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, slat, and chocolate chips. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Eggs, nut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. Mix with a spoon, rubber spatula, or fork until the ingredients are well blended.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredient bowl, mixing until combined. Pour dough into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 16-19 minutes. The bars will be set (ie, not jiggly when you shake the pan), and very lightly browned. I like the bars a little gooey in the middle, so bake according to your preference. Enjoy 🙂
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/9 of recipe
- Calories: 328
- Sugar: 18.4 g
- Sodium: 538.4 mg
- Fat: 18.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.3 g
- Fiber: 3.6 g
- Protein: 10.1 g
- Cholesterol: 41.3 mg
Jenny R. says
I was searching for a recipe to use up some date paste. This recipe worked out nicely. I sub'd the date paste for the maple syrup but added 2 Tb maple syrup for some flavor. I also opted to "cream" the nut butter and date paste like a traditional cookie recipe. The results were phenomenal. Nutty, chocolatey, oat-y and not overly sweet. Date paste adds in some fiber too! Thank you for this recipe!
Kathleen says
That sounds delicious! I think I need to try the date paste addition. Thank you for your comment 🙂