Vegan oatmeal cookie bars - these easy vegan oat snack bars are filled with chocolate chunks and walnuts for a filling, satisfying snack.
They are simple to make in just one bowl with basic ingredients and are incredibly moreish!
These vegan oatmeal cookie bars are an ideal snack; they taste amazing and the oats and walnuts make them very filling.
I like to take some on hikes or to fuel an outdoor bouldering session, but they also go great with a cup of tea at home.
They are also very easy to bake, use just one bowl and are made with simple ingredients.
What Do I Need To Make Vegan Oatmeal Cookie Bars?:
Porridge oats: Just regular rolled porridge oats, ideally not jumbo ones. I use supermarket own brand.
Plain flour: Just regular plain (all-purpose) flour. I haven't tried making these vegan oatmeal cookie bars gluten-free but I think that they would work ok with a gluten-free flour blend plus ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum although they may need a drop more milk.
Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda): A bit of bicarb gives the bars a lighter texture.
Vegan block butter: You really need to use a block butter substitute here, not the spreadable kind in a tub which has too high a water content for baking. I like Naturli Vegan Block or Flora Plant Butter.
Light brown sugar: Light brown soft sugar provides moisture and flavour. Muscovado will also work, as will dark brown soft sugar. I don't recommend using white sugar or a liquid sweetener (such as maple syrup) as that will affect the texture.
Vanilla: Essential for flavour.
Plant Milk: Any (preferably unsweetened) kind will work but I like soy milk best for baking as it has the highest protein content.
Chocolate: I use roughly chopped dark chocolate but you can also use chocolate chips.
Walnuts: I love the flavour of walnuts here but really any kind of nut will work. You can also use dried fruit instead.
How To Make Vegan Oatmeal Cookie Bars:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
Whisk together vegan block butter and light brown soft sugar until smooth and creamy.
Whisk in vanilla extract and non-dairy milk followed by bicarbonate of soda and salt.
Add plain flour and porridge oats and stir with a spatula until well combined then fold in chopped dark chocolate and roughly chopped walnuts.
Transfer the mixture to a greased and lined 20cm / 8inch square tin and spread it level.
Bake for about 25 minutes, until the bars are golden and set.
Leave to cool in the tin completely before slicing into bars.
Top Tips:
As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
Try adding a teaspoon of cinnamon or ginger (or both!).
The chocolate and walnuts can be swapped for an equal weight of any other nut, seed or dried fruit such as raisins. Pecan and cranberry would work really well!
For neat, clean slices it's best to refrigerate the vegan oatmeal cookie bars for a couple of hours (once they have cooled) before slicing them.
The bars will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Can I Freeze Them?:
Yes, these vegan oatmeal cookie bars freeze well in a freezer-proof container or ziplock bag for up to three months.
Make sure that they have cooled completely before slicing and freezing them.
More Vegan Bar Recipes:
- Vegan lemon bars
- Vegan stollen bars
- Vegan banana blondies
- Pumpkin chocolate chip bars
- Berry crumble bars
- Vegan fruit and nut flapjacks
- Vegan peanut butter chocolate chip pecan bars
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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Vegan Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 115 g (½ cup) vegan block butter (NOT the spreadable kind. I use Naturli Vegan Block) softened
- 175 g (1 cup) light brown soft sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoon unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 115 g (¾ cup + 3 Tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 150 g (1 + ⅔ cup) rolled porridge oats
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) roughly chopped dark chocolate (or chocolate chips)
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) roughly chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease a 20cm / 8in square cake tin and line it with baking parchment, leaving some overhanging either side so that you can easily lift the bars out later.
- Whisk together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Whisk in the vanilla extract and milk followed by the bicarbonate of soda and salt.
- Add the plain flour and porridge oats and stir with a spatula until well combined, then fold in the chopped dark chocolate and roughly chopped walnuts. Reserve a handful of the chocolate to top the bars with before baking.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and spread it level. Scatter over the reserved chocolate and press it into the mixture slightly.
- Bake for about 25-28 minutes, until golden brown and set. They may still be a little soft in the middle but shouldn't jiggle.
- Leave the bars to cool completely in the tin. For neat slices, chill the bars in the fridge for a couple of hours once they have cooled before slicing them.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
- As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
- The chocolate and walnuts can be swapped for an equal weight of any other nut, seed or dried fruit such as raisins. Pecan and cranberry would work really well!
- The bars will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days
Gee
These are so so good!
Genevieve Cooke
These are so delicious. Have made them twice and frozen them and they're so good. Subbed in hazelnuts for walnuts because we prefer them. Thank you! Great recipe.