Vegan Oatmeal Cookie Bars
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!
Servings 16 people
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