Chocolate oat bars with peanut butter recipe

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These chocolate oat bars with peanut butter use just five ingredients and take 15 minutes to prepare

Chocolate oat bars on a glass cake stand
(Image credit: Getty)
Serves12
SkillEasy
Preparation Time15 mins
Cooking Time25 mins
Total Time40 mins Plus cooling time
Cost RangeCheap
Nutrition Per PortionRDA
Calories267 Kcal13%
Sugars19.6 g22%
Saturated Fat3.9 g20%
Protein6 g12%
Fat13 g19%
Carbohydrates30.1 g12%

Our chocolate oat bars are flavoured with peanut butter and use five ingredients in total

If you like flapjacks you will enjoy the flavours in our chocolate oat bars. We have used crunchy peanut butter for a delicious flavour and interesting texture. The light Muscovado sugar adds a subtle caramel-like flavour but you could use caster sugar if that’s all you have in the cupboard. We use regular porridge oats rather than jumbo oats because the bars stick together better but again you can use whatever you prefer. 

Ingredients

  • 175g crunchy peanut butter
  • 75g light muscovado sugar
  • 6 tbsp golden syrup
  • 175g porridge oats
  • 150g milk or plain chocolate

WEIGHT CONVERTER

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Method

  1. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4). Grease and line the base of a 20cm square, shallow cake tin with baking parchment.
  2. Place the peanut butter, sugar and syrup in a pan and heat gently until smooth. Tip the oats into the pan and stir until well coated.
  3. Pack the mixture firmly into the prepared tin and bake for 20-25 minutes until just turning brown at the edges. Allow to cool in the tin.
  4. Break the chocolate into squares and place in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Allow to melt then spread over the cooled flapjacks and allow to set in the fridge. Cut into squares.

Top tips for making chocolate oat bars with peanut butter

Before you make this recipe read through our tips and tricks below for information on ingredient substitutions and advice on how to store the finished bake.

Can you freeze chocolate oat bars?

If you want to freeze these chocolate oat bars it would be best to chop the chocolate into small pieces and mix with the other ingredients. Then once cooked, cooled and cut into portions, tightly wrap the bars in clingfilm and freeze. Defrost before eating and then you could add a chocolate topping if liked. If you don’t need to freeze the bars, simply store in a cake tin or airtight container for up to one week.

Can I use smooth peanut butter instead of crunchy?

Yes you can use whichever peanut butter you prefer. You can also swap it for another nut butter such as almond or cashew if you prefer. For a more indulgent substitution you can use chocolate spreads like Nutella too.

How to melt chocolate

If you’re new to baking, you might have never melted chocolate before. Learn how to melt chocolate with our step-by-step guide and then you will be able to bake this recipe with confidence.

For this recipe you need to melt chocolate for the topping of the chocolate oat bars. Whether you do this in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water, we like to use a glass bowl such as this one from Pyrex.

Pyrex glass bowl - View at Amazon

Pyrex glass bowl - <a href="https://amazon.co.uk/Pyrex-1040934-Glass-Bowl-3-0L/dp/B000KG8GVE/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3MOOGTKIUL4Q1&keywords=pyrex+glass+bowl&qid=1688387742&sprefix=pyrex+glass+bowl%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-5&tag=hawk-future-21&ascsubtag=hawk-custom-tracking-21" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View at Amazon

Perfect for baking, tossing salad ingredients or marinating chicken, a glass bowl is a reliable and versatile piece of kitchen equipment everyone should have. This one from Pyrex is a good medium size and can go in the dishwasher for easy cleaning.

Our chocolate chip flapjacks are another easy bake that can be sliced into portions for picnics and bake sales. If you like the flavours of chocolate and peanut butter but would prefer them apart, consider making these chocolate flapjacks and our peanut butter flapjacks. 

With contributions from