How to Make Healthier Oat Fudge Bars

Holiday baking season is here and if you are looking for healthier but decadent treat to make, these Oat Fudge Bars are to die for! They are soft, gooey, easy to make and gluten free!!

I love all things Christmas baking, but sometimes we want an option that is a bit healthier. That is why I love these Oat Fudge Bars. They are delicious, chocolatey treat that feels decadent but doesn’t make you feel like garbage!

These Oat Fudge Bars start with a soft, gluten free oatmeal cookie base. They are then filled with a thick, chocolate fudge filling that is absolute heaven. You then top them with more oatmeal cookie for a beautiful and delicious treat.

You can make these bars to enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee, as a decadent dessert or to gift to friends and family this holiday season. They freeze extremely well, if you want to make a big batch and keep them fresh. Whether you are gluten free or not, I promise these bars will be your new sweet addiction!!

Tips for Making Healthier Oat Fudge Bars

1. You want to make sure you use a full fat canned coconut milk. This ensure it will be able to get thick enough to create a delicious, smooth fudge texture that holds its shape.
2. When making the cookie dough, use nice soft butter. You don’t want it to be melted, but soft enough that it will blend nice and smooth into the dough.
3. Be patient while cooking down the coconut milk. It takes a bit of time for it to get thick enough, but if you do not cook it long enough, your fudge will not set nice and firm.

Oat Fudge Bar Ingredients

Coconut Milk– As mentioned above you want a full fat canned coconut milk for this recipe.

Chocolate Chips– You can use whichever chocolate chips are your favourite. I like to use a semi sweet chocolate for the perfect amount of sweetness. If you are dairy free you can use dairy free chocolate.

Almond Butter– This is used as the base of the cookie dough to give it a nice soft and chewy texture.

Butter- You just need a little bit of butter in tis cookie dough. If you are dairy free you can sub with softened coconut oil.

Egg– A necessity in the cookie dough for a chewy texture.

Maple Syrup– The oatmeal cookie dough is sweetened with a touch of maple syrup to keep it more nutrient rich and use less sugar.

Sugar– There is a bit of granulated sugar used in the fudge.

Almond Flour– This is the main flour in this recipe to keep it gluten free and super soft.

Coconut or Oat flour– When using almond flour I always like to combine it with oat flour or coconut flour for a better, less crumply and oily texture. Use whichever of these you prefer.

Oats– Rolled oats or quick oats work for these bars.

Baking Soda- This is the leavening agent used in the oatmeal cookie dough.

The Steps

1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease and line an 8 or 9 inch square baking dish with parchment.
2. Start by making the fudge. Add the coconut milk along with 1/2 cup of sugar to a medium sized pot.
3. Stir the coconut milk, to get the sugar incorporated, and cook this mixture over medium heat until it is reduce by 2/3 and has began to thicken. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
4. Once your coconut milk is reduced, and has thickened, remove it from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips until you get a smooth chocolate fudge.
5. While the coconut milk is reducing, make the oatmeal cookie.
6. Add the first 5 ingredients for the cookie to a bowl with an electric mixer. Mix until smooth.
7. Then, add in the remaining ingredients and mix until you have a nice thick dough.

1. Take about 2/3 of the cookie dough and press it into the bottom of your prepared pan.
2. Pour the chocolate fudge, over top of the cookie base, then place the remaining cookie dough on top. You can do this in flat rounds like in the photos or just spread the cookie dough over the top in smaller bits.
3. Bake the oat fudge bars for 20-25 minutes or until the fudge is bubbly on the edges and the cookie on top is golden.
4. Allow these bars to cool in the fridge or freezer to set for 1-2 hours before slicing and enjoying! I like to keep them in the freezer over night, so I can get nice clean edges when I cut them.

If you give this recipe a try, leave a comment or recipe review below!

Looking for more yummy sweet treats to bake?

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