No-Bake Chocolate Caramel Oat Bars are fall treat recipe made with chocolate, caramel & butter & brown sugar covered oats. Simple & quick to make, it’s a family favorite for sure.
Who loves quick & easy dessert recipes? We are right at the part of the season where it feels like fall, but the temps still keep me from wanting to bake.
Which is why I love to make goodies that I can whip up without my oven, like these No-Bake Chocolate Caramel Oat Bars. With just a few minutes at the stove top & a little bit of set time, we have some insanely good treats to enjoy after dinner.
It is no secret, I love my treats. I am also quite impatient & so the quicker the better when it comes to goodies. No complicated steps or a whole lot of ingredients. Just delicious goodness right here!
Oat Bars Recipe
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Those buttery, sweet oats are so delicious, especially when paired with the chocolate & caramel layer. I’m telling you, you’ll want to make a double batch.
chocolate caramel treats
Here are some commonly asked questions
Can I use rolled oats instead of quick?
Well, you can – but the texture & how chewy these are will change quite a bit. With the quick cook oats, they will be a bit easier to eat. The rolled oats tend to be less soft & therefore not quite as easy to eat when they haven’t been mixed with adequate moisture.
Can this recipe be doubled?
Yes, if you are making these for a potluck or party, you can definitely double this recipe. You can use a 9×13 dish when doubling. It should fit just fine without the need for an additional pan.
HOW DO YOU MAKE No-Bake Chocolate Caramel Oat Bars?
- Grease square baking pan or line with parchment & set aside. (I used 9×9)
- Melt butter in 2 qt saucepan over medium heat.
- Add brown sugar & vanilla- stir until melted & combined.
- Add oats & toss until thoroughly coated – cooking on low 2-4 minutes.
- Remove from heat & press 3/4 of the oats in the bottom of prepared pan- covering the bottom. Set aside.
- Melt chocolate chips & caramel in double boiler until it becomes a creamy liquid consistency & is well combined – stir frequently.
- Remove from heat & pour over oats in pan- spread out to cover completely.
- Sprinkle remaining oats on top of chocolate/caramel layer – they won’t cover completely.
- Allow to cool in refrigerator for several hours to firm up.
- Bring to room temp before cutting & serving.
- Store in airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature.
Can I make this with canned dulce de leche?
Absolutely. If you don’t happen to have any homemade caramel sauce, the canned dulce de leche is perfect. I also have a recipe for homemade dulce de leche that is REALLY EASY & takes only 1 ingredient.
No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars
How many people will this serve?
Honestly, this really depends on how large or small you cut them. But I like to cut them 3×3 – totaling 9 bars. Of course, you can cut 4×4 rows to make 12 bars or 2×2 & have just 4 super large bars. That is really up to you. I’m talking 3 bars x 3 bars – not 3″x3″.
Can this recipe be made with caramel sauce instead of thicker dulce de leche?
I don’t recomend it because it will change the consistency of the caramel/chocolate layer. A thinner sauce might not firm up & then you just have a gooey mess.
To make this recipe you will need…
- butter
- packed brown sugar
- quick cook oats
- vanilla extract
- semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
- homemade caramel or dulce de leche
Products I love when making no-bake oat bars…
This oat bars recipe is so simple and delicious – and you probably already have many of these items on hand like I do! OR If you’ve never made no-bake goodies before, you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love how insanely delicious these are. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this delicious dessert recipe.
- light brown sugar
- quick oats
- vanilla extract
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
- dulce de leche
- this metal baking pan
- measuring cups
- wet ingredient measuring cup
- measuring spoons
All this yumminess – such a perfect dessert!
If you love this no-bake oat bar recipe, you’re going to love these quick & easy dessert recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookie Bars
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars
No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
recipe for no bake chocolate oat bars
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No Bake Chocolate Caramel Oat Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 cups quick cook oats
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup homemade caramel or dulce de leche
Instructions
- Grease square baking pan or line with parchment & set aside. (I used 9x9)
- Melt butter in 2 qt saucepan over medium heat.
- Add brown sugar & vanilla- stir until melted & combined.
- Add oats & toss until thoroughly coated - cooking on low 2-4 minutes
- Remove from heat & press 3/4 of the oats in the bottom of prepared pan- covering the bottom. Set aside.
- Melt chocolate chips & caramel in double boiler until it becomes a creamy liquid consistency & well combined - stir frequently.
- Remove from heat & pour over oats in pan- spread out to cover completely.
- Sprinkle remaining oats on top of chocolate/caramel layer - they won't cover completely
- Allow to cool in refrigerator for several hours to firm up.
- Bring to room temp before cutting & serving.
- Store in airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
kim says
The topping on these look amazing. I love buttery, sweet oats! Pinning!
Gina Kleinworth says
Oh yes- buttery sweet oats, so good on these.
Tim Miller says
Could get use caramels unwrapped and then melt with the chips?
Gina Kleinworth says
You can – but those aren’t the same consistency as the dulce de leche, which is a thicker caramel sauce – so you might need to thin out the mixture with a splash of milk.
crazyloucreationscrazyloucreation} says
Printed and pinned…looks so yummy!
Gina Kleinworth says
YAY- please let me know how you like them.
Kristy, Life-n-Reflection says
Oh, I’m making this one!! They look quick and tasty!
Gina Kleinworth says
You MUST Kristy- a new family favorite for sure.
Tamar Strauss-Benjamin says
Whoa – amazing! You are so darn creative!
Gina Kleinworth says
You know I really love pushing my creativity in the kitchen Tamar- this was a fun one.
kim at picking poppies says
Okay, we have to stop meeting like this….my waist is already too big! haha
Gina Kleinworth says
HA- Kim you have to make some. Just have one & gift the rest 🙂
christy says
You’re making me hungry again! These look delicious!!
Gina Kleinworth says
Oh you must try them Christy- they are amazing.
Ruth @ Living Well Spending Less says
My mouth is beyond watering. These look absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe and for linking up to Thrifty Thursday.
Gina Kleinworth says
Thank you so much Ruth- I look forward to joining you each week. Have a blessed weekend.
The Well Floured Kitchen says
Yummy! I love that it is a no bake recipe. Pinned!
Gina Kleinworth says
I’m definitely on a no-bake kick these days & really enjoying it. Thanks Sherri
Kimberly @ A time to freeze says
Looks delicious! I’m sold when I read “no bake” but the rest looks yummy too. Especially in summer, it would be nice to have some desserts that don’t require the oven. Thanks for sharing! Stopping by from the Tater tots and Jello link party!
Gina Kleinworth says
Oh it’s so simple Kimberly- you have to try them. Everyone raves.
Linda R says
I had to pin this one.. man do those look yummy..
Hugs~
Gina Kleinworth says
Thank you Linda- perfect for when you are traveling & can’t bake.