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Perfectly equal parts chewy, crusty, and soft, these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars are one of the best chocolate-peanut butter cookie desserts around. This simple dessert recipe, made with chocolate chips, is prepared in only 30 minutes!
If you’re a fan of oatmeal chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies, buckle up. These Peanut Butter Oat Jumbles are basically the bar version of both of those beloved cookies — COMBINED. I know, life really is that good. I love these for when I need to throw together a quick dessert — who has time to scoop out a bunch of cookie dough into balls, anyway?
The bottom oatmeal and peanut butter cookie crust gets covered with irresistible melted chocolate, which makes the crust super soft and chewy after baking. The top “jumbles,” those little hunks of the cookie dough that get baked on top of the layer of chocolate goo, become perfectly crunchy, almost like a streusel, but cookie-fied. Yum.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: there are only a couple steps and 12-15 minutes baking time between you and a whole pan of deliciousness.
- Versatile: You can easily change up the chocolate layer by using a different kind of chip (butterscotch, white chocolate, etc.) or using nuts in place of the oats
- Simple Ingredients: It uses basic pantry staples like peanut butter, oats, and chocolate chips, making it convenient to whip up anytime without needing to make a special trip to the store.
Ingredients
- Shortening
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
- White Sugar
- Peanut Butter
- Eggs
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Old-Fashioned or Rolled Oats
- Chocolate Chips
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
Popular Substitutions and Variations
- Sub butterscotch chips or white chocolate chips for the chocolate chips.
- Use chopped walnuts or pecans in place of oatmeal.
- Try almond, cashew, oat, or your favorite nut butter rather than peanut butter.
- If you don’t have or don’t want to use shortening, you can use butter, margarine, or coconut oil in it’s place. Just keep in mind that butter and margarine have a tiny bit of moisture in them so you may have to add a bit of flour to make up for it.
How to Make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Jumbles
Step #1. Preheat the oven them combine the shortening, sugars, and butter. Add the peanut butter and mix.
Step #3. In a small pan or double boiler, combine the chocolate, heating just until melted.
Step #2. Add eggs, one at a time. Add all the dry ingredients and mix well.
Step #4. Spread 2/3 of the cookie mixture over the bottom of a jelly roll pan. Top with the chocolate mixture. Break up and sprinkle the remaining cookie mixture over the top. Bake 12-15 minutes until the top pieces are golden. Let cool before serving.
Recipe FAQs
If your baking pan has a lid, you can go ahead and just cover your jumbles with that, and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days. If not, cut them into bars and store them in a sealable bag or airtight container.
Totally! In fact, you may prefer them frozen! I LOVE me a good frozen cookie bar. Keep these in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Expert Tips
- Watch the bars closely at the end of the baking time so that they don’t go beyond golden brown.
- Use creamy peanut butter. Crunchy is acceptable but it will change the texture a little.
- If you prefer a less sweet bar, use dark chocolate chips.
How to Store Peanut Butter Oatmeal Jumbles
- Store the cooled bars in an airtight container for up to one week.
- These bars freeze well! Cut into squares and store in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to two months.
Peanut Butter Oat Jumbles
Ingredients
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 2 cups peanut butter
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups old-fashioned or rolled oats
- 1 bag chocolate chips
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 cup butter
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together shortening, butter, and sugars.
- Add peanut butter, and combine.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing to combine.
- Add all of the dry ingredients, and mix until incorporated.
- In a small saucepan or a double boiler, combine chocolate chips, milk, and butter. Heat on medium-low, until just melted.
- Put 2/3 of the cookie mixture in the bottom of a greased large sheet pan or cookie sheet (you know, jelly-roll sized). Press down evenly with your hands.
- Spread the chocolate mixture over the crust. Break up and sprinkle the remaining cooking mixture evenly over the top of the chocolate.
- Bake in a preheated oven (350 degrees F.) for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cookie top turns a light golden brown. Let cool completely before cutting.
Notes
- I bet that you could half this recipe and put it in a 9-by-13-inch pan, but then what would you do with the other half a can of sweet milk? Just make the whole thing and love it!
- For a less sweet cookie bar, use dark chocolate chips.
- Store the bars in an airtight container for up to one week.
- These bars freeze well. Cut into squares and store in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to two months.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2010 and has been updated and rephotographed in June 2019.
Hello,
Would you happen to know the exact size of the pan you used?
Hey Melissa! I came across your blogs on Facebook and I love them! Now, I have to let all your readers know that this recipe truly is divine since I was a lucky recipient. 🙂