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M&M Chocolate Fudge Oatmeal Bars have a sweet buttery oatmeal crust with a milk chocolate fudge middle, and they are topped with more brown sugar oatmeal crumble and mini m&m candies. These bars are a rich chocolatey treat!
Chocolate Fudge Oatmeal Bars Recipe
This recipe holds a special place in my heart ❤️ When my kids were preschool age they all went to the same preschool, and every year there was a bake sale to raise funds. I would make these chocolate fudge oatmeal bars every single time.
I used to take my young kids to the library for story time and afterwards I always browed the cookbooks and checked out a few. That’s where I found this amazing recipe for these oatmeal fudge bars.
So simple to make because the buttery brown sugar oatmeal crumble mixture is the base of the bars and the topping. In the middle is this silky, smooth, milk chocolate fudge center with sweetened condensed milk.
They really are the perfect treat!
Simple Ingredients Needed
- Quick Oats : These are the quick 1-minute oats. They have a finer and smaller texture, and they set up better in this bar recipe.
- All-Purpose Flour : I use unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Light Brown Sugar
- Salt : I use kosher salt or sea salt when baking.
- Salted Butter : I prefer salted butter because it’s a better sweet & salty contrast. You can use unsalted butter, but I would maybe add just a little bit extra salt to the recipe.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Milk Chocolate Chips
- Mini M&M’s
How To Make Chocolate Fudge Oatmeal Bars With Mini M&M’s (Printable Recipe Card)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan/cake pan with nonstick cooking spray, or line it with parchment paper for easy removal later on. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add the softened butter, quick oats, all-purpose flour, light brown sugar, and salt. Use an electric hand mixer, or the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, to beat until it’s well combined and it looks like chunky crumbles.
Set aside a heaping 1 cup of the oatmeal mixture for later.
Press the remaining oatmeal mixture into the prepare pan and form an even layer.
Make The Milk Chocolate Fudge : In a saucepan, over medium heat, add the condensed milk, milk chocolate chips, and butter. Stir and cook until it’s completely melted and smooth.
Pour the milk chocolate fudge over top the layer of oatmeal mixture inside the pan. Spread it out evenly.
Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup of oatmeal mixture over top the fudge, trying to cover it as mush as possible.
Sprinkle the mini m&m’s over top and gently press them down.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a cooling rack. Let the bars cool completely, 1-2 hours, at room temperature before cutting and serving. The bars need time to set up so you can slice them, and the fudge can set in the middle.
How To Store Leftovers
Keep leftovers stored at room temperature, in an airtight container or cover the pan with a lid, for up to 3-4 days.
I also like to transfer individual bars to sandwich size Ziploc bags. That way when my kids are packing their lunches, they can throw in a treat.
I think these are the best the day they are made but of course leftovers are fabulous and keep just fine. For a warm treat, try warming up an individual serving in the microwave for a few seconds.
Tips For Success
- I know it’s hard to wait 2 hours for the bars to cool, but trust me, you need to! When the bars comes out of the oven the fudgy middle will still be loose and not firm or set at all. While the bars cool, the fudge sets, which makes them more easy to cut into squares for serving. The cooling time is needed for the bars to set properly.
- I highly recommend using mini m&m’s instead of regular sized m&m candies. The smaller ones are cuter and they disperse better on top of the bars because they’re smaller; which means that every bite gets little pieces of m&m in it.
More Must-Try Mini M&M Treats
- M&M Cookies
- Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
- Monster Cookie Energy Balls
- No Flour Monster Cookie Bars
- Hershey Kisses Pretzels
- Soft-Baked Monster Cookie Bars
M&M Chocolate Fudge Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
Oatmeal Crumble Mixture
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter softened
- 1½ cups quick oats
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt (I use kosher salt or sea salt)
Milk Chocolate Fudge & Topping
- 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 bag (12 oz) milk chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup mini m&m's
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, or line it with parchment paper for easy removal later on. Set aside.*If using parchment paper, I like to spray the pan first and then lay the parchment paper in the pan; the spray helps it stick.
- In a large bowl, add the softened butter, quick oats, all-purpose flour, light brown sugar, and salt. Use an electric hand mixer, or the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, to beat until it's well combined and it looks like chunky crumbles.1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, 1½ cups quick oats, 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup packed light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon salt
- Set aside a heaping 1 cup of the oatmeal mixture for later.
- Press the remaining oatmeal mixture into the prepare pan and form an even layer.
- In a saucepan, over medium heat, add the condensed milk, milk chocolate chips, and butter. Stir and cook until it's completely melted and smooth.1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk, 1 bag (12 oz) milk chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons salted butter
- Pour the milk chocolate fudge over top the layer of oatmeal mixture inside the pan. Spread it out evenly.
- Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup of oatmeal mixture over top the fudge, trying to cover it as mush as possible.
- Sprinkle the mini m&m's over top and gently press them down.1 cup mini m&m's
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a cooling rack. Let the bars cool completely, 1-2 hours, at room temperature before cutting and serving. The bars need time to set up so you can slice them, and the fudge can set in the middle.
Notes
Nutrition
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