Brownies are the most common chocolate bar cookie out there, and unless you’re throwing chocolate chips into some cookie dough that you’re going to bake into bar cookies, you’re probably going to turn to baking a batch of brownies when you’re looking for a chocolate baked good fix in bar form. I say “probably” because a batch of Chocolate Revel Bars should be right up there in contention for the top snack spot where easy to make chocolatey baked goods are concerned.
Revel bars consist of two layers of oatmeal cookie dough sandwiching a fudge-like chocolate filling. The oatmeal cookie dough is similar to a regular oatmeal cookie, and the same dough is used for both the base and the topping of these bars. The filling is rich and creamy, with a great chocolate flavor and that hint of chewiness that you might expect to find in good fudge. It is a very easy to throw together, as the filling is primarily made with sweetened condensed milk and chocolate. It sounds so simple that you almost wouldn’t expect the finished product to be as good as it is. I like to use dark or bittersweet chocolate for these bars (regular semisweet chocolate chips are just fine, too) because I like the fact that they bring a little bit more intense chocolate flavor to the table. The dark filling is a great match for the buttery, oaty cookie base and topping.
I always add some additional chocolate chips and chopped nuts to the topping of my revel bars because I like the contrast of adding some additional texture and flavor. Pecans and walnuts both work extremely well with the chocolate and oatmeal components of this bar cookie, so feel free to use either type of nut. I like to use a toasted, salted nut to add a little more of a salty-sweet element to these bars that makes them seem even more indulgent than they already are.
Chocolate Revel Bars
1/2 cup butter, room temperature, divided
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract, divided
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oatmeal (not instant)
7 oz sweetened condensed milk (1/2 can)
1 1/2 cups dark or bittersweet chocolate chips, divided
1/2 cup toasted and salted pecans, coarsely chopped
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and oatmeal.
In a large bowl, cream together 7 tbsp butter (reserve remaining tablespoon) with brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Blend in flour mixture until well incorporated.
In a small, microwave safe bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk with 1 cup chocolate chips and reserved 1 tbsp butter. Melt on high heat in 40 second intervals, stirring frequently, until mixture is smooth. Stir in remaining 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Take 1 1/2 cups of the cookie dough mixture and press it into an even layer on the bottom of the preapred baking pan. Spread the chocolate mixture evenly on top of the cookie layer.
Stir remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips and toasted pecans into remaining cookie dough. Break dough into small chunks and sprinkle evenly over entire chocolate layer. Chocolate layer will still be partially exposed.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until top is lightly browned. Chocolate will still look “wet.”
Cool completely in the pan before slicing.
Makes 20 bars.
Blog is the New Black
May 2, 2011I never knew what Revel Bars were, but if this is them… I’m sold!;)
Sarah
May 2, 2011I must make these…RIGHT NOW! Well done!
Lauren at Keep It Sweet
May 2, 2011These look amazing, I love the looks of that fudgey filling!
Jin
May 2, 2011These look like they can satisfy cravings for both crunch and gooeyness. Yum!
Nicole
May 2, 2011Chocolate Revel Bars are my go to bar/cookies to bring during pot lucks. Its easy to make and makes a lot. People who who doesn’t know what they are loves it when they get to try it 😀
bakingblonde
May 3, 2011I love these! My grandma has made these all her life, she calls them Oatmeal Fudge Bars………….oh so good, I make them at least once a year, usually end up eating way more than my share!
Jen T
May 5, 2011These are crazy delicious! They are like the oat fudge bars at Starbucks, only better. Thanks so much for this recipe. I made a batch the same day you posted these and they disappeared so fast I’m about to make another batch.
Amanda :}
May 6, 2011I love these, I call them Hip-Hugger Bars for obvious reasons 😉
Julia
May 19, 2011Revel bars, thank you for introducing me to them. They may be my new addiction 🙂
Barefeet In The Kitchen
May 22, 2011These look wonderful! I just added them to my to do list of baking for this summer. Thanks!!
Shan
September 7, 2011Hi!I’m I haven’t tried baking anything yet, but I am wanting to try doing some cupcakes,cookies maybe or any sweet treats that I can easily prepare using my toaster oven or microwave ove.Since I do not have the OVEN that everyone use for good baking,I wonder if this delicious choco revel bars can be baked using either of the toaster or microwave oven I have.Hope to hear from you soon.Thanks.
Elias
December 8, 2012Spelt flour is a higehr fiber and higehr protein flour. It has a mild nutty flavor. It’s found in the baking aisle next to the white flour. I am pretty sure you can use it like regular flour in most recipes, but it is a little more dry than white flour, so some adjusting might be necessary.
Macy
August 25, 2013Question does the oatmeal have to be cooked or do you just put it dry?
Nicole
August 26, 2013Macy – The oatmeal should be dry. In general, most baking recipes call for dried oatmeal unless the recipe specifically says for it to be pre-cooked. I have seen a few recipes like that, but they’re fairly uncommon (and usually bread recipes)
Lori
January 18, 2014I believe they originated with the Revel family as a lovely young lady named Tracy Revel used to make them in the Sacramento/Folsom area going back to about 1999 – 2002. She was in our IT department at a very large corporation there and she used to make them and bring them to work between Thanksgiving & Christmas, much to delight of her co-workers. It is the best and most amazing bat cookie, with or without the nuts.
Eds Leonardo
August 26, 2014Hi! Can I use instant oatmeal instead of the quick cooking? I have some spare instant oatmeal in the pantry and I was thinking of using this yo make your recipe. Thanks for your reply!
Nicole
August 26, 2014Eds – Good question. You really need to use quick cooking oatmeal in this recipe. Instant oatmeal is just a little to powdery and won’t give you the same texture in your finished bars. That said, I do know some people who have sifted their instant oatmeal to weed out the smallest pieces, but that is only going to work with brands where the instant variety has a little more texture (and where you don’t mind using up some extra oatmeal as you work).
Eds Leonardo
August 27, 2014Hi Nicole! Thanks for replying. I think I’ll make half batch and experiment using the instant and then the other half batch with quick cooking. I’ll let you know whats gonna happen! Thanks for taking your time to reply! Appreciate it! 🙂