Chewy Oat Bars
These hearty bites make for a satisfying gluten-free snack or breakfast.
- Makes
9
- Time
50 minutes, plus cooling
Craving a baked good that’s sturdy and filling enough for breakfast or a midday snack? Enter these brilliant oat bars from Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi’s cookbook Bake Club. “Accidentally gluten-free and not super sweet, they are a mainstay in my kitchen,” she writes. “I know they’re not much to look at, but I promise, you’ll keep them in your rotation.”
Be sure to take the butter for this recipe out of the fridge well in advance, as it needs to be fully softened at room temperature before you make the batter. Tosi also advises triple-checking that you’ve got rolled or old-fashioned oats for this recipe—no instant oats allowed! If you’re not into grinding oats down into a flour, skip that step and sub in 1 cup of all-purpose, whole-wheat, or rye flour. You can also add some chocolate chunks, play with the spices, or even stir ½ cup of caramel sauce or fruit jam into the batter.
Adapted from Bake Club: 101 Must-Have Moves for Your Kitchen by Christina Tosi and Shannon Salzano © 2024 by CS Tosi, LLC. Available from Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
Featured in “Christina Tosi Isn’t Keeping Her “Dirty Dessert” a Secret Anymore” by Alyse Whitney.
Ingredients
- Nonstick spray, for greasing
- 16 Tbsp. unsalted butter, fully softened
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 4½ cups rolled or old-fashioned oats, divided
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ⅛ tsp. baking powder
Instructions
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
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Step 5
Step 6
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square pan with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, use a silicone spatula to stir together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and egg until combined and fluffy, about 1 minute. Set aside.
- In a food processor or blender, grind 1½ cups of the oats into a flour-like consistency, 30–60 seconds.
- Transfer the oat “flour” to the reserved sugar mixture, then add the salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add the remaining oats. Using the spatula, stir together the dry ingredients on top first, then stir them into the wet ingredients below until just combined. (The dough will be a slightly fluffy, fatty mixture in comparison to your average cookie dough.)
- Transfer the dough to the prepared pan, spreading it evenly across the surface. Bake until the dough has risen, the edges and surface are a deep golden brown, and the center is set, 20–30 minutes. Set aside in the pan to cool completely.
- Cut into three rows of three squares and serve. (The bars will keep, covered with a lid or plastic wrap, at room temperature for 1 week.)
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