Hi there! So I made this thing and it’s hands down glorious, insane and loaded with everything nice. Practically like kitchen sink bars but also partly deliberate? At first, I wanted to make some classic chocolate chip cookies then I realized bars would be much quicker (dump everything in a pan and bake sort of mood during this day). On a whim, I remembered having extra toffee bark from testing a recipe earlier this week including a surplus of salty crunchy pretzels…and heck yes! It definitely needed to be added in! Now, here we are gazing at these fudgy Dark Chocolate Chunk Toffee Pretzel Oatmeal Bars in all its melty goodness. Gosh, that name is a mouthful! I dare you to say it 5 times faster on repeat.

The base is a simple oatmeal blondie batter which is then pimped up with a good number of mix-ins. I just recently discovered the magic of homemade toffee. The likes of those that melt in your mouth in silky buttery vanilla bliss. They are undeniably better than store bought and worth the extra effort for those few momentary bites of heaven. However, we have to keep in mind that toffee is very rich and too much will make these bars cloyingly sweet. This is where the dark chocolate and salt come in. These together with the rolled oats create morsels of respite in every mouthful.

Now, let’s talk about texture! An aspect of food that often gets overlooked but one everyone should consider. It makes food extra addicting and interesting, making people oooh and ahhh at your dessert creations. When you first bite into these Dark Chocolate Chunk Toffee Pretzel Oatmeal Bars, you’ll notice the chewy soft texture from the oatmeal then the added crunch from the pretzel crisps. Hidden between these layers are unpredictable morsels of toffee surprising you with salty sweet butterscotch ripples. Compelling you to relent to a big sip of milk and end with a sigh of satisfaction.

These bars are effortless to make, come together in one bowl and are great as on-the-go snacks. You can also make a big batch of these then stash them in the freezer for future snacking urges (I know this happens to you). I like to think they are semi wholesome…hello oatmeal! But who am I kidding, I just love dessert!

Just A Few Tips

• You can substitute the pretzels with nuts of your choice but I do enjoy the salty crunch that pretzels bring to the table
• My bars baked up very dark since I used dark muscovado sugar. Feel free to substitute with coconut sugar or brown sugar. Keep in mind that different sugars have varying degrees of color and sweetness which will ultimately affect the final outcome but it should still turn out great as long as the change is not too drastic (i.e. cutting the sugar by half, etc.)
• This is a pretty chunky batter which is why I usually prefer to use quick cooking oats. However, if you want a more textured bar, substitute the quick cooking oats with rolled oats. I don’t advise using steel cut oats as these have a longer cooking time.
• These store and freeze up well. Slice into bars and wrap tightly in foil then freeze. They should keep for 1-2 months

Print Recipe

Dark Chocolate Toffee Pretzel Oatmeal Bars

A chewy soft dark chocolate chunk oatmeal bar with hidden layers of salty sweet toffee ripples and pretzel crisps.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Contemporary

Keyword: Dairy Free, Easy, Freezer Friendly

Servings: 16 bars

Calories: 102kcal

Ingredients

• 146 mL (⅔ cup) olive oil
• 150 g (¾ cup) muscovado sugar ,sub with coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed*
• 3 tbsp water
• ½ tbsp vanilla extract
• 125 g (1 cup) all purpose flour ,sifted
• 80 g (1 cup) quick cooking oats
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt
• 54 g (⅓ cup) toffee pieces
• 80 g (½ cup) dark chocolate ,chopped
• 20 g (½ cup) pretzels

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 338°F (170°C) and line an 8×8" pan with parchment paper. Mix the 1 tablespoon of flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water then set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil, sugar and vanilla until combined then whisk in the flax egg. Sift in the dry ingredients and stir until everything is mostly combined (a few floury streaks is fine). Lastly, toss in the toffee, chocolate and pretzels reserving a few pretzels for topping later. Pour batter into the prepared pan and even out the mixture. Top with the reserved pretzels then bake for 25-30 minutes.
• Leave the bars to cool for 10-15 minutes then slice into bars. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream or a glass of milk. Enjoy!

Notes

*My muscovado has a very rich dark brown color which is why mine turned out this color so don’t worry if yours turn out lighter colored. They will taste just as yummy.

*Flaxseed and the water can be substituted with one egg.

*If you want a chunkier bar you can substitute the quick cooking oats with rolled oats. Quick cooking oats will yield a more cohesive batter. 

Recipe adapted from the Sweet and Simple Kitchen

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