One Bowl Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars

oatmeal butterscotch bars
These One Bowl Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars are as easy as they sound. Shredded coconut & chocolate chips round out this versatile dessert snack.

These One Bowl Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars really are as easy as they sound.

Really.

I’m not just saying that.

You don’t even need a large mixing bowl for these bars.  A small mixing bowl is the perfect size, making cleanup even easier.

oatmeal butterscotch bars

Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars: A Dessert Snack

These Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars were one of the very first recipes I developed.  We make these bars so often, I honestly can’t believe it’s taken me this long to share the recipe.

Everyone needs a delicious recipe on hand that’s sweet enough for dessert, but substantial enough to double as a snack; something that tastes special but is easy to throw together at anytime.

And that’s exactly what these bars are.

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The Sweet to Salt Ratio

In addition to the sweetness of the butterscotch chips and chocolate chips, the oatmeal and shredded coconut in these bars create the perfect bite and texture.

But my favorite part about these Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars is that they manage to hit upon the perfect ratio of sweet to salt.

If you’re also a fan of that sweet with a hint of salt combo, you know exactly what I mean.  These bars don’t fall into the “salted” dessert category by any means, but they’re also not a straight sugar punch to your face.  There’s a hint of salt to the sweetness.

oatmeal butterscotch bars

Make These Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars!

My daughter and I often make these bars together after school.  And they’re done and ready to eat by the time homework is finished, and before we leave for our afternoon activities.

It’s a good thing these Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars are that easy to make.

Because every time we make them, they never last long.

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A Few Things!

The batter for these bars is thick.  And it’s important to spread it evenly into the baking dish before baking.  An offset spatula is the best tool for this.  Here’s my favorite offset spatula set on Amazon [aff. link].  I use the smallest spatula in the set for these bars.

Also, there’s only 1/2 cup of flour in these bars.  As such, they brown considerably on top while baking.

So much so that you may think you’ve burnt the bars when you take them out of the oven.

But you didn’t, I promise.

Follow the baking instructions, and bake them for 20 minutes.  Don’t be tempted to take the bars out early.  The top of the bars will be very brown, but the texture will be a bit shiny and have some elasticity.  And that’s exactly what we want.

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oatmeal butterscotch bars
5 from 5 votes

One Bowl Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars

These One Bowl Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars are as easy as they sound. Shredded coconut & chocolate chips round out this versatile dessert snack.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings: 12 bars
Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the wet ingredients:

  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 6 Tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg

For the dry ingredients:

  • 1 cup oats
  • cup shredded coconut
  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ cup butterscotch chips
  • ½ cup chocolate chips, or 1 cup chocolate chips if you don’t like butterscotch chips

Instructions

Mix together the wet ingredients

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Add the brown sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract to a small mixing bowl. Whisk with a fork until just combined.
  • Now add the egg, and whisk the mixture with your fork until everything’s completely incorporated and a little fluffy.

Add the dry ingredients and chips

  • Now add the oats, shredded coconut, flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix until the dry ingredients are almost completely incorporated.
  • Just before the dry ingredients are completely mixed in, add the butterscotch chips and the chocolate chips.
  • Mix in the butterscotch chips and chocolate chips until just combined. At this point all the dry ingredients will be completely mixed in as well.

Bake the bars

  • Oil an 8×8 inch glass baking dish, and smooth the batter evenly into the dish. An offset spatula is the best tool for this.
  • Bake the bars at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, until the top has browned considerably.
  • The bars will be brown on top, but still elastic to the touch.

Serve and enjoy!

  • Let the bars cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
  • Serve alone or with a glass of almond milk.

Notes

These bars are vegetarian.
These bars make a great snack, dessert, sweet breakfast, or brunch.
You may think you burned the bars when you take them out of the oven—that’s how brown the tops gets, due to the low flour content of this recipe. But that’s just what we want. The top will brown considerably, but the texture will retain elasticity.
© Copyright 2025 Vanguard of Hollywood

10 Responses

    1. Hi Rachael, great question. I have not made these bars gluten-free, but as there’s only 1/2 cup of flour in the recipe, it should work. If you try the recipe with gluten-free oats and flour, let me know how they turn out! I’ll try it myself soon.

  1. 5 stars
    Oh, these bars would not be safe in our house! I see these as something that I would nibble on as I walk through the kitchen. And then I would find another excuse to walk through the kitchen…and then another. 🙂 I love the butterscotch in these!!

5 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)

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