You will love these easy homemade baked Cranberry White Chocolate Fudgy Oatmeal Bars because they are so soft and chewy with a delicious layer of dried cranberries and white chocolate fudge wedged in between.
How this recipe works
These bars are so impressive and beyond delicious, but they’re actually really easy to make!
The bottom crust and the top layer are actually the same batter, but the top gets a nice browning from being directly exposed to the heat. And the fudge layer is super easy to make too (it’s really similar to the one in these no-bake bars) – it takes a little bit of time but if you get it going right when you start out it will be done by the time you have made your oat batter, cleaned your measuring cups and weighed out your cranberries.
The result? Delicious oat layers hugging a wonderful gooey fudge layer studded with cranberries. Now you can eat them right out of the oven after they have cooled a bit and the fudge will be amazingly gooey, warm and sticky.
Or you can refrigerate them overnight to harden them up (makes slicing a breeze!) and either enjoy them as a sturdier bar or microwave them for a few seconds until they are all melty again!
Tips and tricks
- Work quickly when pouring the fudge over the bars – it gets very sticky as it cools.
- Please don’t use quick oats in place of the rolled oats the recipe calls for – they are too thin and don’t work too well here.
- If your caramel doesn’t thicken, try bringing it to a boil once, then continue simmering.
Storage
I recommend storing the bars in the fridge for up to 3 days.
These are such a nice and festive treat! Better plan on making two batches because they disappear faster than you can say “Happy Holidays”!
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PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
Recipe details
Ingredients
For the Oat Layer
- ⅔ cup butter softened
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1 ¾ cups rolled oats
For the Fudge Layer
- ¾ cup evaporated milk
- ⅓ cup butter
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups white chocolate chips
To Finish
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
To Make the Fudge Layer
- Add all ingredients except the white chocolate to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Stir in the white chocolate until melted and continue simmering until thickened to a thick caramel-like consistency.
To Make the Oat Layer
- Preheat the oven to 360°F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish well.
- In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar together for 5 minutes. Add the egg and continue beating until light in color, about 2 minutes.
- Sift in the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until combined. Stir in the oats and press ¾ of the mixture into the prepared baking pan.
To Finish
- Evenly sprinkle the cranberries over the oat batter. Pour the white chocolate fudge on top – work quickly because it gets sticky if it gets too cool. Drop blobs of the remaining oat mixture evenly over the fudge layer.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden. Cool in the pan before slicing and serving OR refrigerate overnight OR serve warm and gooey fresh out of the oven with spoons.
Notes
Tips
- If the caramel doesn’t thicken, bring it to a rolling boil once and then continue simmering.
- I do not recommend using quick oats in place of the rolled oats!
Kelsey Neitzel says
I’m making these and the caramel is taking a very long time to thicken. Did you by chance mean condensed milk and not evaporated? Thanks!
Nora Rusev says
Kelsey, no it is most definitely evaporated milk I’m using when I make these. I have different recipe for caramel bars on my site and I re-tested that and changed it to using condensed milk because so many people were having issues with the caramel. I have personally never had an issue using evaporated milk, but I’m so sorry it isn’t working out the way you hoped it would. It definitely takes longer to thicken vs using condensed milk, but I’m adding this recipe to my list of recipes to re-test ASAP, so I can share a version with condensed milk. Seems to be a lot easier! Sorry again, I hope not worked out in the end. For me it always helps to make sure there’s enough heat, or to bring it to a boil once more.
LeeAnne says
Have yet to make these but this looks like a great recipe.
Any idea of how well this keeps in the freezer?
Nora says
LeeAnne, I would think these keep great in the freezer, just like regular oatmeal cookies do. Make sure to place them in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Place baking parchment between the individual bars (or wrap them each) to keep them from sticking to each other. To defrost, unwrap them and place them on a wire rack on the counter for a couple of hours. Hope that helps, do let me know how thea turn out for you if you try them!
Annie @ Annie’s Noms says
These look absolutely delicious Nora! Cranberry and White Chocolate is such a great combination!
Nora says
Thank you so much Annie!
Jess says
These sound so good! I’m going to make them for an upcoming pot luck!
Nora says
Ooooh that’s great Jess, hope you like them! Let me know how they turn out!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
Oh god these gooey oatmeal bars look delicious. Definitely craving one (or two) to devour right now – they definitely are perfect for Christmas time too with the addition of cranberries and white choc!
Nora says
Thanks so much Thalia!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
These look amazing! You had me at “gooey”! Pinned so I can make these soon!
Nora says
Thanks so much Natalie!
Cyndi @ My Kitchen Craze says
Yay thanksgiving over, now on to all the christmas baking and eating. Yum!! Hehe. These look delicious and I am loving the added cranberries. Yum Yum Yum!!!
Nora says
Yes, EATING! 😀 Thanks Cyndi!
Ashley | The Recipe Rebel says
These look just absolutely, totally incredible. LOVE the goo!
Nora says
Thanks Ashley!
Sarah | Broma Bakery says
Oooooh baby! These are gorgeous! I love anything with the word fudgy in it. And white chocolate and cranberries are soOoOo Christmasy.
Nora says
Ooooh yes, Christmasy all the way! Thanks Sarah!
Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice says
I’m so excited that Christmas season is finally here! This looks like the perfect treat to start the season off with, Nora! I love how gooey and full of cranberry flavors these bars are! And the white chocolate seems like the perfect touch. Gorgeous pictures, too!
Nora says
Yes, me too Gayle! Even though it’s always really stressful – it’s just such a beautiful time! Thanks for stopping by 🙂