Name: Simple Iced Oatmeal Bars
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 28 min
Yield: 16
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ½ cup unsalted butter, melted (113g); ¾ cup packed brown sugar (150g); ½ teaspoon kosher salt; 1 large egg, room temperature; 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract; 1 tablespoon molasses (15mL); 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1 cup quick oats (90g); 1 cup all-purpose flour (125g); ⅓ cup confectioners' sugar (40g); ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract; ½ tablespoon milk + ¼ teaspoon

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Iced oatmeal bars are soft, chewy and super simple to make. Made with quick oats, melted butter, brown sugar and a touch of molasses and cinnamon for a classic light spice flavor. Then frosted with a thin layer of vanilla icing. This cookie bar recipe uses an 8x8 pan, takes 10 minutes of prep time and bakes in about 18 minutes.

overhead look at iced oatmeal cookie bars on parchment paper with a glass of milk and extra icing

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Pure nostalgia vibes! As a busy mom and home baker, I'm always looking for simple recipes that don't take much time to prepare. These iced oatmeal cookie bars taste as fantastic as oatmeal cream pies or iced molasses cookies, but with less work. Just mix the dough, spread into a pan and bake. The vanilla icing gives them that “something special”.

The homemade bars slice cleanly and travel well, making them perfect for bake sales, taking to parties or for lunchboxes. The warm spices make this an inviting dessert any time of the year. They are soft and chewy and a balance of cozy and indulgent.

Big E loves the Trader Joe’s iced oatmeal bars to throw in her backpack. When she taste tested these cookie bars she exclaimed, “they taste like TJ's bars, but way better!”

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🛒 ingredient notes and substitutions
🥣 how to make these easy cookie bars
🫙 how to store
📖 recipe
Simple Iced Oatmeal Bars

iced oatmeal cookie bar with a bite missing in a pile of cookie bars with fresh white flowers

🛒 ingredient notes and substitutions

The iced oatmeal cookie bar dough comes together quickly and easily with a bowl and melted butter. Once cool, they get frosted with an easy vanilla icing. The icing dries firm, allowing the cookie bars to be stacked.

Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.

Oats ~ this recipe uses quick oats, which help with the soft and chewy texture. If you only have old-fashioned oats, give them a blitz in a food processor to make them a bit smaller.

Molasses ~ I use Wholesome organic molasses. It is darker in color than many brands. Grandma's is the other brand I have used. Please avoid blackstrap molasses as it is too bitter for this cookie bar recipe.

Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.

melted butter and brown sugar whisked together in a glass bowl

In a medium to large bowl, melt the butter. Allow it to cool for about a minute. Add the brown sugar and kosher salt and whisk until fully combined.

cookie bar batter once eggs and vanilla have been whisked in

Then whisk in the egg, vanilla and molasses.

quick oats added to cookie bar batter in a bowl with a spatula

Add the cinnamon and quick oats and stir to combine.

Then add the all-purpose flour to the wet ingredients. Now mix it all together with a spatula until combined.

cookie bar dough smoothed into an 8x8 pan

Drop the blondie batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly in the pan. An off-set spatula is helpful.

baked cookie bars in a parchment lined pan

Bake for about 16 - 18 minutes, until the edges have slightly browned and are firm. If tested with a toothpick, it should have some moist crumbs stuck to it.

Allow the oatmeal bars to cool completely in the pan before icing.

Once the bars are cool, mix confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk together in a small bowl until a thick icing is created. I usually need an additional ¼ teaspoon of milk to reach a thick, spreadable consistency.

Then spoon the icing over the cooled oatmeal bars and spread in a thin layer, leaving some bits of cookie bar showing through. Allow the icing to set, then cut and serve.

🫙 how to store

Any leftovers should be stored in an airtight container, they will stay fresh at room temperature for 2-3 days.

The iced oatmeal bars can also be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Freeze in an airtight container.

two cookie bars leaning up showing soft and chewy texture with a glass of milk in the background

Remember to snap a picture and tag me @twosugarbugs on Instagram if you make these Simple Iced Oatmeal Bars. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!

If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!

📖 recipe

Yield: 16 cookie bars

Simple Iced Oatmeal Bars

Soft, chewy iced oatmeal bars made in an 8x8 pan with quick oats, brown sugar, molasses and cinnamon; topped with vanilla icing.

I highly recommend using weight {metric} measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Bake Time 18 minutes

Total Time 28 minutes

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter, melted (113g)
¾ cup packed brown sugar (150g)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon molasses (15mL)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup quick oats (90g)
1 cup all-purpose flour (125g)

vanilla icing

⅓ cup confectioners' sugar (40g)
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ tablespoon milk + ¼ teaspoon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.
In a medium to large bowl, melt the butter (you can do this on the stove or microwave). Allow it to cool for about a minute. Add the brown sugar (¾ cup/150g) and kosher salt (½ teaspoon) and whisk until fully combined, then whisk in the egg (1 large), vanilla (1 tablespoon) and molasses (1 tablespoon).
Add the cinnamon (1 teaspoon) and quick oats (1 cup/90g) and stir to combine.
Then add the all-purpose flour (1 cup/125g) to the wet ingredients. Now mix it all together with a spatula until combined.
Drop the blondie batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly in the pan. An off-set spatula is helpful.
Bake for about 16 - 18 minutes, until the edges have slightly browned and are firm. If tested with a toothpick, it should have some moist crumbs stuck to it. Allow the oatmeal bars to cool completely in the pan before icing.
Once the bars are cool, mix confectioners' sugar (⅓ cup/40g), vanilla (¼ teaspoon) and milk (½ tablespoon) together in a small bowl until a thick icing is created. I usually need an additional ¼ teaspoon milk to reach a thick, spreadable consistency.
Then spoon the icing over the cooled oatmeal bars and spread in a thin layer, leaving some bits of cookie bar showing through. Allow the icing to set, then cut and serve.

Notes

Any leftovers should be stored in an airtight container, they will stay fresh at room temperature for 2-3 days.

The iced oatmeal bars can also be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Freeze in an airtight container.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 200Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 87mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 2g

The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate only and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.