A chewy oatmeal crust and crumb topping around a layer of fudgy chocolate.
Ingredients
Each cost is for the amount this recipe uses, not the whole package. Pantry staples like flour, sugar, vanilla and spices cost more on your first trip, then last for many batches.
| Ingredient | Price used | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Oatmeal dough | ||
| 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened | $3.96/lbBLS, Sep 2026 · priced as butter | $1.98 |
| 2 cups packed light brown sugar | $1.40/lbEstimate | $1.32 |
| 2 eggs, beaten | $2.27/dozenBLS, Sep 2026 | $0.38 |
| 1 teaspoon vanilla extract | $0.50/tspEstimate | $0.50 |
| 3 cups quick oats, uncooked | $0.09/ozEstimate | $0.81 |
| 2½ cups all-purpose flour | $0.55/lbBLS, Sep 2026 | $0.36 |
| 1 teaspoon baking soda | $0.01/tspEstimate | $0.01 |
| ½ teaspoon salt | $0.01/tspEstimate | $0.01 |
| 1½ cups chopped walnuts, divided | $0.62/ozEstimate | $3.72 |
| Chocolate filling | ||
| ½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine | $3.96/lbBLS, Sep 2026 · priced as butter | $0.99 |
| ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa | $0.44/ozEstimate | $0.88 |
| ¼ cup sugar | $1.02/lbBLS, Sep 2026 | $0.11 |
| 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk | $1.79/canEstimate | $1.79 |
| 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract | $0.50/tspEstimate | $0.75 |
| Total | $13.61 | |
| Per bar (makes about 4 dozen bars) | $0.28 | |
Oatmeal dough
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
- 2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups quick oats, uncooked
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups chopped walnuts, divided
Chocolate filling
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat. Heat the oven to 350°F.
- Make the dough. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and 1 cup of the walnuts. Stir the dry mixture into the butter mixture by hand. The dough will be thick.
- Form the crust. Set aside 2 cups of the dough for the topping. Press the rest evenly into the bottom of an ungreased jelly-roll pan.
- Make the filling. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in the cocoa and sugar, then add the sweetened condensed milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thick. Take it off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Assemble. Spread the chocolate filling evenly over the crust. Crumble the reserved dough over the top, then sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup walnuts.
- Bake. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown. The chocolate will still be soft.
- Cool and cut. Let the bars cool completely in the pan, then cut them into bars.
Notes
- The filling firms up as it cools, so wait before cutting for clean bars.
Adapted from a Hershey's recipe.
How we priced this recipe
- BLS, Sep 2026: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Average Price Data, U.S. city average, September 2026.
- Estimate: Food Butler estimate of a typical U.S. store-brand shelf price, October 2026. Neither BLS nor USDA publishes an average price for these items.
Your store's prices will differ. See all recipes.