Chocolate Oat Bars with Orange Marmalade

Chocolate Oat Bars with Orange Marmalade! Definitely a dressed up Oat Jam Bar, with that sophisticated orange and dark chocolate filling! The aroma is amazing,  the taste – addictive! 

This recipe evolved from a cooking mistake, or, possibly…sort of disaster. I was making some homemade marmalade that, as I was cooking, a certain family member asked, “What are you making?” “Oh, I’m making Kumquat Marmalade from these gorgeous kumquats I have.” “Hmmmm, it smells like a candle!” (said with utmost love and respect, of course)  Me, slightly (!) defensive: “A candle?! No, it doesn’t!”  Fast-forward to the next day, after I had lovingly poured that gorgeous marmalade into the jar and taken some photos, I gave it the sniff test. Candle. Actually, more like candle store (!). What the heck? I imagine I might’ve put in a little(!) too much cinnamon and cardamom. Oh well, back to Square 1. 

And so I present to you Square 1 (Actually Squares 1-16!): These gorgeous, sublimely tasty Bittersweet Chocolate Oat Bars with Orange Marmalade! They’re kind of  a “High-low” treat, you know, that most elegant bittersweet chocolate and orange combination, all layered in a super-simple, delicious, almost-nutritious, Oat Bar! Kind of evening dress (or tux) with sneakers, or maybe a Mercedes-Hyundai collaboration. 

And, I have to say, they are positively addictive. I mean, who doesn’t love Orange + Dark Chocolate? I don’t know why Chocolate plus Orange tastes so sophisticated, say, compared to Chocolate plus Banana or even Strawberry, maybe it’s just me? And, layered between a buttery, crispy/crunchy crust and crumble, this bar is difficult to stop eating. 

So, all you cooks and bakers out there – What was the most “interesting” thing anyone said about one of your recipes, as constructive as it might have been? Can you beat the “smells like a candle” comment? Please let me know!

Enjoy!

Love Bar cookies? Why not try these:

Easy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies

Tart Cherry Cheese Crumb Bars

Rhubarb White Chocolate Blondies

Ooey-Gooey S’mores Bars

Cherry Cheesecake Blondie Bars

PIN Chocolate Orange Oat Squares ->

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How to make these Easy Chocolate Orange Bars ->

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Things you might need to make this recipe:

Kitchen Scale– I don’t bake without it, because it’s often much easier to use instead of measuring cups and spoons, because I can weigh ingredients to the gram, tare, and then weigh the next ingredients. I think it’s best to choose one that will accommodate whatever bowl you use most often.

Mixing Bowl – since this recipe doesn’t require an electric mixer, you can use a bowl similar to these awesome OXO Bowls.

8×8 Pan – I love all of my USA Pan baking pans. They’re non-stick and so easy to keep clean!

Pastry Cutter– or just use your hands!

Orange Marmalade – I always buy Bonne Mamman jams and preserves – they are the BEST! The link will let you buy a 2-pack!

Bittersweet Baking Chocolate Pieces – Brands like Scharffen-Berger and Guittard have these

Offset Spatula – From spreading jam over the bottom crust, to frosting a cake, this is a small purchase you’ll never regret!

Chocolate Orange Oat Square Recipe Overview

These bars are easy! So easy! You’ll just mix together the crust with your hands, smiling because you know that crust doubles as the crumble topping! Press the crust into the baking pan, and par-bake for 10 mins. And, to be honest, you don’t HAVE to par-bake, but I highly(!) recommend, because I love a bit of a firm, crispy/crunchy base below the rest of the bar. So, if you must, you can skip the par-bake, but you’ll need to be sure your total bake time is around 30-35 minutes, and bake until light golden, but you may not have that nice, firm base.

So, once the bottom is par-baked, you’ll spread the marmalade over the entire surface, sprinkle on some baking chocolate, or chocolate chips, then sprinkle the rest of the crust/crumble. Back into the oven until the top is just beginning to turn light golden. In my Convection oven, this took about 23 minutes.

Let the bars cool. Then cut and serve. But – realize! Almost every baked good tastes even better the second day. And this one is no exception! Day 1 they are delicious. Day 2: Extraordinary. Day 3: Sublime. You don’t have to do the math. 

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Substitutions or Additions you Can Make:

An extraordinarily flexible recipe, you can make several different versions of the oat bar. For instance:

Amp up the Orange – If you want more orange, you could add a Tablespoon of freshly-grated orange zest stirred into marmalade before you coat the bottom crust. 

Try a different jam flavor – If you have apricot jam or preserves, cherry, raspberry, these would all be delicious.

Chocolate chips – Baking chocolate is better in this recipe than chocolate chips, but feel free to use chips if that’s what you have. Chips have a stabilizer in them that helps them retain their shape instead of melting fully. But definitely (definitely!) use the darkest (Bittersweet) you can find, because I feel like it will compliment the orange marmalade best. If you’re using baking chocolate, look for greater than 70% cacao, up to 85%. If you’re using chocolate chips, most of the bittersweet varieties are about 62% Cacao.

Skip the chocolate altogether – Just omit the chocolate for a lovely Jam Crumble Bar! 

Skip the jam – Add a full cup of chocolate chips or baking chocolate for Oat Chocolate Crumble Bars!

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