O’Henry Bars are the perfect combination of a candy bar and a granola bar. A sweet oat and peanut butter mixture topped with chocolate are a great dessert recipe for a potluck, carry-in or family meal. The kids love eating homemade O’Henry bars for a snack too!
O’Henry Bars Recipe
We have a Henry in our family and it’s possible that he makes us say “O Henry” every once in a while. As I was looking through recipes from old 4-H cooking competitions I knew that I had to make these for my family. After a couple tries and modifications to the recipe, we got a pan of O’Henry Bars that we could not stop eating!
Everyone in the family loves these homemade O’Henry Bars when they are soft and chewy! When we make these bars again we might even add some more chocolate to the top because we love chocolate. I would classify these bars as a great dessert or snack, but it’s possible they have been eaten for breakfast by some people in our house with great metabolisms.
As farmers during planting and harvest season, we tend to head out to work and spend most of or all day in a tractor. I like to pack treats like these O’Henry Bars so our tractor operators have a snack that tastes good and will keep their bellies from growling in between meals. As long as you keep these chocolate covered bars out of the sun they are perfect snacks for busy days.
How to Make Homemade O’Henry Bars
This is the easiest homemade candy bar recipe I’ve ever made. Just mix all of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips very well. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top. Bake an additional 5 – 7 minutes and spread evenly or swirl melted chocolate to make a fun pattern.
These dessert bars taste great when eaten warm or at room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator if planning to keep for more than three days.
What’s Needed to Make O’Henry Bars
- Old fashioned oats
- Vanilla
- Butter
- Peanut Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Corn Syrup
- Mini Chocolate Chips
Notes for Making O’Henry Candy Bars
- Old fashioned oats taste much better in this recipe than quick oats.
- 6 cups of oats is roughly equal to a small canister of oats.
- We prefer smooth peanut butter, but crunchy would work fine.
- Either light or dark corn syrup will work fine in this recipe.
- I like mini chocolate chips because they melt more quickly and spread more easily, but regular sized chips will also work well.
Other Delicious Candy Bar Desserts
Printable O’Henry Bars Recipe
O’Henry Bars
Ingredients
- 6 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla
- 2/3 cup butter melted
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 3/4 cup corn syrup
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15" jelly roll pan. Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips well.
- Press into greased pan. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over top. Bake additional 5 – 7 minutes until chocolate melts. Use butter knife to spread chocolate evenly over the top or swirl.
- Cut into squares while warm.
Notes
- Old fashioned oats taste much better in this recipe than quick oats.
- 6 cups of oats is roughly equal to a small canister of oats.
- We prefer smooth peanut butter, but crunchy would work fine.
- Either light or dark corn syrup will work fine in this recipe.
- I like mini chocolate chips because they melt more quickly and spread more easily, but regular sized chips will also work well.
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this looks amazing. do you think they would freeze well?
Thank you! I haven’t tried freezing them yet, but I do think they would freeze well. Please let me know if give that a try!
they froze great!!
These are awesome! I have made them several times this summer at the request of my husband. I love that I can freeze them as well.
I decided to make these after reading all the positive comments – but not sure what happened. I felt there were too many oats, it seemed very dry when I pressed it in the pan but went for it anyways. They taste good but. even the chocolate chips didn’t co-operate – they didn’t melt, they just sort of crumbled instead.. Next time I’ll go by feel and look and maybe use a cup less of oats to see if it holds together better.
I made these a great deal more healthy! I used Splenda brown sugar, natural peanut butter, and sugar free harmless honey instead of corn syrup. I definitely go by texture and add gluten free oats a small amount at a time. Dark chocolate on top or sugar free chips. My kids love them!