Revel Bars are thick dessert bars made with two layers of oatmeal bars with a thick layer of fudge in between. Try my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars for another oatmeal and chocolate treat.
Revel Bars (Or is it Fudge Jumbles?)
Revel bars can be found at most potlucks or church functions in the midwest. In fact, my mother-in-law, Patricia, has been making these bars for over 40 years! She calls them Fudge Jumbles. I think that might be a midwestern name. 🙂
The sweet fudgy middle layer perfectly complements the not-as-sweet layers of oatmeal. The bars can be enjoyed as a dessert or a midday snack with a cup of coffee. And, hey, there’s oatmeal in this treat, so why not have one for breakfast and ‘revel’ in happiness all day?
Bars Ingredients
There are two parts to this recipe–the oatmeal bars and the fudge layer.
Oats: I used old-fashioned oats, also known as rolled oats, in my recipe. They are flat, irregularly shaped pieces that are used a lot in cookies, granola bars, and muffins. You could also use quick oats if that is what you have on hand.
Brown Sugar: Use light brown sugar. Light brown sugar contains about 3 1/2% molasses, compared to double that in dark brown sugar.
Room Temperature Ingredients: For best results, make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature. The butter needs to be at room temperature (65°F) for it to cream properly with the sugar.
Chocolate: Use semi-sweet chocolate chips for the fudge layer.
Can I Use a Different Sized Pan?
You can also use a 10x15inch pan or a sheet pan for these bars. (this is the most common) The baking time will be a bit less, as the bars won’t be as thick, but the ingredient amounts remain the same. We like these bars in a 9×13 but tend to cut them into 24 pieces instead of 12. I didn’t in the photography for this recipe, as I wanted to capture as much of the thick chocolate & oat perfection as I could!
Can I Freeze Revel Bars?
Yes! If you want to get the bars made ahead of time, they are easy to freeze and will still be a big hit when served. When ready to freeze the bars, first, cut them into the size of pieces you want. Then, place them in the freezer on a baking sheet. After they have frozen, transfer the bars to freezer-safe containers or bags for up to three months. Be sure to label and date the containers.
More Delicious Bars
Revel Bars
Ingredients
Oat Bars
- 3 cups (270 g) old-fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups (400 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
Fudge
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups (364 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper (up the sides).
- In a large bowl combine oats, flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a separate large bowl, add sugar and butter. Use a hand mixer to cream together until fully incorporated. Add eggs and vanilla and continue mixing until smooth.
- Adding one cup at a time, mix in the flour.
- Spread ⅔ of the mixture (about 3 cups) into the prepared pan. Set aside.
Fudge
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add condensed milk, chocolate chips, butter, and salt. Mix well until combined.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Assembly
- Pour the fudge mixture over the layer of the oat mixture.
- Using the remaining oat mixture, form small discs and place them over the top of the chocolate mixture.
- Bake 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the bars cool to room temperature before transferring them to the refrigerator to chill for 3 hours.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
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Omg, I had to stop eating the dough. So good. Just took them out of the oven and my house smells amazing. Trying hard to not have them for dinner tonight!
I’ve made these. They were so good, I made them 3 times in one week. Yup. Umm…I suspect that’s why we’re not able to lose weight. But hey, they’re sort of healthy. They have oatmeal in them. Plus they have chocolate and chocolate is good for you. And butter, well, that’s made from cream. So…ok…they’re not really all that bad for you. Whew….that’s good because I’ll be making them again, real soon. 🙂 Maybe as a breakfast bar. Better than pop tarts. 🙂
These have been my go to bars for gathers for years because they make a big batch and EVERYONE loves them. I add walnuts to the fudge filling and make them in a jelly roll pan. Yum!
Be careful to follow instructions about proportions to use for base oatmeal layer. I used a bit too much then didn’t have enough to cover the top as well as I’d have liked. Hopefully they’ll still taste good.
The instructions say to put them into the fridge at the end of preparation for 3 hours. We plan to keep some for eating and freeze the rest. I see the recommendations for freezing. However, (after the three hour fridge visit at the end of preparation) should the portion we will not be freezing be kept in the fridge or not?
I tried this recipe years ago. I thought the sweetened condensed milk was so sweet. I started making the chocolate fudge with semi sweet chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream. I’ve made them that way rom then on. Just wanted to share with you.
These look and sound so sinful, and I’m willing to sun, haha. I’ll use milk chocolate chips in mine, not a fan of semisweet chips.
I had these all of the time growing up!
I went searching on the internet and found this recipe. I just made these and the good memories came right back. Delicious!! Thank you for the great and straight forward recipe.
Just made these! I made ganache for the fudge, adding some instant espresso for bitter kick. So easy and crowd pleasing.
Such a great classic! This is one of my go-to recipes!