Small Batch Chocolate Revel Bars

This small batch recipe for oatmeal chocolate revel bars is a scaled-down version of my popular full size chewy chocolate revel bars recipe, which was inspired by an old family favorite dessert bars recipe. The full size recipe makes so many bars that I wanted to do a scaled down version for those of you who aren't trying to feed a small army.

Because chocolate revel bars are so popular, but the full-size sheet pan recipe makes over 60 bars, it was an obvious choice to make a scaled-down version for those of you who are baking for a smaller get-together or who don't have room to stash the extras in your freezer.

Just like my other popular small batch recipes, this recipe is scaled to use 1 cup of flour for the cookie dough and 1 cup of chocolate chips for the fudge filling.

I've provided a few different options of smaller pan shapes and sizes for baking these oatmeal fudge bars in the blog post below. Depending on what you choose, this small batch revel bars recipe can make anywhere from 20-40 bars. So, you know, it's small batch but it's still giving you plenty of bars to work with!

A Note on Different Pan Sizes for Small Batch Revel Bars

I've tested this small batch recipe in a few different pan shapes and sizes for you so you can make it work with whatever you've got around. That said, it does work best in a metal pan — not glass or stoneware — to get the nice crisp bottom!

For the photos in this blog post I used an eighth sheet pan (7x10") which is the smallest possible size pan I'd recommend for small batch revel bars. I got about 24 diamond-shaped bars from an eighth sheet pan.

You can also use a quarter sheet pan, a round fluted tart pan, or 8" square or round cake pans to make these small batch oatmeal fudge bars — they can make anywhere from to 20-40 bars, depending on how you cut them.

The baking time will remain the same regardless of which of these pans you use. These oatmeal fudge revel bars are fairly thin, so they all need about the same time in the oven for the cookie dough to bake through and get crisp on the bottom.

Ingredient Notes

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this small batch version of my chocolate revel bars recipe! See recipe card (at the end) for quantities.

• Quick Cooking Rolled Oats - You must use QUICK COOKING and ROLLED oats. If the front of the oats package doesn't say both QUICK COOKING *and* ROLLED oats, check the ingredients list, it will say "rolled oats." Buying the wrong type of oats is the number one mistake people make with revel bars; make sure you get the right ones!
• All Purpose Flour - Just your regular all-purpose flour! Nothing fancy.
• Brown Sugar - Brown sugar adds moisture and chewiness to these revel bars. You can use light or dark brown sugar, either one works fine here.
• Unsalted Butter - I use American-style butter, not European butter (e.g. Kerrygold) but both types should work just fine here. If you prefer to use salted butter, just cut the amount of salt in the dough in half.
• Egg - U.S.-standard large egg. Bring it to room temperature before you begin the recipe.
• Walnuts - Measure the walnuts after chopping them (or buy them pre-chopped). Walnuts are technically optional* but I do recommend them — they add a lot of bulk to the fudge filling!
• Chocolate Chips - I've made revel bars using chocolate chips, bar chocolate, dark chocolate, semi sweet chocolate, vegan chocolate, etc. All of them will work. I find my favorite version is made with semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can absolutely sub in other types of chocolate if that's what you prefer!
• Vanilla - You'll need some for the dough and some for the fudge filling, so make sure you've got a full bottle to work with!
• Baking Soda - This is what allows the oatmeal cookie dough to puff up in the oven. Make sure your baking soda is fresh; it expires and loses potency after about 6 months.
• Salt - I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt which is half as salty as other brands and types of kosher salt. If you're using a different brand of salt, even a different brand of kosher salt, cut the amount of salt in half. If you're choosing between fine or coarse kosher salt, use fine salt and cut the amount of salt in half.
• Sweetened Condensed Milk - This usually comes in 14 oz cans, but I've recently found resealable pouches of sweetened condensed milk at my local store which are great for this small batch revel bars recipe. This way you don't have to open a full can when you aren't going to need all of it! Reminder: Sweetened condensed milk is not the same thing as evaporated milk! Make sure you're using the right thing.

🍽 Mise en place (aka "the setup")

Mise en place is a French culinary term which literally translates to "putting in place."

It basically means: Measure all your ingredients and make sure you have all the right tools and equipment ready to go when you need them before you start working.

This can make a huge difference in a) how enjoyable you find the baking and cooking process and b) the success of your recipe!

Here's the mise en place you'll need for this recipe:

• Soften the butter. Take the butter out of the fridge an hour before you plan to start baking. It should be soft enough that you can easily press a finger into it, but not so soft that it's melty or greasy looking. The butter should still feel cool to the touch. Need to soften butter quickly? Microwave the wrapped sticks 3-4 seconds per side in the microwave.
• Bring egg to room temperature. To quickly warm up an egg from the fridge, submerge it in hot tap water for 5-10 minutes prior to mixing.

How to Make Small Batch Revel Bars

First, mix the dry ingredients — flour, rolled oats, baking soda, and salt — in a medium sized bowl and set them aside. You want everything to be evenly dispersed so the cookie dough doesn't get clumpy later.

Next, in a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter and the brown sugar. I like to use an electric hand mixer since my 7-quart stand mixer is just a bit too big for a dough this small. If you have a smaller stand mixer you'll be fine using your stand mixer.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl all at once and mix on low speed until it's all combined. This is a pretty thick cookie dough; you may find it easier to mix with a spatula. I usually do. This also helps prevent over mixing.

Now, set the cookie dough mixture aside. It's time to make the fudge filling.

In a small sauce pot, melt the chocolate chips, butter, and sweetened-condensed milk together over medium-low heat. Then, take the pot off the heat and stir in the vanilla (mandatory) and finely chopped walnuts (optional).

Note: If the fudge cools down before you need to pour and spread it, you can put it back over low heat and stir to loosen it back up.

Assembling Small Batch Revel Bars

Press about two-thirds of the dough into an even layer in a lightly greased pan. Press very firmly — you can usually spread the oatmeal cookie dough out a lot more than you think!

If you're using a round fluted tart pan or want a tart-like crust around the edges, you can press some of the dough up the sides of the pan to make a visible crust. The dough will expand slightly as it bakes, so keep that edge fairly thin.

Then pour the melted chocolate fudge over the top, spreading it into all the corners and edges of the pan in an even layer.

Finally, use your hands to tear the remaining third of the oatmeal cookie dough into chunks in a variety of sizes and dot them all over the surface of the chocolate.

Bake your small batch of oatmeal fudge revel bars for 25-30 minutes at 350°F. The fudge will puff up a little and develop a shiny crust on top, and the oatmeal chunks will take on just the very slightest hint of browning.

Cutting Revel Bars

I usually cut my small batch revel bars into diamond shapes just in my full-size recipe. But you can also cut them into squares or rectangles if you prefer.

To cut the revel bars, you'll want to make sure they're completely cool; otherwise the oatmeal cookie base won't hold together and the bars will crumble apart.

Note: Because you have to cut the bars while they're in the baking pan, I recommend using your least favorite or most beat up/tarnished baking pan to make these!

For best results, use a sharp knife, and run it under very hot water (and dry it off) before slicing. The fudge can get sticky when it's cool and a hot knife makes it easier to cut. You may need to wipe your knife off with a hot damp towel or under hot water a few times while cutting.

Don't worry too much about cutting the revel bars so that they're perfectly uniform — you're going to have some irregularity no matter what. That's half the fun!

Storage + Freezing Notes

To freeze, cut the revel bars apart and place them in a large airtight bag or container. Be gentle putting them in so they don't break or squish into each other.

If you're worried about them sticking together as they freeze, you can arrange them on sheet pans in the freezer with space between each bar for about an hour, then transfer the bars to a bag or container once they're less sticky.

Recipe FAQ

📖 Recipe