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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.

small batch oatmeal chocolate revel bars in an eighth sheet pan cut into diamond shapes.

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!

close up of a small pan of revel bars with a mini metal spatula in the corner.

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!

An overhead shot of revel bars baked in a fluted tart pan cut into very thin slices. One slice has been turned on its side revealing the layer of chocolate fudge running through the middle

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.

a quarter sheet pan with a rippled surface.

9x13" Quarter Sheet Pan

8 inch stainless steel fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.

8" Fluted Steel Tart Pan

an 8 inch by 8 inch square metal baking pan.

8" Square Baking Pan

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.

the ingredients measured out and labeled.

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.

Optional additions and substitutions:

Cinnamon - A quarter-teaspoon of ground cinnamon added to the dry ingredients really helps bring out the warm, nutty flavors of the oatmeal.
Flaky Salt - For a fancy finishing touch, sprinkle the revel bars with flaky salt right before baking.
Nut Allergy* - If you're making these for someone with a nut allergy, you can swap the chopped walnuts for toffee chips, crushed pretzels, mini M&Ms, sprinkles, or just leave the nuts out entirely.
Gluten-free - Use gluten-free cup-for-cup flour and gluten-free quick-cooking rolled oats.

🍽 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.

butter and sugar creamed together in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer.

Beat the butter and brown sugar together for at least 5 minutes at medium speed, pausing to scrape down the bowl a few times throughout. Most people rush this step. Be patient! The butter and sugar need to be light and fluffy, don't rush it!

after beating in the egg with the electric mixer the butter sugar and egg mixture is shiny and glossy.

Scrape the bowl down, then add the egg and vanilla and mix on medium to high speed, giving it at least 60 seconds to incorporate. The mixture will become quite glossy and smooth. Scrape down the bowl again at the end.

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.

the finished cookie dough in a mixing bowl with a white spatula sticking out of it.

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).

sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and butter combined in a small sauce pot with a white spatula in it.

Melt the chocolate chips, butter, and sweetened-condensed milk in a 2-quart sauce pan until smooth and shiny.

mixing chopped walnuts into the fudge mixture in the sauce pot.

Then, turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla, a pinch of salt, and the chopped walnuts.

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.

pressing the oatmeal cookie dough into an eighth sheet pan.

using a mini offset spatula to spread the fudge filling across the cookie dough.

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.

the revel bars before baking topped with chunks of oatmeal cookie dough.

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!

a hand holding a diamond shaped revel bar above a small sheet pan of revel bars.

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.

cutting diagonally across the revel bars.

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!

a small batch of diamond cut revel bars on a wire rack.

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.

Practical Tips & Recipe Notes

Can you use dairy-free sweetened condensed milk in this recipe? I don't recommend it. When you use sweetened condensed coconut milk, the fudge filling will collapse and flatten out rather than staying risen and filling in the gaps between the oatmeal mounds on top once it cools. I've heard from people who've tried this swap who say the bars still taste great and they still love them, but if you don't need to make the swap, I recommend sticking with the recipe as written!
What to do if you only have old fashioned oats — To use traditional rolled oats, you'll need to pulse them several times in a food processor to break down the tough outer shell. In addition, you'll want to let the cookie dough sit for at least 2 hours or overnight before assembling your revel bars — this gives the oats time to absorb enough moisture from the dough so that they're chewy and not tough!
Can you use steel cut oats to make revel bars? No, you cannot.

📖 Recipe