Gluten Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars

Soft and chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars with a mixture of old fashioned rolled oats, plump raisins, and chopped pecans. These cookie bars are gluten-free, but they don’t taste like it!

Written by: Brielle Gundersen of Breezy Bakes

Creating This Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bar Recipe

What have I been craving for the past two weeks? Oatmeal raisin cookies. Like. Every. Day.

So it wasn’t any shocker that when it came time to make another goodie I chose to whip up some of these gluten-free Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars.

I was not disappointed.

These easy peasy oatmeal cookie bars are soft, chewy, ooey, gooey and filled with cinnamon vanilla flavor. I love that this recipe requires no scooping and you can bake the dough all at once rather than having to sit there glued to the oven, waiting for batch after batch of cookies to bake.

I literally made these from start to finish in 40 minutes while feeding my kids breakfast, getting myself ready for the day, and sending them off to school. A serious no fuss treat for sure!

So the next time you are craving a treat but you don’t hardly want to lift a finger, these bars are definitely for you. And I wouldn’t be surprised if you eat the entire pan yourself.

Ingredients for Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars

Because these are gluten-free cookie bars, you do need a few special ingredients to make them. Luckily, gluten-free baking is becoming much more common so you can likely find all the necessary ingredients at your local supermarket.

• Butter
• Egg
• Granulated sugar and brown sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Brown rice flour
• Potato starch
• Oat flour
• Tapioca starch
• Cinnamon
• Baking powder and baking soda
• Xanthan gum
• Salt
• Old-fashioned oats
• Raisins
• Walnuts

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

Can I Use Instant Oats?

I prefer using old fashioned oats in this recipe rather than quick cooking oats because it yields more texture in the bars, and I am all about a little crunch and chew in my cookies. I think instant oats would make the dough too dry and wouldn’t add much in the way of texture.

Can I Use All-Purpose Flour?

Using all-purpose flour would eliminate the need to add all the starches, alternative flours, and xanthan gum. That’s a lot of tweaks to the recipe.

I’ve only made these oatmeal raisin bar cookies as written, so I can’t speak to whether or not this recipe can be made with regular all-purpose flour.

How to Make Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars

These really are the best cookie bars, and they don’t taste gluten-free whatsoever! Here’s how I make them:

1. Melt the butter, then combine with the egg, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.
2. In a separate mixing bowl, sift together brown rice flour, potato starch, oat flour, tapioca starch, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt.
3. Add dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix until combined.
4. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir in oats, raisins, and chopped pecans.
5. Scoop dough into a greased 8×8-inch baking pan.
6. Bake until golden brown. Set on cooling rack to completely cool. Once cooled, cut into slices.

The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

Can I Make the Cookie Bars in Advance?

Yes! These oatmeal raisin bar cookies stay tasty for longer than a traditional cookie. I don’t know about you, but I only like cookies the day they are baked. They tend to get stale and crumbly after that.

Not these babies. I ate one tonight, 4 days after making them, and they were still soft and tender. A definite bonus after all that “not so hard work” to make them.

Tips for Making Gluten-Free Cookie Bars

• If you have the extra time and ingredients on hand, it really makes a difference to soak the raisins in a tablespoon of apple juice and a few shakes of cinnamon. It intensifies the flavor of the bars and makes those raisins plump and juicy.
• To ensure the oatmeal raisin cookie bars are completely gluten-free, make sure to buy oats and oat flour that are labeled as such.
• You need to let the bars cool completely before slicing into them. Because the bars are gluten-free, they need time to set up properly first.

More Easy Gluten-Free Desserts:

Gluten-Free Lemon Cookies made with pudding mix, cream cheese, and mixed with white chocolate pieces. Soft, chewy, and so good!

These Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Cookies have the exact taste of a freshly baked cinnamon roll, and they are soft and tender with a brown sugary undertone! 

These mini Gluten-Free Brownie Trifles have an utterly delicious homemade peanut butter mousse layer as well as dark chocolate sauce and homemade whipped cream.

Learn how delicious gluten-free baking can be with this recipe for Gluten-Free Chocolate Coconut Zucchini Cake.

Feed both cake and cookie cravings with these amazing Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookie Cupcakes!

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Gluten Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Bars

Yield: 16 bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

A soft and chewy gluten free blondie with a mixture of old fashioned rolled oats, plump raisins, and chopped pecans.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup), melted
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/3 cup potato starch
• 1/3 cup gluten free oat flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup gluten-free old fashioned oats
• 2/3 cup raisins
• 1 tablespoon apple juice (optional)
• 4-5 shakes cinnamon (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking pan with foil and grease with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Melt butter and allow to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter, egg, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
3. In a separate smaller mixing bowl, sift together brown rice flour, potato starch, oat flour, tapioca starch, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and mix on low until combined. Beat an additional minute on medium speed.
4. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir in oats, raisins, and chopped pecans. Scoop dough into baking pan and smooth evenly across pan with spatula.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes until golden brown. Set on cooling rack to completely cool. Once cooled, lift foil from pan and cut block into 16 squares.
6. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

If your raisins are hard, you can soak them in 1 tablespoon of apple juice and 4-5 shakes of cinnamon for an hour or heat them with the apple juice and cinnamon in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften. It adds more flavor as well.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 366Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 366mgCarbohydrates: 61gFiber: 2gSugar: 46gProtein: 7g

GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.

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