Recipes & Food Styling

These flavorful treats are so much fun to make!

I had forgotten how fun it is to make my grandma’s Orange Glaze Chocolate Chip bars! I made them tonight for the Lenten fish fry at her church, St. Francis Xavier in Merrill, Wisconsin. 

The fish fry events each Friday during Lent here are amazing. Sometimes there is live music. The food is fantastic! There are gracious volunteers, including the many people who bake wonderful treats that fill the dessert carts!

It is so fun to make these bars because of the glaze, which is made with fresh orange juice and grated zest. I just love the color and fresh flavor. House smells amazing now!  

Orange Glaze Chocolate Chip Bars

For the bars:

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/3 cups brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups oatmeal

3/4 cup whole milk

12 ounces milk chocolate chips

For the glaze:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons grated orange zest

To make the bars: 

Preheat the oven to 375ºF

In a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer on low speed, beat the butter and brown sugar together until it becomes creamy. Add the eggs, flower, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until well blended.  

Add the oatmeal, milk, and chocolate chips, and use your hand to mix all of the ingredients together well. 

Place the batter in a 9×12-inch cake pan, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 45 minutes. 

Remove the bars from the oven, and set them on the coutertop to cool. 

To make the Orange Glaze: 

In a medium saucepan, bring the ingredients to a boil over high heat. 

Remove the glaze from the heat, and pour evenly over the bars.