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Gluten-Free Oatmeal Marble Squares

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Because things keep working against me on getting a year-end, new year kick-off post up, today I’m bringing home a recipe from a guest post that I did a few years back. This recipe for gluten-free Oatmeal Marble Squares.

UPDATE: On April 4, 2023, Gluten-Free Watchdog issued a new statement, Gluten-Free Watchdog Cannot Recommend Any Brand of Gluten-Free Oats. Read the full statement here. This statement was followed by details on recent testing results of gluten-free products that contain oats., which showed 30% of the labeled gluten-free oat products tested contained quantifiable gluten.

This statement was followed by details on recent testing results of gluten-free products that contain oats, which showed 30% of the labeled gluten-free oat products tested contained quantifiable gluten. I’m not eating any oats and I urge all of my readers who eat gluten free for medical reasons to also abstain.

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Marble Squares. I give you two versions of these treats--slightly ooey and gooey and healthier or very ooey and gooey. I'm pretty sure you'll love them either way. [from GlutenFreeEasily.com]

I tend to use oatmeal more in the cooler months. There are other gluten-free oatmeal breakfast dishes here on gfe like Oatmeal Brulee and simple pleasures like Flourless Oatmeal Cookies.

Occasionally, there are even more indulgent treats like gluten-free Magic Oat Bars. Of course, oatmeal provides more nutrition, and “sticks to your ribs”—as my grandma used to say—for when the body needs more fuel to face the harshness of cold weather. And I love baking once the heat of the oven becomes a plus factor!

The following recipe, gluten-free Oatmeal Marble Squares, is another crowd-pleaser that uses oats. These are chewy and gooey and well, just wonderful!

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Marble Squares. I give you two versions of these treats--slightly ooey and gooey and healthier or very ooey and gooey. I'm pretty sure you'll love them either way. They even look amazing before they're baked. [from GlutenFreeEasily.com]

Mr. GFE’s former boss, Robert, would do flips over the original version (gluten-full version) of this recipe. (Because he was hubby’s former boss, he’s never tried my gluten-free version.) We had all gone to a concert together and I’d made these squares for our tailgate party.

Robert ended up eating most of them. He did so quite unabashedly, too. He raved about them so much that I sent the few that were left home with him.

After that, if Mr. GFE had a work function that included food, I’d make these treats for him to take in … every time. I even sent in some out of the blue on occasion.

The fact that Mr. GFE was going to be requesting vacation leave on the spur of the moment a few days later (to better work with my own schedule) had absolutely nothing to do with my kindness.

Seriously. It was pure coincidence. Uh huh … Yes, these are bribe-worthy treats, even for covert bribing, if you will.

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Marble Squares. I made them just for you and I give you two versions of these treats--slightly ooey and gooey and healthier or very ooey and gooey. I'm pretty sure you'll love them either way. [from GlutenFreeEasily.com]

More Wonderful Gluten-Free Oatmeal Recipes

~ Flourless Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

Flourless Gluten-Free Oatmeal Coconut Cookies on red and white plate on doily from above.

~ Oatmeal Brulee 

Oatmeal Brulee

~ Over 60 Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookie Recipes

There's an oatmeal cookie for everyone in this Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookie Recipes Roundup!

~ Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins from Maggie Savage (formerly She Let Them Eat Cake)

Gluten-Free-Strawberry-Oatmeal-Muffins

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Marble Squares Recipe

Yield: 9 to 12 servings

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Marble Squares

gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, oats, oatmeal, oatmeal square, cookie bar, treats, dessert, breakfast

These gluten-free Oatmeal Marble Squares are ooey gooey delicious and hearty at the same time.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Inactive Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup gluten-free flour mix (I use my Two-Ingredient Gluten-Free Flour Mix)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened (dairy or non-dairy; or substitute ¼ cup coconut oil plus 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil)
  • heaping 1/3 cup granulated sugar (or substitute heaping 2/3 cup coconut sugar for both the granulated sugar and brown sugar)
  • heaping 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup uncooked oats (certified gluten-free purity protocol oats; regular or quick) or quinoa flakes
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts (or seeds, like sunflower seeds or hemp seeds)
  • 1/2 to 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (dairy or non-dairy)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugars, and vanilla extract. Beat until creamy.
  3. Mix in egg.
  4. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
  5. Stir in oats (or quinoa flakes), chocolate chips, and nuts.
  6. Spread into a greased 13 x 9 inch glass baking pan using a spatula. Mixture will not be very thick at all.
  7. Bake 5 minutes, then remove from oven and slightly drag the back of a spoon over the surface in a swirl design to create a marble effect.
  8. Return to the oven and bake about 10 minutes longer. Total baking time should be about 15 minutes. Test if these bars are done by using a toothpick.
  9. Let cool and cut into small squares.

Notes

Marbling: While it’s fun to hold true to the name and produce the marble effect using a spoon, sometimes I just skip that part. The taste is just as delicious, although the appearance may not be quite as novel.

Oats: If you are gluten-free for medical reasons, it's imperative that you eat oats that are certified gluten-free purity protocol oats. (You can see a listing of purity protocol brands on Gluten-Free Watchdog.)

Sometimes I use the oats “as is”; sometimes I run them through the food processor or my mini-chopper to make them more like quick oats. Quick oats do bind a bit better with the other ingredients, which results in a more dense square, and are slightly less chewy.

Flour: I have used all types of combinations for the small amount of gluten-free flour required in this recipe. I’ve used my standby Two-Ingredient Gluten-Free Flour Mix, but I’ve also used a mix of white rice flour, brown rice flour, and cornstarch. However, my favorite recent combination includes ¼ cup of almond flour.

Fat: In my opinion, coconut oil is not as flavorful in baking as one would expect; that's why I also used some extra virgin olive oil in the second version. Coconut oil is usually substituted one-for-one for the amount of butter, but a lesser amount of olive oil is usually substituted for butter. I love using olive oil to make recipes dairy free (like in my Perfect Pound Cake and Mediterranean Chocolate Cake). In addition to giving one a quick alternative to dairy, it also provides both amazing flavor and moistness.

Gum: Finally, no xanthan gum is required for this recipe.

Recipe adapted from an older Nestle’s Toll House Cookbook

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

© Shirley Braden
Cuisine: American / Category: Desserts

Originally published January 6, 2012; updated June 5, 2024.

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Comments

  1. Heidi @ Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom says

    Happy New Year Shirley!!!!

    Your bars look scrumptious, as does everything you make. Definitely gonna make these for my boys, the coconut sugar version seems like a great breakfast to me! And yes, I will curse your name as I salivate and try to keep myself from diving in…being grain-free isn’t always easy in a dual kitchen (okay, now that’s a funny turn of events…my dual kitchen is not gluten vs. gluten free, it’s gluten free vs. grain free!).

    And I love your trick for making quick oats!

    xoxo,
    Heidi

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hey Heidi–Thank you, dear. It’s incredibly wonderful having you as a cheerleader! Are you avoiding quinoa flakes, too? I’m thinking those would work well instead of the oats. You are an amazing mom! I’m not good at running a dual kitchen, no matter what the dualities are. 😉

      I have lots of tricks for quick. Shirley who has no patience in the kitchen here. 🙂

      xoxo,
      Shirley

      Reply

  2. Ricki says

    I think I’d flip for these, too, just like Mr. GFE’s boss! I also tend to think of oatmeal as a “winter” food for some reason. But I love it any way I can get it–and these bars sounds fabulous.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Ricki–Yes, oatmeal does seem to be a winter food, although I make my flourless oatmeal cookies year round. We especially like them for camping. 😉

      Thanks, dear!
      Shirley

      Reply

  6. Adrienne @ Whole New Mom says

    These look wonderful, Shirley. I guess we are all drawn to chocolate, eh?

    I am wondering about the butter substitution. I thought I knew about subbing out fats pretty well, but I never heard about the coconut oil plus olive oil sub instead of butter. Can you explain please? I guess one learns something every day! I just typically sub butter for coconut oil 1:1.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Adrienne–A good amount of what is shared here on gfe is “the gospel according to Shirley.” LOL, but true. Coconut oil by itself often seems flat and flavorless to me, but if I add in olive oil, I get the flavor I want. It’s rare for that one to one substitution to work for me, even not considering the flavor. Usually I use less coconut oil than butter if doing a one-to-one sub.

      Thanks, dear!
      Shirleu

      Reply

        • Shirley says

          Adrienne–My experience has always been that when I use a one-for-one substitution, the recipe seems too oily or has too much liquid. Again, that’s my experience. When I first started subbing coconut oil for butter, I did my research and saw that many folks were doing the one-for-one sub so I tried that, but it didn’t give the results I wanted. Since that substitution has always worked for you, you might want to play about with the exact amount of oil in this recipe, whether you use all coconut oil or a mixture of coconut oil and olive oil. Please let us know if you try the recipe and what works for you. 🙂

          Shirley

          Reply

  7. Linda says

    I love oatmeal bars, particularly with nuts and chocolate. They look great! I wonder if oatmeal is a warming food and that’s why you like it in the winter.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Linda–Thanks! I think you are right … oatmeal is a warming food! These bars are an easy treat and a favorite of ours. I don’t make them often (mostly because I don’t keep gf oats in the house), but when I do, we really enjoy them. Mr. GFE is a huge lover of oatmeal cookies and bars. 😉

      Shirley

      Reply

  8. Maggie says

    You had me at chewy 🙂 Yum Shirley! These remind me a little of those delightful granola bars of yours, you know the ones I brought to Chicago! Pete’s recently discovered that he can’t do oats, thank goodness for quinoa flakes when it comes to a recipe like this! I’m sure Mr. GFE’s boss is reading this and weeping! Although, you’ve basically given him the recipe! xo

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Maggie–I’m sorry Pete can’t do oats any more. I think there are quite a few gf folks who can’t and there are a number of opinions on the “why”. Dr. Fine even talked about avoiding oats at his conference. Quinoa flakes are great in these types of recipes though. FYI–If you want to do an egg-free version of this recipe, one reader tried a flax egg when I shared this recipe over at Iris’ and that didn’t work for her. A chia egg might be a better idea.

      We saw Mr. GFE’s former boss tonight, but I didn’t bring up these goodies. 😉 He’s a single guy these days and a great cook, but I’m not sure if he does any baking.

      xo,
      Shirley

      Reply

  11. Renee says

    Hi Shirley –
    These sound wonderful! We’re having going away treats for a coworker this week, so I just may have to make this! Plus I have a bag of GF oats languishing in the pantry. (Oats weren’t a big part of my life before GF and then they told us for so many years that we shouldn’t eat them regardless, so they just aren’t part of my regular repertoire. Thanks!

    Reply

  12. Carol says

    Love the idea of having a few bribe worthy recipes in my back pocket 🙂 These sound great and I hope you enjoyed your time together with Mr. GFE.

    xo,
    c

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Carol–You’re so sweet. I suspect that you have more than a few bribe-worth recipes in your back pocket! I’m still enjoying the post holiday quiet and trying to get back into the swing of things. 😉

      xo,
      Shirley

      Reply

  14. Sharyn Engel says

    Hi Shirley…About to make the Oatmeal Marble Squares but have a question re the flour mix. In the grocery store I saw GF flour…do i need to add more ingredients to that? Sorry, other than the fudge, haven’t baked gf before.

    Reply

    • Shirley says

      Hi Sharyn–No, you don’t need to add anything else to the recipe. The gluten-free flour mix alone is what is called for in my recipe. Hope your squares turn out great! Please let us know. 🙂 Oh, and no worries on asking questions. I’m always happy to answer questions, but just know that I’m not always at the computer for a prompt reply. You lucked out today. 🙂

      Shirley

      Reply

    • Sharyn Engel says

      I made the Oatmeal Marble bars. Instead of using the gf flour, I remembered that I had a new box of gf Bisquick (which I have never used). It does have baking soda in it already, but I did add 1/4 tsp anyways, since I didn’t know how much was in the Bisquick. They came out GREAT, and very light in texture! 🙂 Thank you for your help this morning!

      Reply

      • Shirley says

        Hi Sharyn–Thanks so much for reporting back! I’m really glad you had such success. 🙂 I’m wishing I had a yummy oatmeal marble square right about now. 😉

        Thanks again, dear!
        Shirley

        Reply

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