Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
You know I love a good cookie, but I also really love cookie bars. All the deliciousness of a cookie, but in bar form, which takes way less effort (rolling dough for individual cookies? Who needs it?). These oatmeal cookie bars with chocolate chips are my latest easy cookie bar recipe. I love the flavor browned butter adds to cookies so I’ve browned the butter here, but if you’re short on time this recipe will work great and still be yummy with regular softened butter.
If you love these oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars, you’ll love my other recipes for easy cookie bars! Make sure to try my Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, Sugar Cookie Bars, and Snickerdoodle Bars – scrumptious shortcuts for classic cookies. Happy baking!
Why This Recipe Works
- Cookie bars WITH oatmeal. If you are one of those people who believes chocolate chip cookies can be improved with the addition of oatmeal, these chocolate chip oatmeal bars are for you! Oatmeal adds an almost nutty flavor and delightful texture to these cookie bars.
- Best oatmeal cookie bars. With just the right amount of oatmeal, plus a hint of cinnamon and a bit of molasses for flavor, and browned butter, these are definitely the BEST oat chocolate chip bars. You’ll want to make this easy dessert again and again!
- Easy bar cookie recipe. This is a one-bowl recipe, so these oatmeal chocolate chip bars are a cinch to make and require minimal cleanup!
Ingredient Notes
- Rolled oats: Some oatmeal cookie recipes call for quick oats, which have a finer texture than rolled oats. Personally, I prefer the texture and chew of rolled oats in my cookies. You could make these with quick oats, but I have not tested this.
- Chocolate chips: Of course we’re putting chocolate chips in these chocolate chip oat bars! This recipe calls for both regular-sized semi-sweet chocolate chips and mini chocolate chips. I like the variety of sizes because it means more chocolate in every bite! But you can use just regular-size chocolate chips if that’s all you have.
- Molasses: This is my secret ingredient for keeping these cookie bars soft. In addition to helping these oatmeal cookie bars have a tender and chewy texture, molasses adds a touch of sweetness and warmth of flavor.
- Cinnamon: Similar to molasses, this spice adds a warmth to these cookies that perfectly complements the oatmeal and chocolate chips.
- Vanilla extract: Is it even a cookie if it doesn’t have vanilla extract in it? Just kidding. But seriously, vanilla enhances so many flavors that are present in this cookie, like chocolate and cinnamon.
- Unsalted butter: In the words of the famous Julia Child, butter makes everything better! Butter adds flavor and moisture to these chocolate chip oatmeal bars. While this recipe works with regular softened butter, I like to brown the butter for these cookie bars to add another layer of yummy flavor.
- Baking soda: In some cookie recipes, I use both baking soda and baking powder. Here, we’re only using baking soda. Adding baking soda to baked goods raises their pH level, which aids in browning and enhances the brown sugar and molasses flavors of these cookie bars.
- Eggs: Eggs help our ingredients bind together and also add moisture and richness. Bringing the eggs to room temperature ensures they mix with all the other ingredients easily.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prep your oven and pan. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9×13 pan with foil, leaving some overhang on the edges. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray—this will make it easy to remove the chocolate chip oatmeal cookie bars.
- Brown your butter. Add 1 cup unsalted butter to a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt, stirring frequently. It will begin to foam and golden specks will start to accumulate at the bottom of the pan. These specks will begin to brown and the butter will smell nutty. Once the specks are light brown, remove your pan from the heat and transfer your butter to a heat-safe bowl for 10-15 minutes to cool. If you’re short on time, skip this step.
- Cream butter and sugars. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, mix your browned butter (or regular softened butter) with 1 cup of packed brown sugar and ½ cup of granulated sugar on medium speed for one minute.
- Add wet ingredients. To the butter-sugar mixture, add 2 large room-temperature eggs, 1 teaspoon molasses, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- Add dry ingredients. Add 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats to the wet ingredients. Mix until partially combined.
- Add chocolate chips. To your oatmeal cookie dough, add 1¼ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and ¼ cup of mini chocolate chips. Mix until there are no streaks of flour, but don’t overmix—I like to use a rubber spatula for this part to make sure I get all the way to the bottom of the bowl, and it’s difficult to overmix by hand!
- Bake. Bake your chocolate chip and oatmeal cookie bars in the preheated oven for 25-28 minutes, or until the bars are a light golden brown on the top and on the edges, and slightly firm to the touch.
- Cool, slice, enjoy. Allow chocolate chip oatmeal bar cookies to cool in the pan on a wire rack to room temperature, then use the foil overhang to remove them from the pan. Now slice them up and enjoy the most delicious oat chocolate chip bars you’ve ever had!
Recipe Tips
If you’d rather not brown butter for this recipe, just use room-temperature unsalted butter. If you’re new to browning butter and a little unsure how to go about it, check out my tips on How to Brown Butter!
To enhance the molasses flavor of these cookies, use dark brown sugar in place of light brown sugar.
Forgot to leave your eggs out so they could come to room temperature? No worries! Place cold eggs in a bowl full of slightly warm water for 5 minutes. Voilá!
You can customize this oatmeal cookie bar recipe in lots of fun ways. Instead of mini chocolate chips, throw in a ¼ cup of sweetened shredded coconut for oatmeal chocolate chip coconut cookie bars. Or add some chopped pecans for oatmeal chocolate chip pecan cookie bars. Walnuts would be yummy too! You can also swap the chocolate out for white chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips or raisins for more classic oatmeal cookie pairings. I recommend keeping your mix-ins at a total of 1½ cups to ensure the volume of the dough is the same.
These chewy oatmeal cookie bars are pretty thick, so it can be tempting to overbake them. Resist the temptation! As the chocolate chip oatmeal bars cool in the pan they will continue to cook a little and set.
Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing
Make Ahead: These chocolate chip oat bars are good for several days, so you can definitely make them in advance. Alternatively, make the cookie dough in advance and keep it in the fridge for a day or so. Allow it to come to room temperature before following baking instructions.
Storing: Store any leftover oatmeal bar cookies in the pan, covered, at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the fridge for 5-6 days. If you slice them up all at once, you can also stack the oatmeal dessert bars in an airtight container.
Freezing: You can either freeze the uncut chocolate chip oatmeal cookie bars in the pan or freeze individual slices. To freeze the baked cookie bars in the pan, double-wrap the pan in plastic wrap and freeze. If freezing for longer than 1 week, add an extra layer of aluminum foil. To freeze individual cookie bar squares, wrap each square in plastic wrap twice and store them in an airtight container or zip-top bag in the freezer. Frozen bars will stay fresh for 1-2 months.
Crumbly oatmeal cookie bars are likely overbaked. They’ll still taste good, though—just serve them with a glass of milk!
You can definitely freeze these oatmeal bars! You can freeze the whole pan of uncut cookie bars, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and foil, or you can freeze individually wrapped bars. Frozen bars will keep in the fridge for 1-2 months.
Because cookie bars tend to be thicker than a regular cookie, they are baked at a slightly lower temperature for longer. This ensures they cook all the way through without being overbaked. These chocolate chip and oatmeal cookie bars are baked at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-28 minutes.
If you feel like your cookie bars are underbaked, you can put them back in the oven. Bake them for an additional 2-3 minutes and check if they are done. They should be slightly firm to the touch.
Best Oatmeal Cookie Recipes
I LOVE oatmeal cookies! Here are some more of my favorite oatmeal cookie recipes.
- White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Mom’s Recipe Crumbl Cookie
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar - packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs - at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9”x13” pan with foiland spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, brown the butter. This will take about 6-8 minutes. Stir frequently as the butter will begin to foam and there will be golden specks accumulating on the bottom of the pan. You’ll also notice a deliciously nutty aroma. Stir and continue browning until the golden specks turn a light brown color (not dark! You don’t want to burn the butter). Remove from the heat and transfer to a heat-safe bowl. Let sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before continuing.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, add the browned butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the eggs, molasses, and vanilla extract and mix to combine.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and old-fashioned oats. Mix until partially combined. Add the chocolate chips and mini chocolate chips and mix to combine, but don’t overmix. There shouldn’t be any flour streaks.
- Transfer the cookie dough to the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-28 minutes or until the bars are lightly golden brown on the tops and edges, and slightly firm to the touch.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack until room temperature. Remove the bars using the overhanging foil. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into squares.
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