These Oatmeal Cookie Bars have chewy interiors and crisp edges, packed with oats and melty chocolate chips! The best oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars recipe.
The Best Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Ever feel like making a bunch of cookies, but want to skip all of the scooping, dropping, and shaping of the dough? I’ve got something easy for you! The BEST oatmeal cookie bars have crisp edges, chewy interiors, and are packed with ooey, gooey melted chocolate chips.
These oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars are so easy to make–all you have to do is mix the dry ingredients, mix the wet, combine, drop and smooth into a pan, slice and enjoy! Basically as easy as making breakfast bars.
You’ll love the tender, chewy oat cookie centers and the crisp, crunchy edges. Let’s forget any other oatmeal cookie bars recipe exists because you won’t be needing them. Let’s bake this!
Oatmeal Cookie Bars Recipe Ingredients
- Rolled Oats – chewy with a great texture, I prefer using rolled (otherwise called “old-fashioned” oats) over quick oats.
- Flour – use all purpose flour
- Chocolate Chips – or you can use your favorite add-ins, from nuts and seeds to chopped dried fruit.
- Butter – we’ll be melting this butter to make this recipe super simple, without a mixer.
- Sugar
- Egg – make sure your egg is room temperature to help the ingredients in this recipe meld together better
- Vanilla Extract – always use pure vanilla extract, not imitation, for the best flavor
- Baking Powder
- Ground Cinnamon + Ground Nutmeg – I love using a combo of these two for a delicious flavor with a hint of something special that makes these cookie bars extra special.
- Salt
How to Make Oatmeal Cookie Bars
With just a few steps, we’ll be well on our way to making oatmeal cookie bars! Remember to check out the recipe below for exact measurements and instructions.
Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Then, line an 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper or greased foil.
Next, stir together all of the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl: flour, oats, baking powder, and spices. Add wet ingredients into a large bowl and whisk until thoroughly mixed: melted butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla.
Now, combine the wet and dry ingredients by whisking as long as you can. Once it gets too thick to whisk, switch to folding the ingredients together into a nice cookie dough. Fold in add-ins.
Drop the oatmeal cookie bars dough into the prepared baking pan. Using a silicone spatula, smooth it into an even layer, then press any add-ins you’d like into the tops of the bars.
Bake for about 20 minutes, then let cool in the pan for 30 minutes to set. Finish cooling on a rack, then slice into 16 delicious oatmeal cookie bars and enjoy!
Storing Oatmeal Cookie Bars
- Freezing: after cooling oatmeal cookie bars completely, store in an airtight container in the freezer for 1-2 months, they keep about as long as these no bake peanut butter oat cups.
- Room Temperature: Cool cookie bars completely, then store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place like a pantry. You can keep these bars for 1-2 weeks.
Customizing & Tips
- Chocolate Chips: try using any type of chocolate chip you’d like to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars, from dark chocolate to white chocolate. Also try butterscotch chips!
- Dried Fruit: I love adding in raisins, dried cranberries, even chopped up dried apricots.
- Nuts & Seeds: this cookie bar recipe is super easy to customize–try using sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts.
- Melting the butter: make sure to melt butter and set it aside while preparing the rest of the recipe. Keep it thoroughly melted, but not hot as it could cook the egg.
- Use finely chopped add-ins: this will ensure that your bars don’t become crumbly or hard to cut. This same tip applies for most baked goods, like these healthy oatmeal cookies.
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Description
These Oatmeal Cookie Bars have chewy interiors and crisp edges, packed with oats and melty chocolate chips! The best oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars recipe.
Tools Needed
Dry Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
Add-ins
Optional Topping
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients. Whisk until well-mixed.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Whisk as long as you can. Switch to stirring and folding with a rubber spatula until no flour patches remain. Fold in add-ins.
- Transfer dough into prepared baking pan. Using a rubber spatula, smooth into an even layer. Optionally, press add-ins into the tops of the bars.
- Bake for 18-24 minutes. Mine took 20 minutes.
- Cool oatmeal cookie bars in the pan for 30 minutes. Then, carefully transfer bars directly onto a cooling rack. Cool for 30-45 minutes, slice into 16 bars and enjoy!
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Notes
Storing Instructions: Cool oatmeal cookie bars completely, then store in an airtight container in a cool, dark environment for 1-2 weeks.
Freezing Instructions: Store bars in a freezer-friendly container for 1-2 months. Allow oatmeal cookie bars to thaw at room temperature for 10-20 minutes before enjoying.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
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