Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
These super easy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars are soft, chewy, and so delicious! The perfect fast fix for any cookie craving!
There is absolutely nothing better than an ooey, gooey, warm cookie bar resplendent with a healthy amount of chocolate chips. This oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bar is one of my all-time favorites!
Easy Cookie Dough
The dough for these oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars is super easy. Thanks to the melted butter, the dough is easily mixed by hand. One bowl. Minimal fuss. Exceptional result.
Wet ingredients:
- melted butter
- granulated sugar + brown sugar
- egg + egg yolk (the egg yolk provides rich chewiness to the bars)
- baking soda + salt + vanilla
To level up the deliciousness of these bars, try browning the butter. (Let it cool slightly before using.) You may never go back.
Dry ingredients:
- all-purpose flour
- oats (quick oats or regular oats)
- chocolate chips (semisweet forever, but you do you 😉)
Mix it up.
Don’t over think it.
Blink and you might miss it.
So easy, so fast.
Tips for Doubling the Recipe
Press the dough into a 9X13-inch baking pan and bake. But keep a close eye on the bars and don’t over bake. They are best under baked just a tad.
A double batch of these bars can be baked in a half sheet pan (about 11X17-inches or so).
Contrary to popular belief, a doubled batch doesn’t need double the baking time. In fact, I have even found that baking a double batch in a larger pan may even need less time.
Freezing and Storing Cookie Bars
These oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars are obviously quite tasty warm or at room temperature the day they are made.
However, they store wonderfully well and can be made ahead of time. The baked and cooled cookie bars can be frozen for several months. I pop the baked and cooled squares in freezer-safe resealable bags or shallow tupperware-type containers.
They also keep well in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Freshen them up with a 5 1/2 second stint in the microwave. Or eat them cold. Delicious either way.
A Favorite Cookie Bar For Sure
I love a good old-fashioned oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, but serving up and baking the dough in bar form is brilliantly easy and so yummy.
These oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars have been a favorite of mine (and yours!) for decades.
Liz M.: My 12 year old has made these twice in the last week all by herself. Came out amazing! The second time she kicked it up a notch with browned butter. I didn’t even know she knew how to brown butter! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Cyndi B.: Hi Mel, just letting you know that today is my third time making these. We recently had visitors from Germany and I made these. The kids literally fought over the last bar! This recipe was a big,big hit. Also, I added some nuts last time and they were great. Thanks Mel, you rock.
Samantha J.: Delicious! I doubled the recipe and used a combination of bittersweet and white chocolate chips. Everyone raved about them at our neighborhood cookout.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170 g) butter, melted
- ½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (106 g) lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups (213 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (100 g) quick oats or old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or line with parchment and lightly grease parchment and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg, egg yolk, vanilla, baking soda and salt, and mix by hand or with an electric mixer until well-combined.
- Add the flour, oats and chocolate chips and mix until evenly combined.
- Press the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 18-20 minutes. Don't over bake! These bars are best under baked just a tiny bit.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Recipe originally published June 2008; updated March 2024 with new photos, recipe notes, and changes.
So so easy, so so good.
Just took these out of the oven, an am salivating.
Thank you! Your recipes never disappoint!
Thank you so much, Rebecca!
Hello everyone! Hi! It’s your friendly neighborhood insane woman who’s tenuously trying to hold on to as many of Mel’s recipes as I can, with my gluten free fingertips.
I’VE GOT GOOD GLUTEN FREE NEWS.
I made these tonight with Cup4Cup, and they turned out great!! I get the vibe the recipe is forgiving enough that it would probably work with my other two favorite flours, King Arthur Measure for Measure and Better Batter, but I can’t officially confirm that. I’d definitely give it a try with either of them, though.
Also I was sliiiiiiightly inebriated when I made these, so if you like baking while drinking, this is a great recipe for that because we got along great with each other
GF update!!!!
Don’t use Cup4Cup. I made these again, with King Arthur Measure for Measure, and HOLY COW. A million times better and fluffier.
Thanks for the GF info. I came to the comments to see if anyone had made them GF. Will definitely make with King Arthur Measure for Measure.
Mel, could you use raisins instead of chocolate chips, or maybe half and half? Do you have a recipe for oatmeal raisins bars?
Yes, you could definitely use raisins in place of the chocolate chips. If doing so, it might be yummy to add a bit of ground cinnamon to the dough. I don’t have a recipe for oatmeal raisin bars, but I bet these would convert nicely!
I was following you in 2008 when you first posted these, and we have loved them ever since! So yummy and easy! I made them this week with half toffee and half chocolate chips. So good!
Love that you’ve been around this long, Jen!! Toffee bits in these bars sound heavenly!
When do you add the vanilla?? I don’t see it in the instructuons.
Sorry about that, Kristie! It’s added with the egg and egg yolk.
Love these and make them often! I typically brown the butter and toast the coconut. I’ve also thrown in different chip mixtures (like some butterscotch and dark chocolate chip combined). I’ve also cut up soft werthers caramels and pressed them into the surface and that’s super delicious!
Oh wow, the werthers variation sounds so unique and delicious! This particular recipe doesn’t call for coconut – are you adding in some or are you thinking of this recipe? https://www.melskitchencafe.com/oatmeal-chocolate-chip-coconut-cookie-bars/
2 notes/questions:
I browned the butter but didn’t let it cool long enough so the chips melted, darn it. Also, there is a strong taste of baking soda — 2 tsp for a double batch seemed like a lot but I did it anyway. Maybe I shouldn’t have?
Hi Julie, I’ve always used the two teaspoons baking soda for a double batch and haven’t noticed a strong taste, but you could probably dial back to 1 1/2 teaspoons for a double batch if it is noticeable to you.
Can this go in a 9×9 pan for thicker bars? Love your recipes, the sour cream banana bread is a family favorite.
Hi Christine! I haven’t tried that, but I think it should work as long as the sides are high enough to prevent overflowing.
I just made these and they are amazing!! I used less than the listed amount of sugar (about 80 grams per sugar) and it turned out great!
Thanks for the comment and review, Priscilla!
Will the cook time and temp be different using a glass 9×13? It’s all I have.
Hi Sandy – if using a glass pan, I suggest reducing the baking temperature to 325 degrees F and keeping an eye on the time – might need a few extra minutes.
Hi, just wondering what to adjust if we brown the butter? I’ve noticed it loses moisture and when I’ve done it in the past things turn out dry, if the recipe doesn’t account for the browning of the butter.
HI Suzanne, if you brown the butter, let it cool until room temperature or just every so slightly warm (might be a bit sludgy in texture – that’s ok). That will help a bit with the dry issue. If you are still finding it dries out the dough, dial back on the flour by a couple tablespoons.
I was so excited to make these bars today …It wasnt on my list of things to do today but thought Id be spontaneous. They just didnt set up the only thing I can think of was I used cracked toasted oats Coache’s Oats as they were the only oats I had. Could that make a difference? look forward to hearing back from you.
Hi Christy, a quick google search tells me that the oats you used are similar in texture to steel cut oats. So yes, unfortunately, those won’t work as well in this recipe as using old-fashioned rolled oats (the texture of those two kinds of oats are completely different).
Oops just reread recipe and found I read butter amount wrong. My bad!
Mine turned out quite greasy. Any hints what went wrong?
Delicious! I doubled the recipe and used a combination of bittersweet and white chocolate chips. Everyone raved about them at our neighborhood cookout.
This is the 5th or 6th time I’ve made these. They are delicious and my oldest son requests them for his birthday treat to take to school.
I’ve learned the truth of your comment that it’s better to undercook them by a couple minutes than to let them brown much…they get dry.
Thanks Mel for great recipes!!
These are a favorite of ours, too, even after all these years. Glad you love them!
Another awesome recipe Mel! Thank you!
Thanks, Mel. I will try them.
Chiara
Hi, Mel:
This recipe looks great, and I wanted to make these bars for a cookie exchange for the teachers at my son’s school. I need a total of 36 bars. If I double the recipe as you recommend, will it make at least 3 dozen bars?
Thanks,
Chiara
It really depends on how big you cut them. A doubled recipe fills a large, rimmed baking sheet – I think you could get at least 30 or so and cut them smaller if you need 36.
Hi Mel, just letting you know that today is my third time making these. We recently had visitors from Germany and I made these. The kids literally fought over the last bar! This recipe was a big,big hit. Also, I added some nuts last time and they were great. Thanks Mel, you rock.
These are amazing! By the way, where or how do you store them?
Viktoriya – I let them cool, slice them and store them covered in a container in the refrigerator for a couple days. They also freeze great.
Can I halve this recipe and use an 8×8 inch pan? Would the baking time be lessened?
Viktoriya – Yes the recipe can be halved. I’d probably check it about 2-3 minutes sooner.
Hi
Just wondering if when you make the double batch in a larger pan as mentioned in your notes, you adjust the cooking time at all. Thanks 🙂
Hi Erica – not really. Just keep an eye on it. If anything, it will need to cook for a bit less time.
I comment whenever I like a post on a website or I have something
to add to the conversation. Usually it is triggered by the passion displayed in the article
I browsed. And on this post Mel’s Kitchen Cafe | Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars. I was excited enough to drop a thought 🙂 I actually do have a few questions for you if it’s allright.
Is it only me or does it give the impression like some of these responses appear
like written by brain dead visitors? 😛 And, if you are posting at other online social sites, I
would like to follow you. Would you list all of your shared sites like your twitter
feed, Facebook page or linkedin profile?
My 12 year old has made these twice in the last week all by herself. Came out amazing! The second time she kicked it up a notch with browned butter. I didn’t even know she knew how to brown butter! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
These were tasty! My whole family loved them and it was a nice change from making cookies!
45 minutes ago, I decided I wanted to make some kind of bar cookie to serve for dessert after dinner. These came together in 5 minutes, cooked in 18 and now half the pan is gone. Seriously? In 45 minutes? My 3 sons and husband don’t mess around when they like something. AMAZING!
Made these tonight, love them!!!
Yum! Used Kamut wheat…more buttery yum!
n82 – I’ve frozen these before and they seem to fare quite well out of the freezer.
Can you freeze these once baked? Has anyone noticed a huge difference in quality when you did that?
I just made these today – wow, they are so good!!
I linked this recipe on my post today 🙂 Thanks Mel!
These are SOOOO good! I’m making them for the 3rd time in 3 weeks right now…
Melissa – these are some of my favorites, in fact I am making them tomorrow. So glad you liked them, too!
Valerie – thanks for letting me know about your changes. They sound delicious. I’m definitely going to have to try it this way next time since it is so popular!
These are just what my taste buds are craving right now! Thanks Melanie!
I made these yesterday after church for a little father’s day snack while my hubby watched the US open. They were a big hit! Thanks!
I made two batches of these for a party yesterday, but I didn’t have any chocolate chunks. The first batch I used one cute up Symphony candy bar along with enough chocolate chips to equal 12 oz. They were good, but I’ve had lots of bars that tated similar. Then I made the second batch with semisweet chocolate chips, 1 T. orange juice and some orange zest, like a visitor suggested in his/her comment. I didn’t add the cranberries since I didn’t have them. That batch was so good and I will make it that way again. It tastes like you’re eating a chocolate orange candy, but softer. Thanks for the recipe.
Those look so good! My collection of bookmarked recipes is growing much faster than I can try them.
I’d have to agree with you. I have so many recipes printed out at home but whenever I find out I have to make something I always go to the internet for something new. I just gave myself a challenge of making something out of each of my cookbooks I own, check it out!
I am totally the same way – too many recipes, too little time!!These bars sound delicious, and easy which is always a plus!
Anonymous – this is why I love comments! I love all the ideas you shared about how you changed these up. I use a lot of ground white wheat flour, too, but have never used them in these – now I know they will taste great if I do. And I love the combination of cranberries and orange. Awesome ideas!
Oh, my mouth is watering. I’ve got to try these. And I agree about the recipes – sometimes I’m compulsive about trying out all the recipes in a cookbook just so I know if they are good or not! 🙂
your a girl after my own heart…gotta love em. I’ll have to try with mint chips..mmmm
ah, yes–the bar cookie. it’s almost always my favorite form of cookie to make, since i am a lazy, lazy sloth. 🙂 what a bonus when they’re as delicious as their drop cookie cousins.
I made these last week. The only changes were to use only about 1 cup of chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of nuts, and I used King Arthur white whole wheat flour. I use it in almost all of my cookie baking. I think it adds a nice nuttiness, plus I like the idea of not eating procesed white flour. They were delicious! So much so that I just made them again-this time with only 1/2 cup of chips, plus 1/2 cup of orange flavored dried cranberries, some orange zest, and 1 tablespoonful of orange juice. Fabulous!
I’m Sophie, Key Ingredient’s Chief Blogger. We would like to feature this adapted recipe on our blog. Please email sophiekiblogger@gmail.com if interested. Thanks 🙂Sophiehttp://blog.keyingredient.com/
Melanie,As soon as I saw this on your blog I went directly to the kitchen and made them. My kids had some friends over playing Wii Fit and I made up a batch for them – I am sure any calories they burned playing the Wii Fit were destroyed by these yummy bars!! They are so good and gooey right out of the oven- perfect with an ice cold class of milk. I only had chocolate chips – no chunks so just used those.
These were so yummy. Even better the second day… not so rich. Thanks!
Stacie – next time I make these I’ll have to reserve some to try the next day (they never make it that far). Glad you liked the recipe! Thanks for checking in.