Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
Published on February 02, 2022
Quick Summary
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars- thick, chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars made with brown butter, oats, lots of chocolate chips, and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt. An easy dessert for any occasion!
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Pin ItI love bar desserts because they are made in one pan, easy to share, and always a hit. A few of my favorites include: Monster Cookie Bars, Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, Magic Cookie Bars, and these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars.
Whenever I am craving a good dessert, but don’t have a ton of time or don’t want to fuss with anything fancy, I love making Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars. They are my FAVORITE and the perfect dessert for any occasion.
The cookie bars start with brown butter so you know they are going to be good:) They also have oats, lots of chocolate chips, and a touch of sea salt. The bars are thick, chewy, and chocolaty!
I guarantee you will make these bars over and over again. They are my go to dessert for potlucks, picnics, and parties. Everyone loves them, I always come home with an empty pan.
The next time you need an EASY dessert, make Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars. They turn out perfect every single time. They are a 10/10!
Cookie Bar Ingredients
I love this cookie bar recipe because I always have the ingredients on hand.
- Butter– I brown the butter for the BEST flavor.
- Sugar– brown sugar and granulated sugar.
- Eggs– I use one large egg AND one large egg yolk. The extra yolk makes the bars extra chewy.
- Vanilla extract– splurge and use pure vanilla extract! And yes, I add 1 tablespoon:)
- Flour– Use regular all-purpose flour. If you need the bars to be gluten-free, you can use all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Baking powder– to give the bars a little lift.
- Sea salt– I use sea salt in the recipe and I sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top of the bars. I love the sweet and salty combo.
- Cinnamon– I add a little cinnamon which compliments the chocolate and oats.
- Oats– Use old-fashioned oats, not quick oats. Make sure you use gluten-free oats if you need the recipe to be gluten-free.
- Chocolate Chips– I prefer semi-sweet chocolate chips, Guittard is my favorite brand. If you prefer milk chocolate or dark chocolate, go for it! You could even use white chocolate chips.
How to Make Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
I love making cookies, but sometimes it’s just easier to put all of the ingredients in a pan and bake! Let’s do it!
- Preheat the oven and line a 9×9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. The parchment paper will make it easy to lift the bars out of the pan.
- Brown the butter! Place the butter in a medium saucepan and melt over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, smells nutty, and browns. Watch closely so you don’t burn the butter. Scrape the browned butter into a large bowl and let cool for about 5 minutes.
- Add the sugars to the brown butter and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until smooth. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Stir until combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until just combined, don’t over mix.
- Stir in the oats and chocolate chips.
- Pour the dough into the prepared pan and spread with a spatula.
- Bake until the bars are set and golden brown. Don’t over bake the bars will continue setting up as they cool.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let the bars cool before cutting into squares.
How to Store
If your pan has a lid, let the bars cool and then you can put the lid on tightly. You can also store the bars in an airtight container on the counter. The bars will keep for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze the cookie bars. Cut them into bars and store in a freezer container or bag for up to 2 months in the freezer. Thaw and serve!
More Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Magic Cookie Bars
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Monster Cookie Bars
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
- 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on bars
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9×9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the butter in a medium saucepan and melt over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, smells nutty, and browns. This will take about 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape the browned butter into a large bowl and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the brown sugar and sugar to the brown butter and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until smooth. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Stir until combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until just combined, don’t over mix.
- Stir in the oats and chocolate chips.
- Pour the dough into the prepared pan and spread with a spatula. You can use your fingers to lightly press the dough into the corners of the pan to make sure the dough is evenly spread.
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the bars are set and golden brown. Don’t over bake the bars will continue setting up as they cool.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let the bars cool before cutting into squares.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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If using an 8×8 pan would you just increase the baking time a bit?
The bars will be thicker, so you will probably need to bake them a little longer. If the top gets too dark, you can loosely cover with foil.
I made these tonight, and they are delicious and so easy! I only had an 8×8 pan, so I cooked a few minutes longer and let them cool in the pan for 30 minutes before cutting. Thank you – your dessert recipes are always top notch!
I love a good dessert:) I am glad you loved the bars!
I am going to try these but dont have old fashion oats and hope they turn out. probably wont put the salt on top either. will have to double the recipe and do you have to use the paper for them
The parchment paper just makes it easier for the bars to come out of the pan. If you grease it really well, they will be fine too! Enjoy!
Just made these this afternoon! They are delicious and so quick and easy to make!! Definitely a new favorite!
Yay! I am so glad you loved the bars. Thanks for letting us know! ENJOY!
I accidentally bought dark brown sugar instead of light. Would that be ok in this recipe?
Absolutely! Enjoy!
These were SO good. Iโve made them twice already. A nice switch from just baking chocolate chip cookies! Followed the recipe exactly. Thanks as always for the delicious recipe.
Hi Jamie-I am thrilled you are loving this recipe! We make them all of the time too!
I have regular sea salt for the recipe. Can I use that instead of flakey sea salt? Or just skip that part.
Regular will work, don’t skip the salt:)
Delicious and they did not last after I offered them to guests! Now I have to make a second batch just to get through the weekend
They never last long at our house either:) A second batch is always a good idea!
These were quick to put together (espc if you use the browned butter from Trader Joeโs) and delicious. Did half the pan with choc chips and walnuts and the other half with cinnamon chips and walnuts. The sea salt on top was Will def be making again for company. Thx for this tasty dessert recipe!
I made these last night.. thought that I might have over browned the butter, but it didnโt taste burnt, so proceeded. Only had dark brown sugar, and after adding the sugars to the still hot butter (didnโt cool the full 5 mins), I was really skeptical that this recipe would be work. I used extra large eggs too. The batter looked super dark and like a big gooey mass that I had to flatten into the pan, and once again thought no way will these be successful. Baked them in a 8X6 glass pan. These are the BEST bars I have ever madeโฆ decadent, beyond yummy.. the brown butter flavor, with the salt on top perfectly balances the sweetness. Honestly this is the first review I have ever written for a recipe but just had to, since these are an epiphany. Just canโt make these again anytime soon, as I canโt stop stuffing my face with them. Perfect with glass of cold milk. Thank You!!!
I am so glad you think they are the best too:) Thanks for letting us know!! And yes, so good with milk:)
These were so so good! I’ve made a lot of cookie bars in my days and this is one I will for sure make again. The brown butter with the chocolate and oatmeal had such a yummy flavor! I forgot to put the sea salt on initially, and liked them even more when I added a little. The salty cut in to the sweetness perfectly. Thanks for another yummy treat!
You are welcome!! Our favorite too!
Made these last night and my hubby wanted to eat half the pan. Excellent and easy recipe!
I completely understand, it’s hard to stop:) Glad you loved the bars!
I made this in a round cake pan so I could serve it like a cookie cake. Delicious! Thank you so much, Maria, for so generously sharing your time and recipes.
These were absolutely delicious! Everyone in my family raved about them. I will definitely make again. I didn’t make any modifications except to use quick oats because I didn’t have any old fashioned.
I am thrilled you loved the bars! They are one of my favorite easy desserts!
These are delicious! Family has requested them again. If making a double batch, would you use a 9×13 pan and still get the same result?
These were great! Used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free baking flour with no issues. Baked about 5 minutes longer. Really enjoyed the browned butter flavor.
Browned butter is the best!
Was feeling a bit lazy today to make oatmeal cookies for my neighbor (which are his favorite cookie.) I was searching and found this recipe as my perfect solution. After taste-testing several (because it’s a baker’s duty to do that …LOL), they are fabulous. I got the beautiful meringue top which I wasn’t expecting. Excellent recipe that I was surely make again. I did leave out the cinnamon because I don’t care fo cinnamon with chocolate and I was out of semi-sweet chips so I subbed dark chocolate and they were perfect.
I am so happy you loved the bars!
Bars are currently in the oven – itโs my third time making them and guaranteed wonโt be the last. Only rave reviews from husband, cousins, friendsโฆthese are DELISH with such a great flavor from the brown butter and perfect chewy texture. Loveeeeeee this recipe.
I love these bars too! SO good!