These oatmeal cookie bars are a heartier, chewier version of my chocolate chip cookie bars! Buttery, thick, chewy, and chock full of oats and (optional) chocolate pieces, these are easy to make with no mixer required!
Be sure to check out my step-by-step video just below the recipe!
Cookie bars are the ultimate sweet treat for when you really want cookies but are just too lazy to spend an hour scooping cookie dough.
Alright, so they’re really good anytime, but I’ve been there before too many times to count. Some of my favorite recipes were born of sheer laziness and cookie dough scooping fatigue (I’m looking at you, sugar cookie bars).
And while the lazy factor is a big plus for me, the best part is that we sacrifice nothing in terms of taste. These oatmeal cookie bars are like one of my big soft oatmeal cookies, only even thicker and chewier and loaded with a variety of (optional) chocolate chips. Oh and let’s not forget the best part: no chilling and no scooping required!
While you can make these cookie bars “plain” with no add-ins, I love adding chocolate chips or even chopped nuts to mine. For today’s oatmeal cookie bars I used a blend of milk and semisweet chocolate and butterscotch chips.
Occasionally I’ll toss in chopped walnuts as well. My last batch was a mix of walnuts, dark chocolate and caramel chips (here’s where I’d insert the drooling emoji if I could find it on my keyboard).
You can add your favorite add-ins, but I recommend only using about a cup and a half.
If you’re feeling a little lazy yourself this morning (or evening, or whenever you’re reading this) but also hear your sweet tooth calling, this is the dessert for you.
Let me know what you think of it! My sister-in-law loved these and if you like them half as much as she did they’ll be well worth your time.
Enjoy!
Looking for more lazy-day bar cookie recipes?
Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter melted (226g)
- 1 cup light brown sugar tightly packed (200g)
- ½ cup sugar (100g)
- 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (157g)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch cornflour in UK
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼-½ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats (285g)
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips optional, I did a mix of semisweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips (255g)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a 9x9 metal baking pan with parchment paper or grease and flour the sides and bottom of the pan.*
- Combine butter and sugars in a large bowl and stir until well-combined.
- Add eggs and vanilla extract and stir well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon (if using).
- Gradually add dry ingredients to wet until completely combined.
- Add oats and chocolate chips and stir until well combined.
- Spread cookie dough evenly into prepared baking pan and bake on 350F (175C) for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Bruce
Hi again. The first batch of these wonders is gone, so I had to make more. Your followers sometimes comment that a recipe is too sweet, so I decided to try something. I made these with half the sugar this time (1/2 cup brown, 1/4 cup granulated), and 1 cup of golden raisins in place of the chocolate chips. Not surprisingly, they’re still great, but, since the recipe as written is tested and perfected, this batch is nowhere near the amazing results I got last week. So, if you have a reader who needs reduced sugar, the recipe will work, but the results will be just great, not overwhelming.
Sam
Thank you for your feedback, Bruce! 🙂
Bruce
I just made them with chocolate chips, because I’m sharing them this time, and people generally prefer chocolate to raisins. They are amazing, of course, but I will always like them better with raisins.
I think you should remove the “optional” from the cinnamon, and set the amount at 1/2 tsp, because that is exactly the right amount. As I said before, it just contributes to the overall wonderful flavor, rather than making it a cinnamon cookie bar.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoy them, Bruce, thank you for the feedback! 🙂
Bruce
No, you have to give these a new name, because they are so high above an oatmeal cookie and a cookie bar, that Oatmeal Cookie Bars just doesn’t come anywhere near describing them. First, there are the textures – chewy, crisp corners, toasted oats on the crackly top, feeling like they’re made with sweetened condensed milk. I’m really glad that I used golden raisins instead of chocolate chips, because the chocolate would mask some of the subtle flavors in these confections. They are very rich, so even I can stop at just one. That little bit of cinnamon (and I used 1/2 tsp) just gently contributes to the overall flavor, as your seasonings always do. These have definitely passed your Snickerdoodle Blondies for first place in my favorite bars. Next time, I’ll add toasted pecans, because some crunch, along with all the other textures, will be even better.
Sam
Thank you so much, Bruce! I love your explanation of the textures. It’s spot on. 🙂
Shauna Guymon
Just made these with a few alterations. Omitted the egg yolk (I only had 2 eggs) Cut back on the oatmeal by about 1/4 cup & added about 1/2 cup each of coconut & pecans. Subbed caramel chips instead of chocolate chips.