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!

Three stacked square oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars.

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.

Glass bowl with white sugar, brown sugar, egg, egg yolk, and melted butter.
Glass bowl with chocolate chips, flour and oatmeal.

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.

Top down view of oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough.

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.

9X13-inch pan of oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough.
Bottom corner of 9X13-inch pan of baked 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.

Nine cut squares of oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars on white parchment paper.

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.

Several stacked oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars.
Twelve squares of cut chocolate chip cookie bars on white parchment paper.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Yield: 24 Bars (9X13-inch pan)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
4.73 stars (40 ratings)
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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

Butter: to take it up a notch, try browning the butter first. Amazing! Also, I always use salted butter.
Doubling: this recipe doubles great to fit in a half sheet pan (11X17-inch rimmed baking sheet).
Update: the original bar recipe posted in 2008 called for 1 3/4 cups flour, but I’ve long since cut the flour amount back to 1 1/2 cups for softer, chewier bars. 
Author: Mel
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Method: Bake
Serving: 1 Bar, Calories: 185kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 129mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 14g

Recommended Products

Measuring Cups
Silicone Spatula
9X13-inch Metal Baking Pan
Electric Hand Mixer

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Recipe originally published June 2008; updated March 2024 with new photos, recipe notes, and changes.

cut chocolate chip bar laying next to white bowl

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