If I had to pick one go-to cookie recipe to please lots of different people and tastes it would be these classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars.
They’re similar to a traditional chocolate chip cookie but I love how the oats make them extra chewy and satisfying. So let’s make them.
The ingredients
- Plant butter: Creamed with the sugars to trap air for lift and coat the flour for a tender bite, plus that rich, buttery flavor, without any dairy.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the dough and helps it spread and crisp at the edges as the sugar melts and caramelizes in the oven.
- Brown sugar: Adds a deep, caramel note from the molasses, which also holds onto moisture and keeps the bars soft and chewy days after baking.
- Eggs: Bind the dough together and add moisture and richness. Their proteins help set the bars’ structure as they bake, and they whip a little air in for lift alongside the baking soda.
- Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste: Rounds out the dough’s sweetness rather than adding a flavor of its own, working quietly in the background.
- All-purpose flour: The gluten in the flour forms the structure that holds the butter, sugar, and mix-ins together, sturdy enough to slice into bars.
- Oats: Soak up some of the liquid in the dough while adding heartiness and chew, the thing that sets these apart from a regular chocolate chip cookie.
- Baking soda: Reacts with the brown sugar to create lift, and also helps the bars brown as they bake.
- Salt: Sharpens the chocolate and brown sugar flavors so they taste more pronounced in every bite.
- Chocolate chips: Melt into gooey pockets throughout the bars, my favorite part.
Subs, swaps, FAQ
- Dairy-free: Make the recipe as written.
- Vegan or egg-free: Swap in flax eggs for the regular eggs (see notes section of recipe card below). Also double check your plant butter, chocolate chips, and sugar: most conventional granulated and brown sugar in the US is refined using bone char from cattle bones as a decolorizing filter, so it isn’t strictly vegan unless it’s labeled organic or vegan-certified.
- Gluten-free: Swap in King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour for the all-purpose flour, and use gluten-free oats.
- Can I use quick oats instead of old-fashioned oats? Yes, though old-fashioned oats give you a heartier, chewier bar. I like to use a combination of both.
- Can I freeze the dough instead of the baked bars? Yes, press the dough into the pan, wrap tightly, and freeze unbaked for up to 3 months. Add a few extra minutes to the bake time if baking from frozen.
- Why are my bars greasy on top? This usually means the butter was too warm going into the mixer, let it soften at room temperature rather than melting it.
- Can I add nuts or swap in different mix-ins? Yes, walnuts, pecans, or dried fruit all work in place of some or all of the chocolate chips, keep the total mix-in amount close to 4 cups.
- Do I need to chill the dough before baking? No, this dough is pressed straight into the pan and baked right away, no chilling required.
- Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time? Yes, cover and refrigerate the dough in a bowl for up to 2-3 days, then bring it to room temperature before pressing it into the pan and baking.
- Can I press the dough into the pan ahead of time? Yes, press it into the pan, cover, and refrigerate. Pull it out while the oven preheats so it’s not going in ice cold, and add a few extra minutes to the bake time if the center still feels cool.
The beauty of cookie bars
I love cookies. Cookie Bars are cookies, but in square form, and even easier to make. They skip the scooping and shaping: just press the dough into a pan, bake, and slice. Whether you’re after big, chewy squares or bite-sized morsels, these bars are as versatile as they are delightful. If you’re busy and feel like you could use more time, cookie bars are a true life hack.
Baking tools & equipment I use for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Kitchen scale: I bake everything by weight for accuracy and fewer dishes using this scale.
- Half sheet pan (13×18 inch): A high-sided half-sheet pan gives you the right depth and surface area for 24 cookie bars in a 6×4 grid. This is the one I use (comes with a lid!).
- Parchment paper: Line the pan and leave an inch of overhang on the sides. Makes cleanup a breeze and you can lift the bars out of the pan easily. My favorite.
- Rubber spatula: For scraping the bowl clean and spreading the dough evenly in the pan. My favorite.
- Wire cooling rack: Lets air circulate underneath the pan so the bars cool evenly and completely. The one I use, great for when you bake multiple things or have more than 1 pan to cool at the same time.
Want a quick resource with what vegan and gluten-free ingredients to use? I put together this free guide with all my favorites, the ones I use every day. Once you have the essentials, you can bake anything that you (or those around you) are craving.
Note: Some links in this post are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you, which helps support my small business.
More cookie bar recipes
Let’s bake!
Share your bakes on Instagram and TikTok and tag @fetchinggoodies, I love to see and share what you make! And join the Goodies community so you never miss a recipe.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars | Dairy-Free with Vegan & Gluten-Free Options
Description
Everyone needs a classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe in their baking back-pocket, and now you have one! Soft and chewy with pockets of chocolate, melt-in-your-mouth and satisfying in every bite. These bars are great for play dates, parties, traveling, or popping in the freezer to have on-hand whenever you need or want one. Undetectably dairy-free, with swaps to make them vegan and gluten-free, too.
Ingredients
Instructions
-
Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F and position the rack in the middle. Line a 13×18 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an inch overhang on the sides for easy removal after baking. Set aside.
-
Whisk together dry ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
-
Cream together the wet ingredients: In the bowl of your stand mixer, measure together the butter (softened), brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until it's light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
-
Add in the eggs and vanilla and beat again on a medium speed to incorporate evenly into the batter, about 1 minute.
-
Add the dry ingredients: With the mixer on its lowest speed, gradually add the flour mixture. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Mix until the dry ingredients are just combined — avoid over-mixing to keep the bars soft and tender.
-
Add in the mix-ins: Gently mix in the chocolate chips. If the dough feels too thick for the mixer, switch to a wooden spoon to finish combining everything by hand.
-
Spread the dough evenly into your prepared baking pan, using a spatula to smooth it out. For an extra fetching touch, sprinkle additional chocolate chips over the top before baking.
-
Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 28–30 minutes, until the top is just set (no longer shiny) and the edges are golden and just start to pull away from the pan.
-
Cool: Remove the baking pan from the oven and allow it to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
-
Slice: Once cooled, use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board. To make 24 bars, cut 4 x 6. Or, make them as large or small as you'd like.
-
Place them on a tray or plate to serve, or pop them into plastic bags to take with you on-the-go, pack with lunches, or give to friends and family. Enjoy!
-
Freeze for later: Place leftover bars in an airtight, freezer-safe container or a resealable freezer bag. Store them for up to 6 months and thaw individual bars whenever you need a quick snack!
Note
- I include both the volume (cups) and weight (grams/ounce) measurements in the recipe. I highly recommend baking by weight (e.g. 198 grams per cup of sugar, rather than 1 cup of sugar). It’s more accurate, consistent, and results in fewer dishes! That said, baking by volume is also fine. Do whatever is most convenient for you.
- For plant butter, I use Earth Balance and Country Crock brands.
- For chocolate chips: Trader Joe's has delicious dairy-free chocolate chips. I also often use Wegmans brand for vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free. There are other brands too, check labels.
- For gluten-free, swap in King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten-Free flour.
- For vegan, swap 4 flax eggs for the regular eggs. 1 flax egg is 7 g of ground flaxseeds mixed with 45 g of water. For 4 flax eggs, mix together 28 g of ground flaxseeds with 180 g water. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before using.
