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Making Friday even sweeter with these Healthier Dark Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bars. These one-bowl homemade oatmeal cookie bars with dark chocolate chunks and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt are the perfect way to end the week. They’re super easy and made a touch healthier with a mix of whole grain oats, whole wheat flour, coconut or olive oil, and a reduced amount of sugar. But most importantly, everyone LOVES these bars! Plus, they’re pretty difficult to mess up…they always turn out GREAT.
Going back to my childhood roots with these oatmeal cookie bars. For any of you that know anything about my mom, you know that when my brothers and I were growing up, she’d have dessert on the table before dinner was even a thought. Her staples were chocolate chip cookies, special K-bars, chocolate cake, and her famous oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that she’s been making ever since her friend Lora gave her the recipe (before I was even born).
Oh her cookies. My memories of them are so fond and perfect. We’d always eat them a little warm and gooey right after baking and always with a cold glass of milk. Very classic, right? To this day, these are some of my favorite memories. Baking in the kitchen with mom and zero brothers around.
Fun fact? My purpose in life as a kid was to figure out a way to get mom all to myself without any of my five brothers. It was tricky, but when I made it happen I loved every minute of our one-on-one time.
Anyway, when my mom wasn’t feeling like baking her round chocolate cookies, she’d make oatmeal cookie bars. Her recipe is EASY and it’s the BEST. You simply cannot beat a one bowl, ten-minute prep, and pantry staple cookie bar.
Mom would make her oatmeal cookie bars once a week. And there were definitely many weeks she’d make them twice. When a recipe is as easy and as delicious as her bars, it becomes a staple in the kitchen. But here’s the truth. Over the years I’ve adapted her recipe, making small tweaks here and there to adjust them to be a little bit healthier and maybe even better?
Maybe…
It’s hard to beat an oatmeal cookie bar baked by my mom, but these healthier dark chocolate chunk oatmeal cookie bars come very, very close.
Here are the very simple details.
This recipe requires just one bowl and a spoon…no mixer. It’s completely no-fuss, and takes ten minutes to toss together. You can’t mess these bars up. They are practically foolproof.
In your mixing bowl combine all of the dry ingredients. Now, add all of the wet ingredients. Mix away until you have a crumbly dough. Stir in plenty fo dark chocolate chunks, then press the dough into a baking dish. Bake twenty minutes and sprinkle with flaky sea salt once you remove them from the oven.
Smell the wonderfulness? Do you see the melty chocolate?
I don’t love the word perfect, but these oatmeal cookies are pretty close to it.
A few notes and keys to success…
Normally I’m all for butter, but with this cookie recipe there is no sub…oil is what works best, and is a bit healthier too. Over the years I’ve discovered that you can use melted coconut (which I prefer) or extra virgin olive oil (which is also delicious but adds a little flavor to the cookie).
To make these a heartier cookie, I replaced half of the white flour with whole wheat flour and reduced the sugar by half. And of course, was sure to stir in plenty of antioxidant-rich dark chocolate.
Oh, and you can’t forget a nice dusting of flaky sea salt. You don’t have to, but it sure is good…
One thing I do want to note is that these cookie bars are crumbly. It’s just the way they are, and it’s apart of what makes them delicious. So embrace the crumbly cookie bar. Promise you, it’s so good.
What I love about these cookies is that they’re so easy to make. They require no chilling and truly take just thirty minutes from start to finish. I almost always have these ingredients on hand. So when it’s Friday night and the urge for a delicious yet slightly healthier chocolatey cookie comes on? These cookies are always what I bake. Always.
They’re just perfectly crisp on the edges but soft and gooey in the middle. The best kind of cookie.
Bake these tonight, or sometime this weekend. Then make them again whenever you’re craving something sweet. Perfect for any time of the year bar, and such a great staple recipe. Hope you ENJOY!
Looking for other healthier desserts for the weekend? Some favorites…
Healthy…ish Homemade Samoas Cookies
Fudgy Avocado Brownies with Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Lastly, if you make these healthier dark chocolate chunk oatmeal cookie bars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Healthier Dark Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Servings: 24 bars
Calories Per Serving: 262 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2-3/4 cup light brown sugar, us more for a sweeter cookie (I use only 1/2 cup)
- 1/4-1/2 cup granulated sugar, us more for a sweeter cookie (I use only 1/4 cup)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup melted coconut oil (see notes)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chunks
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter or line with parchment paper. 2. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the oatmeal, flour, whole wheat flour brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda, salt, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until the dough is moist and all the ingredients are combined. The dough will be crumbly. Mix in the chocolate chunks. 3. Press the dough into the prepared baking dish. It will seem crumbly. Transfer to the oven and bake 18-20 minutes or until the edges are set and the bars are golden. Sprinkle with flaky salt (if desired). Let cool and then cut into bars.
Notes
To Make Gluten Free: Use an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. I recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour.
To Replace Coconut Oil: use an equal amount of olive oil, melted butter, or canola oil.
Storing: these cookies keep well for 3-4 days at room temperature.
I was trying to get the perfect taste and I failed thrice. The fourth time I made sure I do everything as mentioned and it worked great. Thank You
Hey Sagar,
That is so awesome this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Happy Friday! xTieghan
I just made these and I’m not quite sure where I went wrong. They are very dry. They seem like the taste would be there but too dry. I used a cup of whole wheat flour and a cup of pastry flour. Wasn’t entirely sure as the instructions were confusing. One area said 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup pastry flour then in another area I seen 1 cup all purpose, and 1 cup whole wheat so I was really unsure
Hey Olivia,
So sorry to hear this, unfortunately it sounds like you used too much flour. You wanted to use 1 cup of either whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
I did the same thing!!!!
I cooked down 3 cups of cherries and I added crushed cherries to the mixture and cut out the white sugar. I added a little more vanilla and used the juice from cherries that I cooked down in its place. I topped it with some of the crushed cherries mixed with melted chocolate. It worked perfect. Great breakfast bar!
Hey Suzy,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Made these many times and they are SO delicious and always a hit with guests!
Tieghan, do you think this dough would store ok in the fridge for a day or two (or freezer)? I made a batch and realized the company that was coming over is no longer coming so I was thinking of saving the dough for future use.
Hey Allison,
I am so glad that you liked this recipe, thanks for giving it a go! Yes, that would be totally fine:) Happy Friday? xTieghan
These are SO good!! My second time making them. I halve the recipe, use GF flour, and use coconut sugar. Delicious!! Can’t wait to dig into these after dinner tonight! Thanks for another awesome recipe!
Hey Kayla,
Awesome, I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed and thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
These were ok, not great. Needs something. Nuts or dried fruit maybe?
Hey Kelly,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
These were delicious! Made them for a friend’s birthday. I made them GF and just substituted both kinds of flour for a GF flour and it was fine. Paired it with vanilla bean ice cream! 🙂
Hey Rosemary,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have great week:) xTieghan
These bars are so delicious. I am loving them. This is not the first recipe of yours that I made and it certainly will not be the last.
Hey Lisa,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Happy Friday! xTieghan
I’m on medical MJ, so I made these with cannabutter and made mini muffins… MY new medicine… Thank you!!
Hey there,
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a go! I am thrilled it was enjoyed. xTieghan
These are soo delicious and also easy! My husband has claimed they’re the best thing I’ve ever baked – which is a big statement! I added some chopped walnuts and dollops of peanut butter on top and they were sensational, struggling to not eat them all at once!
Hey Nina,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Delicious and easy, as promised. Dark chocolate is the only chocolate for me, and it was great making a healthier treat. My teens loved it too!
Hey Nancy,
I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
These are my go to mid morning or mid afternoon snack. Used extra dark fancy chocolate chips, the small sugar amounts as suggested and man these are SO GOOD. The hardest part is letting them cool.
Hey Katie,
I am so thrilled that you have enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for making it:) xTieghan
I can’t find whole wheat flour at the grocery store-would 2 cups of all purpose flour be ok?
Hey Jean,
Yes, that will work well. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Try using Monkfruit sugar in place of the brown sugar, I may try tyr recipe that way. Otherwise, yummy looking recipe. I have to say your photos are some the best food photos I have ever seen, you have a great eye.
Hey Katheryn,
I haven’t tested this and I am honestly not sure how well that will work. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Loved these! I would recommend going with the higher amounts of sugar based on the scale provided. I went with the low suggestions and they were a little too hearty to satisfy my Saturday night sweet tooth!
Hey Molly,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad they were enjoyed! xTieghan
can I add bananas or would that ruin the recipe??
Hey Michelle,
I’ve not tested this, but you could certainly give it a try! Let me know how the recipe turns out! xTieghan