These moist and chewy high altitude chocolate chip oatmeal bars are loaded with dark chocolate chips and finished with a sprinkling of flaky salt. You’ll have a hard time eating just one of these addictive chocolate oatmeal cookie bars with their crispy golden edges and soft, gooey centers.
Looking for more high altitude cookie bar recipes? Don’t miss these hazelnut maple sugar cookie bars, s’mores chocolate chip cookie bars, and chocolate chip cookie brownies.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Chewy, Gooey, Salty, Sweet. All the best things that a cookie bar should have, right?
Simple to Make. This is a simple recipe to make, and the bars don’t need to cool that long if you want to enjoy them warm with a scoop of ice cream.
Easier than Cookies. Some days, I want warm gooey cookies without the effort of chilling dough balls and baking individual cookies. With these chocolate chip oatmeal bars, you get all the satisfaction of making and eating homemade cookies with half the work.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Butter. The butter adds moisture and fat for a gooey, chewy texture. I use unsalted butter so I can control the saltiness of the oatmeal bars.
- Sugar. A combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar adds sweetness and moisture, as well as helps to caramelize the edges a beautiful golden brown color with a crisp texture.
- Eggs. Add structure and moisture, as well as help the bars puff up as they bake.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Flour. Binds the dough together and gives it structure.
- Oats. Adds a crunchy, chewy texture and wholesome flavor. I use old-fashioned rolled oats for all of my recipes.
- Spices. Cinnamon and nutmeg adds flavor and warmth.
- Baking Powder. Leavening agent so the bars puff up as they bake.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Chocolate Chips. You can use any type of chocolate chips you like, but I prefer dark or semi-sweet.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9×13 baking pan with a piece of parchment/baking paper and snip the corners so the paper fits down into the pan. Alternatively, you can use aluminum foil, and spray the foil thoroughly with non-stick spray.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a bowl and hand-held electric mixer), beat the softened butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract and eggs and mix just until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture and the chocolate chips (reserving 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips to sprinkle on top) to the dough, and mix on low, just until moistened. The dough will be very thick.
- Pile the dough into the prepared pan. Since the dough is so thick and sticky, it can be a little tricky to spread it out. The best way is to butter your hands or an offset spatula and just push the dough out to the edges of the pan as evenly as you can. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips.
- Bake the cookie bars on the center oven rack for about 25-28 minutes, just until the edges are set and browned, but the center still looks a little underdone. Be careful not to over-bake these bars, or they will end up dry. They will continue to bake and set in the hot pan after you take them out of the oven. It’s normal for the center of the bars to settle and sink down a little as it cools.
- Let the bars cool completely, about 3-4 hours, before cutting, or serve them warm and messy with a scoop of ice cream.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of oats do you use?
I always use old-fashioned rolled oats for my baking, not quick oats.
Can I make half this recipe in a smaller pan?
Of course, but I haven’t tested a smaller batch, so I can’t advise on the bake time. For a half batch, you should bake the bars in an 8-inch pan and probably bake them for a few minutes less.
Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted?
You can, but you won’t be able to control the saltiness of the bars, so I can’t advise on how much salt you should add to the dough.
How long do these stay soft?
Store the leftover chocolate chip oatmeal bars in an airtight container at room temperature, and they should stay soft for several days.
You Might Also Like
Maple Hazelnut Sugar Cookie Bars 
S’mores Cookie Bars 
Best Homemade Brownies 
Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies
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High Altitude Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Bars
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet.
Equipment
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.Line a 9×13 baking pan with a piece of parchment/baking paper and snip the corners so the paper fits down into the pan. Alternatively, you can use aluminum foil, and spray the foil thoroughly with non-stick spray.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a bowl and hand-held electric mixer), beat the softened butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract and eggs and mix just until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture and the chocolate chips (reserving 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips to sprinkle on top) to the dough, and mix on low, just until moistened. The dough will be very thick.
- Pile the dough into the prepared pan. Since the dough is so thick and sticky, it can be a little tricky to spread it out. The best way is to butter your hands or a spatula and just push the dough out to the edges of the pan as evenly as you can. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips.
- Bake the cookie bars on the center oven rack for about 25-28 minutes, just until the edges are set and browned, but the center still looks a little underdone. Be careful not to over-bake these bars, or they will end up dry. They will continue to bake and set in the hot pan after you take them out of the oven. It's normal for the center of the bars to settle and sink down a little as it cools.
- Let the bars cool completely, about 3-4 hours, before cutting.
What altitude are these modifications? We are at 7500, in Pagosa Springs CO
Thanks
Everything on my site is tested at Denver’s altitude, around 5,280 feet. These should work just fine for you!