These rustic Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies bake up with a fabulous brownie-like texture. They’re easy to make and dependably delicious every time.
Oatmeal cookies have always been a solid choice, but add a little cream cheese and melted chocolate and suddenly you’ve got something completely different.
These Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies lean more toward a brownie than a traditional oatmeal cookie — soft, fudgy, and a little rustic in the best way. Think Fudge Walnut Brownies, in cookie form. They come together quickly with simple ingredients and are perfect for when you’re craving something chocolatey.
A fun recipe to add to your baking list!
Ingredient Notes
- Semisweet chocolate chips: Melted chocolate is what gives these cookies their rich, brownie-like texture. I recommend semisweet for balance, but you could use dark chocolate if you want a deeper flavor.
- Cream cheese: Softened cream cheese adds richness and keeps the cookies extra soft and fudgy.
- Quick-cooking oats: Be sure to use quick oats, not old-fashioned rolled oats. Quick oats break down more during baking, creating the right texture for these cookies.
- Walnuts or pecans: Either nut works well here, but to drive home the brownie flavor, I love them with walnuts. You can also leave them out if you prefer nut-free cookies.
How to Make Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- Melt the chocolate: Microwave the chocolate chips at 50% power until smooth, stirring in between. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Combine the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and sugars until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
- Stir in the melted chocolate: Add the cooled, melted chocolate to the wet mixture and beat until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, nuts, baking soda, and salt. Stir into the chocolate mixture until fully incorporated. Cover and chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour.
- Shape: Roll the chilled dough into 1 ½-inch balls and place them on parchment-lined cookie sheets.
- Bake: Bake at 350 degrees F until cracks form and the tops are just set, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool briefly on the sheet, then transfer to a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Valerie’s Tips
Chill the dough: The dough must be chilled in the fridge for at least an hour before baking. This helps the cookies hold their shape in the oven.
Bake just until set: The key to getting that chewy, brownie-like texture is to pull the cookies from the oven as soon as cracks begin to form while the tops are still soft — they’ll continue setting as they cool, so resist the urge to bake them any longer.
Cool before finishing: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a minute or two before transferring them to a wire rack. Once they’ve cooled completely, dust them with a little powdered sugar.
Storage
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. They also freeze beautifully for up to 2 months.
For longer storage, freeze the dough instead of the baked cookies. Roll the dough into balls, flash freeze them on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. For a chocolate fix anytime, bake the dough straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the baking time.
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Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups quick cooking oats, (not old fashioned)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- powdered sugar, as needed
Instructions
- Place the chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds on 50% power. Stir and then microwave in 30 second intervals at 50% power, stirring in between, until completely smooth and melted. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add the melted, slightly cooled chocolate and mix again until well combined.
- In a separate medium bowl, use a spoon to combine the oats, flour, nuts, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir with a spoon until well combined. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or longer.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Shape the chilled dough into 1 ½ inch balls and place them a couple of inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cracks begin to form on the surface and cookies are almost set but still soft on top. Baking time can vary depending on the temperature of the dough and size of the cookies. Cool for 1 to 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to wire a rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled, sprinkle the tops with powdered sugar.
- Store the completely cooled cookies in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This post was originally published on February 11, 2019. It has been retested and updated with new text and images.
Adapted from QuakerOats.com
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I’ve gotten on a major sweet tooth kick lately and these cookies are calling my name! Perfect for Valentine’s Day!
You and me both, Amy! Thanks and Happy Valentine’s Day. 🙂