These brown butter oatmeal cookie bars have a sweet and chewy cookie base loaded with oats and chocolate chips. They're a great quick and easy recipe to whip up when you don't want to bother scooping your dough.
Brown butter oatmeal cookie bars are the easy bar form of my favorite combo, brown butter and oatmeal! My brown butter oatmeal raisin cookies are my favorite cookie of all time, and these bars might be a close second! I love the warmth from the brown butter and cinnamon combined with the texture from the oats.
For more cookie bar recipes try my sheet pan chocolate chip cookie bars, monster cookie bars, or my chewy snickerdoodle cookie bars.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: These bars can be made in a mixer, or by hand, and are so simple to make with no scooping dough.
- Browned Butter: Browning the butter gives these an extra warm almost caramel taste to the dough.
- Super Chewy: The texture of these bars is super chewy with the perfect crisp top. Grab a corner if you love the crispy parts, or a center square if you prefer the gooey type of cookie.
Ingredient Notes
Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Butter: You will brown your butter and allow it to cool.
- Sugars: You will use both brown and granulated sugar in these cookie bars.
- Eggs: You will use one whole egg and one egg yolk.
- Chocolate Chips: I used semi-sweet chips, but you can use whatever sounds good to you.
Step by Step Instructions
- Step 1: Start by browning the butter. You'll take one cup of butter and melt in a medium saucepan, and then continue to cook past the point of boiling. You will do this over medium heat, past the point of the butter foaming, until it turns a nice golden brown, and has a nutty smell. Make sure you are stirring and watching it, because it will turn from perfectly brown to burnt fairly quickly. Once finished browning, pour into a bowl and allow to cool.
- Step 2: Whisk together the cooled butter and both sugars in a large mixing bowl. Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla and whisk again.
- Step 3: Mix the flour, salt, soda, cornstarch, cinnamon and oats into the dough.
- Step 4: Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Step 5: Spread the batter into your 9x13 pan and add some extra chocolate chips to the top.
- Step 6: Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until golden brown along the edges and no jiggling in the middle. Sprinkle with flaked salt and allow to cool before serving.
Expert Baking Tips
- Baking in a metal/aluminum pan is always suggested over glass. The pan will heat more evenly and the bars will cook better. If baking in glass it will take a bit longer for the middle to bake and set up properly.
- If you are in a rush you can melt the butter instead of browning it.
- These bars would also be great with butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, raisins, coconut and or caramel bits.
- I have given both cups and grams as measurements. Grams will be more precise, especially when measuring flour. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, no problem! Just lightly spoon flour into your measuring cup to insure its not packed in there. Light and fluffy is the key.
FAQ
Yes, you can bake them in a smaller pan for a thicker bar. You will need to add 5-10 minutes onto your baking time as well.
Yes, just sub in a gluten free flour and these will taste just as great.
I have only tested these with old fashioned oats, but I am sure it would be fine.
Storing & Freezing
Brown butter oatmeal cookie bars can be stored in an airtight container or ziplock bag at room temperature for 2-3 days while remaining fresh.
These cookie bars freeze great. You can prep the whole pan, cover and freeze if you want to make a full batch ahead of time. You can also place leftover bars in an airtight container or ziplock bag and freeze squares for a quick afternoon treat.
Other Popular Recipes to Try
For more yummy treats follow me on instagram @thesaltedsweets. And be sure to tag me and comment if you make them and love them as much as I do!
Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) salted butter browned
- ¾ cups (165 g) brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) cinnamon
- 1 cup (104 g) old fashioned oats
- 1 cup (180 g) chocolate chips + more for topping
- flaked salt for topping
Instructions
- Start by browning the butter. You'll take one cup of butter and melt in a medium saucepan, and then continue to cook past the point of boiling. You will do this over medium heat, past the point of the butter foaming, until it turns a nice golden brown, and has a nutty smell. Make sure you are stirring and watching it, because it will turn from perfectly brown to burnt fairly quickly. Once finished browning, pour into a bowl and allow to cool.
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray and or line a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and parchment paper.
- Whisk together the cooled butter and both sugars in a large mixing bowl. Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla and whisk again.
- Mix the flour, salt, soda, cornstarch, cinnamon and oats into the dough.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into your 9x13 pan and add some extra chocolate chips to the top.
- Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until golden brown along the edges and no jiggling in the middle. Sprinkle with flaked salt and allow to cool before serving.
Sandy
I love a good cookie bar and this is excellent! I love the brown butter and extra rich flavor that brings to these!
Bailey
Give me all the sheet pan recipes!! These are fool proof! So yummy!
Dori Turner
We’ve already made these twice in the last week - my family devoured them. SO good!
Annie Grafstrom
These cookie bars are amazing! I love the flaked salt on top. The recipe was easy to follow (my first time making browned butter, but went well). My husband loves them too! We will be bringing them to a fun weekend away with several friends at their lake home. I’m sure they will be a hit!
Amy
Delicious! The brown butter is magic! This recipe is a keeper. Warm with ice cream was heavenly. Side note: I made the brown butter in an iron skillet. Other directions followed exactly.
sophia
These bars sound wonderful. If i was to add coconut to the mixture, how much approx might i add?
Brooke Homec
I would add a really full 1/2 cup! Yum!!
sophia
Thanks so much Brooke for your quick reply, .... 🙂
Julie
Would these work doubled in a sheet pan?
Brooke Homec
if you double this it would work in a 9x13, you would need to most likely quadruple the recipe for a sheet pan.
Karleigh G
These have become a weekly staple in our household! So easy to make and so yummy.
Brooke Homec
Thank you!! I'm so glad!
Sarah T
This recipie seems amazing. I just browned the butter and it tastes next level! However, the mix seemed really really dry. I wasn’t sure what to do so I added water. Not sure how they will come out now. Is this what I should have done? Or what should I do if I make them again and the mix seems so dry? (As in it was basically separated into little dry clumps. Didn’t stick together at all)
Brooke Homec
Because browning the butter means water from the butter evaporates, each time you do it you can lose a different amount of liquid/water, so you did the right thing by trusting your gut and adding a bit more water to the dough. It shouldn't be so dry that it separates.