Next Post
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. Just like mom’s oatmeal cookies, but updated to be gluten-free and without refined sugar! Envision buttery oatmeal cookie bars swirled with melty chocolate chips. All made with simple, wholesome ingredients: butter, old fashioned oats, almond flour, maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs, and probably too many chocolate chips. But in my book, you can never have enough! They’re sweet, salty, very chocolatey, gluten-free, and truly delicious.
My mom used to bake cookies before dinner. She’s kind of famous for it. And that’s how I grew up. We always had homemade desserts. But then the question was, “Well, what’s for dinner?”.
Dad made dinner most of the time. Things are different now, but my mom is still famous for her desserts. Especially her oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
She makes them all in one bowl with absolutely nothing fancy. Just combine all the ingredients, mix, bake, and eat.
She used to make them both as cookies and cookie bars. They were one of my favorite desserts.
With all the sweet baking from the holidays, I decided to take her recipes and swap a few ingredients to make her cookie bars a little healthier.
Mom used to use canola oil, but we’re going to use a mix of brown butter and melted coconut oil. Then, maple syrup to replace the sugar and almond flour instead of all purpose flour.
Don’t worry, the process is still just as easy. And I promise, these cookie bars are the yummiest, with rich, warm brown butter and melty chocolate chips!
Here are the details
Ingredients
- salted butter
- old fashioned oats – I like Bob’s Red Mill brand
- almond flour – again, I use Bob’s Red Mill
- baking soda
- salt
- melted coconut oil
- maple syrup
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- chocolate chips – and lots of them
Fancy Tools
Nope! You don’t need those. Just a skillet, a mixing bowl, and a baking pan.
Steps
Step 1: brown the butter
The key is to brown the salted butter on the stove in a skillet. Use a medium skillet to ensure the butter does not bubble over.
Add the butter to a skillet set over medium heat to brown the butter. Allow the brown butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted. It will be golden and pretty!
Just don’t let it burn.
Step 2: mix the cookies
Now take the oats, almond flour, baking, soda, and salt and toss everything in a bowl. Add the melted coconut oil, the brown butter, maple, eggs, and vanilla.
The order does not matter! Just get everything but the chocolate chips into a bowl and mix.
Step 3: add the chocolate and bake
Now add the chocolate chips. Use semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips, or a mix!
Bake the cookies for 25-ish minutes, and you’re all done.
You can dive into these while they’re still warm like we always do, or let them cool.
If you dive in warm, they’ll be messy, but that’s what makes them so good. Just embrace the mess. These are so delectable. Perfectly set on the edges, yet the soft in the center with just the right amount of chew, sweetness, and rich flavors.
These make about 24 bars, so they’re great for parties too!
Looking for easy party desserts? Here are a few ideas:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Blondies
Homemade Vegan Peanut Butter Twix Bars
Caramel Butter Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting
Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
Lastly, if you make these Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip 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!
Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Servings: 24 cookie bars
Calories Per Serving: 248 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 stick salted butter
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper. 2. Add the butter to a pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let cool for 5 minutes. 3. In a bowl, beat together the oats, almond flour, baking soda, salt, brown butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the chocolate chips. 4. Press the dough into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly golden. You can let them chill or cut into them. If they're warm, they will be messier – but so DELISH!
This post was originally published on January 14, 2025
Read the reviews before I made this recipe.
Few things I did different.
Did half the maple syrup, subbed the other half with Monkfruit.
Added an extra stick of butter.
Waited, like you recommend, for it to cool completely before cutting.
Absolutely delicious.
Im writing my review while I make my second batch. My kids wanted more chocolate added in.
Also… I’d like to add, I’ve never seen a comment section get so aggressive under a recipe card 😂
I had to share some.of the comments with my husband because i couldn’t believe the way people were coming for you over your OWN recipe.
Thank you for sharing and commenting back with such grace.
Hey there,
Thank you so much for trying these cookie bars, I’m so glad to hear they turned out well for you. Thanks for sharing all of your notes:) Have a great week! xT
We’ve made these twice and it’s already become a family favorite.
Thanks so much, Brie! So glad to hear your family has been enjoying this recipe, I appreciate you making it! xT
I’m enjoying these recipes without refined sugar. I noticed the comments about crumbling and reduced the almond flour by 1/2 c, and mine were done in 20 min. After cutting them, I see minimal crumbs. Also used Hu chocolate chips which are made with coconut sugar. I will make these again!
Thanks so much, Sarah! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad it turned out well for you! xx
I followed the recipe exactly, except I used unsalted butter. Tastes yummy, but very crumbly. Maybe can be cut into bars after they’re completely cooled?
Hi Katrena,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe! Yes, once they are cooled completely, you should be able to cut them into bars. xT
I was super excited about this recipe – I’ve loved so many of yours. Sadly, this one did not turn out. It was so crumbly and kinda dry. I also thought it was a tad salty. I’d love to see another version of this but chewier.
Hi Michele,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your comment. So sorry to hear you didn’t love them. Here are some other recipes you might enjoy:
https://fett-weg.today/healthy-ish-chocolate-chip-cookie-bars/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/healthy-dark-chocolate-chunk-oatmeal-cookie-bars-idiot-proof/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/coffee-chocolate-chip-blondies/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> I hope this helps! xT
Hi!
Does one stick of butter equal 4 ounces?
We use the bigger 8oz European style butter and when my daughter made these she didn’t realize that a stick of butter might be different in different houses 😆. They were indulgent but still good.
Hi Jillian,
Thanks for trying this recipe! 1 stick of butter is equal to 4oz. I hope you’ll make these again:) xxT
Hey Tieghan! Thanks for the recipe! Mine turned out more like cookie cake rather the bars – any idea what I might have missed?
Hey Kaitlyn,
Hmmm, that’s interesting. Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Did you use instant or old fashioned oats? Let me know:) xx
Not a prominent brown butter flavor and very crumbly.
Hi Kami,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry it was not enjoyed! xx
I forgot to rate the recipe on my last comment <3 Thanks again for what you do!
Can I substitute the almond flour with all purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio? (:
Hi Rebekah,
Yes, but I would reduce your oats to 2 1/2 cups. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Delicious! The brown butter adds a yummy nutty flavor. Easy to make too. My oatmeal is still a little chewy but I don’t mind it that way. I also like the healthier version. Thank you for this recipe!
Hi Tracy,
Wonderful! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it turned out well! Have a beautiful Sunday! xx
Hi Tieghan, I absolutely loved the flavor of these. I used less chocolate chips than it calls for as I was really looking for a prominent oatmeal flavor and they were very crumbly. Wondering if that may have been why, as that was my only change to the recipe, and if I should’ve used a little less/more of something else to make sure they don’t crumble so much when using less chocolate.
Thanks for your recipes, I can’t eat seed oils and prefer to bake with almond and whole wheat flour so I really love and appreciate so many of your recipes.
Thanks so much for your kind message, Jessica:) So glad you enjoyed the flavors here. Using less chocolate chips would not make these more crumbly for you. Next time, you could try more maple syrup to hold them together and then wait until they are cooled before cutting. I hope this helps! xT
i just made a vegan version of these with vegan butter and flax eggs. they came out perfect! thank you for all of the delicious healthier recipes. we love everything you make!
Thanks so much, Laura! So glad you were able to adapt this recipe and make it vegan for your liking. Thanks for giving it a try! xT
I’ve made these twice in the last 2 days. Theyre delicious, we all love them, especially since they’re a healthy version… I just didn’t have to bake them as long.
Yay! Thanks so much, Rena:) So glad to hear these turned out well for you, I appreciate you trying the recipe! xx
While I was making these I thought…these are going to be dry and crumbly….I messed up making these for guests without trying first. I would not recommend….just a miss all around I’m afraid.
Hi Kathy,
So very sorry to hear this. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with. Sorry the recipe was not enjoyed. xx