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Crispy, chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars that are secretly healthy with mouthwatering texture from chewy oats and melty chocolate morsels. The best healthy oatmeal cookie bars!
Deliciously Spiced Healthy Oatmeal Cookie Bars to the Dessert Rescue!
How can oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars be healthy anywho? (Or is it anyhoo??) Well, I’m so glad you (kinda) asked! Today, we’re ditching all of the guilt-inducing ingredients for a decadent, yet guilt-free treat that will satisfy all of your dessert needs without compromising your healthy diet. Think: chewy oats, crispy edges, and just the right amount of gloriously gooey, melty chocolate chips… all brought together in one perfectly spiced oatmeal cookie bars recipe. Yes, please!
All the Guilt-Free Ingredients You Need to Make Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Healthy!
- Oat flour: why use processed, bleached all purpose flour when we can easily use fiber-rich, heart-healthy oat flour instead? One of my favorite ingredients of all time, oat flour is one of the best healthy ingredients because it is nutrient-rich and adds cozy texture and flavor to every baked good. Here’s where I get my pre-made, ready-to-bake-with –> oat flour.
- Rolled oats: otherwise known as “old-fashioned” oats, rolled oats are similarly heart-healthy and fiber-rich. They’re packed with “important vitamins, minerals and antioxidant plant compounds” such as manganese, phosphorus, vitamin B1 and B5, as well as iron, zinc and folate. [1]
- Coconut oil: with just a quarter cup in this entire oatmeal cookie bars recipe, we’re keeping the amount of fat down to just 5.6g per bar.
- Coconut sugar, maple syrup: we’re using two types of sweetener that are refined as little as possible. With just a touch over ¼ cup of coconut sugar and only 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, you’re still getting the sweetness you crave in these oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars without going overboard. 😉 There’s just 4.5g of sugar in each bar.
- Flaxseed: we’re skipping the egg and using a flax egg to make today’s oatmeal cookie bars. This is a vegan substitute for a regular chicken egg that’s made with water and ground flaxseeds. Flaxseeds are also nutrient-rich and high in omega-3 fats! Here’s how to make a flax egg, in case you’re interested. 🙂
- Chocolate chips: sometimes, when I’m trying to keep my sugar low, I’ll use these sugar free, stevia-sweetened chocolate chips in almost any recipe that calls for chocolate. That’s what we’re using today. If you prefer another kind, you can try dark chocolate chips in your cookie bars. Generally, the darker the chocolate chips, the less sugar in ‘em.
- Bonus: you can easily make these oatmeal cookie bars gluten free, vegan and dairy free by simply using gluten free oat flour and oats, and using vegan chocolate chips!
How to Make Healthy Oatmeal Cookie Bars
How do you make oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars healthy? Or even delicious? Today, we’re making the best healthy oatmeal cookie bars with whole ingredients and just a few simple steps.
Preheat & Flax
Yep, preheat and flax! First, preheat the oven 350°F. Then, grab an 8-inch square baking pan and line it with parchment paper. Go ahead and set that aside while you prepare the flax egg. Now, before I start baking anything, I go over the ingredients list and instructions. Here’s where you might spot a little something called a “flax egg.” This flax egg should be prepared in advance, so it can sit and set (aka thicken) while you prepare the rest of the oatmeal cookie bar ingredients.
Whisk the Dry Ingredients
Now, grab a medium mixing bowl and add in all of the dry ingredients listed in my recipe. Grab a whisk and whisk all of the dry ingredients together until everything is well mixed. Set aside.
Whisk the Wet Ingredients
Grab a new, large mixing bowl and add in all of the wet ingredients, including the flax egg you made earlier. Using a new whisk, whisk everything together until you get something like a caramel-like texture.
Combine & Fold
Now, pour the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients in the large mixing bowl. Use a clean spatula to scrape out all the bits of dry ingredients that may be sticking to the medium bowl. You can use the same rubber spatula to stir and fold the wet and dry ingredients together, combining the two components into one beautiful oatmeal cookie bar dough. Fold in your chocolate chips!
Transfer & Spread
Once everything is well mixed and you’ve got a beautiful dough, go ahead and plop that bad boy into the baking pan you prepped earlier. Use the spatula to press down, smoothing and spreading the dough into an even layer. Here’s where you can press some chocolate chips into the tops of the bars.
Bake, Cool, Slice and Enjoy! (Maybe Repeat)
Place that baking pan into the oven and bake for about 28 minutes. Cool completely, then slice and enjoy the best oatmeal cookie bars! Then… repeat as needed. 😉
Why are these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Worth Making?
- Crispy edges: love baking bars, but don’t love how they’re usually cakey and a bit too soft? No prob, Bob! Today’s oatmeal cookie bars boast crispy edges that lend to a satisfying crunch, finished with a beautiful chew…
- Chewy texture: not only do we get a satisfying chew from the wonderful oats in this cookie bars recipe, but we also get a mouthwatering chew from the coconut sugar and touch of maple syrup that has caramelized wonderfully during the baking process.
- Packed full of whole ingredients: whole ingredients, here we come! These oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars are healthy, wholesome, and delish.
- Yummy, melted chocolate chips: ‘Nuff said.
- Great for a dessert or a snack: try packing some of these bars for an on-the-go snack, or making a fresh batch just in time for dessert.
More Deliciously Oat-Filled Recipes to Complete Your Healthy Treats Game
- No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies!
- Gluten Free Oatmeal Bars
- Healthy Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars (Vegan)
- Easy Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
- Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies
- Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- and… 3 Ingredient Healthy Vegan Rice Crispy Treats just for fun. 😉
Tools You Need
Oatmeal Cookie Bars for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (Or Dessert…)
So… since these oatmeal cookie bars are healthy, that means we can eat them morning, noon, and night, right??? Imo, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of dessert to sweeten you day, be it morning, noon, or night. 😉 I truly can’t wait to hear what you think of these oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bars! Make sure to snap a pic and share it on Instagram, tagging me at #beamingbaker. Or, leave a comment below to let me know what you think—you know it means the world to me. ‘Til our next sweet baking adventure…
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
📸 Did you make this oatmeal cookie bars recipe? Take a pic and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #beamingbaker & tag @beamingbaker. I’d love to see it! 📸
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars – Healthy
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- ½ cup oat flour – if using homemade oat flour, make sure it’s very finely ground (not coarse)
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- ½ flax egg, 1/2 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 1 ½ tablespoons water, whisked together, set for 15 minutes – remember to make just 1/2 a flax egg! 😉
- ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Add-ins
- ½ cup sugar free chocolate chips, try vegan chocolate chips or stevia-sweetened sugar free chocolate chips
Optional Topping
- 2 tablespoons sugar free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment or greased foil. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients. Whisk until well mixed.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Stir and fold with a rubber spatula until no flour patches remain. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Transfer this mixture into the prepared baking pan. Using the rubber spatula, spread into an even, tightly-packed layer. Optionally, press chocolate chips into the top of the bars.
- Bake for 26-30 minutes, until golden brown on top. Mine took 28 minutes.
- Place baking pan on a cooling rack, allowing to cool for 30 minutes. Pinch the edges of parchment/foil and lift bars onto the rack to continue cooling completely (about 1-2 hours). Slice into 16 bars. Enjoy!
Notes
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I don’t know why it has taken me 2 years to write this review, because these bars blow my mind every time I make them. They’re everything you want in an oatmeal chocolate treat in bite size and vegan, a win any way you put it! I have tried them with coconut shreds, dried cranberries, raisins and vegan chocolate drops (M&M style) and they’re always delicious! This is my go-to for a sweet homemade treat to pack for after school snack. It’s nut free and delicious! The 1st grader has asked if he can “bring some to share with friends”, he doesn’t know they might not last that long lol.
Better late than never! 😉 I love that you’ve tried it with so many different add-ins, because that’s half the fun of baking! 😁 So cute that your little one wants to bring them to share. Guess we’ll need to whip up a triple batch to make sure there’s enough! 😂
Loved this! I made it even lighter in calories with the following changes:
No oil, used a packet of unsweetened organic pineapple sauce (50 cals)
No flax egg, used 2 tablespoons egg whites
No chocolate chips, used 1/2 cup lily’s butterscotch chips (no added sugars)
No maple syrup, used tablespoon sugar free maple syrup (2.5 cals)
No coconut sugar, used 1/2 cup Allulose (0 cals)