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Loaded Oatmeal Blondies marry cookie bars and oatmeal cookies – clean out your pantry and fill these bars with your favorite things!
BEST Oatmeal Cookie Bars
The best part about this oatmeal bar recipe are the mix-ins. You can add whatever you want! It’s an easy way to clean out your pantry, just throw in 2 cups total of any add-ins.
Bar cookies are just so much easier to make – just press them in the pan and bake. No need to chill dough, no need to worry about if they’ll spread too much. And if you’re like me and line the pan with foil, there is almost no clean up! #barcookiesforthewin
Ingredients in Oatmeal Bar Cookies
- Unsalted butter: softened
- Brown sugar: packed brown sugar – I prefer brown to white sugar
- Egg: I use large eggs
- Vanilla extract: to bring out the flavor
- Salt: just a pinch to enhance flavor
- Baking soda: for leavening (not baking powder)
- Ground Cinnamon: a must when using oats in your recipe
- All-purpose flour: be sure to use the right amount
- Quick Cooking Oats: you can also use old-fashioned oats
- Mix-ins: 2 cups of any add-ins you want! I love using chocolate chips, M&Ms, almonds, walnuts, pecans – any kind of nuts or candy!
How to make Oatmeal Cookie Bars
- Prepare- preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Mix- cream the brown sugar and butter in the bowl. Beat the eggs and vanilla until combined. Mix the salt, baking soda, cinnamon, flour and mix batter until combined. Stir in oats and your mix-ins.
- Transfer the cookie dough into the prepared baking dish
- Bake for about 25 minutes. Then, let it cool completely before slicing into squares
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months!
FAQs
Bake for about 25 minutes. The center should be jiggly when they come out. It will finish baking as it cools.
Yes, you can! Freeze for up to 2 months and your oatmeal cookie bar will still be just as chewy good!
Getting close to the 25 minute mark, you should see the edge brown and rise to a crisp. The center should still be soft and jiggly. Remove to finish baking while it cools.
Loaded Oatmeal Blondies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter , softened
- 1 ¼ cups (250g) packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup (124g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups Quick Cooking Oats
- 2 cups of mix-ins (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13” pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. (Foil is optional; I like using it for easy removal.)
- Cream brown sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Mix in salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add flour and mix until combined. Stir in oats. Stir in your mix-ins.
- Press into prepared pan (dough is sticky, spray your hands with cooking spray to avoid it sticking to your hands). If you want, you can sprinkle a few more of your mix-ins on the top to make them look prettier (as I did with the mini M&Ms in the pictures).
- Bake for about 25 minutes. (Be careful not to overcook – the center will still be jiggly when you take these out of the oven and they will finish cooking and firming up as they cool.) Cool completely before slicing into squares.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Chocolate Chips (White, milk, semi-sweet)
- Butterscotch or peanut butter chips
- M&Ms or Reese’s Pieces
- Toffee Bits
- Butterfinger Bits
- Chopped Nuts
- Chopped peanut butter cups
- Shredded Sweetened Coconut
Recipe Nutrition
Other Favorite Oatmeal Cookies:
- Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Toffee Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookie Magic Bars
Easy Oatmeal Cookie Bars – these are loaded oatmeal blondies – add anything you like – we call these kitchen sink cookies!
Last Updated on December 15, 2023
Oh my goodness! You timed that well. I’ll have to remember that for next time. Plan to have the housework done while I’m away. Brilliant!
So are these bars. They look like you eat them in pairs. I could never eat just one!
Hope you enjoy your time at the conference. Wish I could be there!
Never! Definitely two (or three!) at a time!
All the oatmeal make them super healthy, right??!? Haha! Love oatmeal bars like this, these look awesome!
I love oatmeal blondes. I’m a huge fan of oats and try to add them into everything. These bars look delicious!
Ah, and perfect timing for the Blogher and not having to move all that stuff. 😀
Ya, I could eat the whole batch. And yes I could clean out my baking cupboards out way more often than I do… #oops!
I love recipes like these where you can just throw in any extras you have! Plus I mean…oatmeal blondies=YUM!
I hope you keep cleaning if that means you make delicious babies like these. Be sure to take before and after pictures. We put laminate floors in upstairs and love them. Dog proof!
An I’m hoping cat proof too!! Thanks Emily!
Oh good gracious! These sound perfect. I love oatmeal cookies so these should be a hit.
Oh, these look extra good. Great pix too.
xoxo
I think I would be scared to have someone else clean out my pantries … like, I’m pretty sure half of it is teetering on the expiration date or would be considered extra (aka three spoons, a dozen straws …) Can’t wait to hear about blogher! And if you have extras of these bars you need help with, you know , while you are gone, I’m here 😉
These look like the perfect oatmeal blondies! Love the awesome flavors they’re loaded with! Pinned!
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