With plenty of melty chocolate, chewy oats, and a sprinkle of sea salt, these dark chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies are guaranteed to be your new favorite cookie variety. They’re extra buttery and soft with slightly crisp edges and a touch of cinnamon and molasses for classic oatmeal cookie flavor. This cookie has it all!
Alright, I’m saying it. Oatmeal cookies are forever the best cookie on the planet. (This statement probably doesn’t surprise many of you!) Regular chocolate chip cookies are a bonafide crowd-pleaser, but they don’t hold a candle to the texture, chew, and toasty flavor of its oatmeal counterpart.
. We’re still using plenty of dark chocolate chunks, whole oats, and a touch of molasses for classic flavor. (See recipe notes below for the exact changes.)
Why You’ll Love these Dark Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies
Let me count the ways!
- Loaded with pure dark chocolate
- Super soft inside
- Chewy, hearty oats
- Cinnamon, brown sugar, and molasses for extra flavor
- Buttery crisp edges
- Topped with crunchy sea salt
- No crazy ingredients or mixing techniques
And I know you’ll appreciate this too: the cookie dough chilling time is short, making these a pretty quick cookie that holds its shape beautifully.
The Best Oatmeal Cookie Base
If you’ve made some of my oatmeal cookie recipes before, you’re likely familiar with today’s variation. I usually stick to the same base recipe and you can see that in my Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, White Chocolate Chip Cherry Oatmeal Cookies, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oatmeal Scotchies, and Oatmeal M&M Cookies.
Have I mentioned I love oatmeal cookies?
I use a little more flour in today’s cookies because of the melty chocolate. Filled with brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and vanilla flavors, this oatmeal cookie is ALWAYS a guarantee in both the texture and flavor departments. I’ve actually nicknamed them my “slow bend” cookies—the centers are so buttery and chewy that they don’t crunch and break when you start to bend them. The best!
How to Make These Dark Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies
Best part: Right out of the oven, experience pools of melty chocolate in every single bite.
Best Chocolate To Use
There are so many chocolate products on the market, so let me help you navigate the best choice for today’s cookies. As if you were making chocolate truffles or chocolate ganache, stick to pure quality chocolate here. I’m referring to baking chocolate, which is sold in 4 ounce bars in the baking aisle. Chocolate chips definitely work since these are cookies, but if you want big chunks of melted chocolate, choose chocolate that’s meant to melt. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers that prevent them from melting in the oven.
I recommend bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate. For a sweeter cookie, you can use white chocolate or milk chocolate. I prefer Ghirardelli or Baker’s brands. (FYI Baker’s milk chocolate variety is sold as “German Chocolate.”)
- No matter which level of sweetness you choose, cut the bars into little chunks that are similar or slightly larger than regular chocolate chips. But keep in mind that the smaller the pieces, the more they’ll blend right into the cookie dough turning this into a chocolate oatmeal cookie… which isn’t necessarily a bad thing!
Dark Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Instructions
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and mix on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and molasses and mix on high until combined. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Beat in the oats and chocolate on low speed. Dough will be thick, yet very sticky. Chill the dough for 30-60 minutes in the refrigerator (I always chill this dough for only 30 minutes). If chilling for longer (up to 2 days), allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking. The cookies won’t spread as much if chilled for longer than 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Roll balls of dough (about 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of dough per cookie) and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. I recommend using a cookie scoop since the dough can be sticky. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look soft and under-baked. Remove from the oven, immediately sprinkle each with sea salt (if using), then let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will continue to “set” on the baking sheet during this time.
- Cover and store leftover cookies at room temperature for up to 1 week.
You may also like...
