Irresistibly Chewy Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies: Your New Favorite Recipe!
Prepare to fall in love with these Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies – a masterful blend of two beloved classics! These cookies are wonderfully soft, delightfully chewy, and absolutely brimming with rich chocolate flavor. This is truly the ultimate chocolate cookie recipe, elevated with wholesome oats and generous handfuls of decadent chocolate chips. If you adore oatmeal cookies and can’t get enough of chocolate, this recipe brings them together in a way that’s simply magical.
For years, we’ve cherished both the comforting chewiness of classic oatmeal cookies and the deep, satisfying indulgence of chocolate cookies. The idea of combining these two powerhouses might seem obvious now, but the result is nothing short of amazing. Why did it take us so long to discover this perfect pairing? The hearty texture of oats complements the intense cocoa, while the melted chocolate chips add pockets of gooey sweetness, making every bite an unforgettable experience. These cookies aren’t just good; they’re a revelation that will transform your dessert cravings.
What Makes Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies So Special?
These aren’t just any ordinary cookies; they are a delightful fusion that brings together the best elements of two classic treats. Our Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies are incredibly easy to whip up right in your own kitchen, using common pantry staples. Imagine the rich, deep flavor of cocoa powder infused directly into a tender, chewy cookie dough, then generously studded with not one, but two types of oats for a delightful texture, and finally, loaded with an abundance of semi-sweet chocolate chips for that extra burst of chocolatey goodness. This unique combination creates a harmony of flavors and textures that truly sets them apart.
The beauty of this recipe lies in its balanced profile. The oats add a wholesome, hearty chewiness that perfectly contrasts with the smooth, intense chocolate dough. It’s a cookie that feels both indulgent and comforting. Once you experience the depth of flavor and satisfying texture of oatmeal cookies enhanced with rich chocolate and plenty of chips, you’ll find it hard to go back to plain oatmeal cookies. They offer a more complex and fulfilling flavor profile, ensuring that you’ll be reaching for more than just one from the cooling rack.
Essential Tools for Baking the Best Cookies
Achieving consistently perfect cookies is much easier with the right kitchen tools. While not strictly mandatory, these three items have become indispensable in our kitchen, making cookie baking a joy rather than a chore. We use them not only for virtually every cookie recipe but also for countless other baking and cooking projects, proving their incredible versatility and value.
First on the list is **parchment paper** or a **silicone baking mat**. Lining your cookie sheets with either of these ensures that your cookies bake evenly without sticking to the pan, and perhaps best of all, makes cleanup an absolute breeze. These are available in various sizes, often perfectly fitting standard 12×16 inch cookie sheets. They eliminate the need for greasy cooking sprays, which can sometimes lead to burned bottoms and an unpleasant texture. The non-stick surface guarantees easy removal, preserving the delicate shape and chewiness of your freshly baked cookies.
Next, a reliable **KitchenAid mixer** is a game-changer. We own both a Bosch and a KitchenAid, but for cookies, the KitchenAid is our go-to. Its powerful motor and planetary mixing action ensure that all ingredients are thoroughly and uniformly combined, leading to a consistent dough texture every time. The cookie paddle attachment, which comes standard with most models, is specifically designed for creaming butter and sugar, and incorporating dry ingredients without overmixing. Investing in a stand mixer like a KitchenAid will not only save you significant time and effort but also elevate the quality of your baked goods. It’s truly one of the most used small appliances in our kitchen, and a fantastic addition to any baker’s wish list.
Finally, a good **cookie scoop** is a secret weapon for perfectly uniform cookies. For years, we relied on two spoons to dollop dough onto baking sheets, often resulting in cookies of varying sizes and irregular shapes. This inconsistency meant some cookies would be overbaked while others were still raw in the middle. The revelation came from a friend whose cookies always looked impeccable. Her secret? A simple cookie scoop! These scoops come in three main sizes: ½ tablespoon, 1.5 tablespoon (medium), and 3 tablespoon (large). For most cookies, including these delicious Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, the medium-sized 1.5-tablespoon scoop is ideal, ensuring each cookie bakes consistently and looks professionally made.
Key Ingredients for Your Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Crafting the perfect batch of Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies begins with understanding the role each ingredient plays. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need and why it matters:
- Butter: The recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, which is equivalent to two standard sticks. For optimal results, it is absolutely crucial that your butter is softened to room temperature. This allows it to cream properly with the sugars, creating a light, airy base for your cookies. Always opt for real butter for superior flavor and texture compared to margarine.
- Sugars: This recipe uses a combination of both brown sugar and granulated sugar. Brown sugar contributes moisture and a wonderful chewiness to the cookies, giving them that irresistible soft texture. Granulated sugar, on the other hand, helps with crisp edges and overall sweetness. Ensure your brown sugar is fresh and packed firmly for accurate measurement and best results.
- Eggs: Two large eggs are essential for binding all the ingredients together, adding moisture, and enriching the dough. They contribute to the cookie’s structure and overall tenderness.
- Vanilla Extract: A good quality vanilla extract is a flavor enhancer that brings warmth and depth to the chocolate. While often subtle, its presence is vital for a well-rounded taste profile. Don’t skimp on quality here!
- Flour: All-purpose flour provides the primary structure for these cookies. If you need a gluten-free option, a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend can be substituted successfully, though the texture might be slightly different.
- Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder is what gives these cookies their deep, rich chocolatey flavor and signature dark color. Using unsweetened allows you to control the overall sweetness of the cookie.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: These are your leavening agents. Baking soda reacts with the acidic brown sugar and cocoa powder to help the cookies spread and become tender. Baking powder provides additional lift, ensuring a light crumb. Always check the expiration dates to ensure they are active!
- Salt: Just half a teaspoon of salt is enough to balance the sweetness of the sugars and chocolate, enhancing all the other flavors and preventing the cookies from tasting overly sweet.
- Oats: A unique aspect of this recipe is the combination of 1 cup of rolled oats (old-fashioned) and 1 cup of quick oats. Rolled oats provide a heartier, chewier texture, while quick oats blend more seamlessly into the dough, contributing to the soft interior. While you can use just one type, the blend truly creates the perfect, balanced texture for these chocolate oatmeal cookies.
- Chocolate Chips: Two full cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips are folded into the dough, delivering the “double chocolate” impact. These chips melt into gooey pockets during baking, offering delightful bursts of chocolate with every bite. You can experiment with milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips for a different flavor intensity.
How to Make Delicious Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Making these mouth-watering Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies is a straightforward process, promising a batch of soft, chewy, and deeply chocolatey treats. Follow these steps for perfect results:
- Prepare Your Oven and Pans: Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). While the oven heats, prepare your cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. This ensures even baking and prevents sticking.
- Cream Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat these ingredients together on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and well combined. This creaming process incorporates air, contributing to the cookies’ soft texture. Next, add the vanilla extract and crack in the two large eggs, beating for another 2-3 minutes until everything is thoroughly incorporated and smooth.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make sure these dry ingredients are well distributed to ensure proper leavening throughout the dough.
- Mix Dough: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet butter mixture. Mix on low speed just until the dry ingredients are barely combined with the wet, being careful not to overmix. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour too much, leading to tough cookies. Finally, gently fold in both the rolled oats and quick oats, stirring just until they are evenly distributed throughout the chocolate dough.
- Scoop and Bake: Using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop (approximately 1.5 tablespoons), drop rounded balls of cookie dough onto your prepared cookie sheets, ensuring they are spaced about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake for 10-11 minutes. The cookies will look slightly under-baked in the center when you remove them, but this is key to their chewiness!
- Cooling: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes after removing them from the oven. This allows them to set up and continue baking slightly from the residual heat. Then, carefully transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.
Once cooled, these chocolate oatmeal cookies are ready to be devoured! Enjoy the rich chocolate flavor and the delightful chewiness that makes them truly irresistible.
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE OATMEAL COOKIES
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Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened to room temperature for best creaming results
- 1 cup brown sugar packed, for chewiness and moisture
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract use high quality for best flavor
- 2 large eggs helps bind the ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour or a 1:1 gluten-free substitute
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder for rich chocolate flavor
- 1 tsp baking powder check for freshness
- 1 tsp baking soda check for freshness
- ½ tsp salt to balance the sweetness
- 1 cup rolled oats (old-fashioned) for chewiness
- 1 cup quick oats for tender texture
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or your preferred chocolate chips
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
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In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and eggs, then beat for another 2-3 minutes until well combined.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add these dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing just until combined. Fold in both the rolled oats and quick oats until evenly distributed.
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Use a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to drop rounded portions of cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-11 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Nutrition
Expert Tips for the Best Oatmeal Cookies
Having experimented with countless oatmeal cookie recipes over the years, we’ve gathered some invaluable insights that consistently lead to the absolute BEST oatmeal cookies. These tips apply broadly to most oatmeal cookie recipes, including our special Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies:
- Achieve the Right Dough Consistency: It’s important to have enough flour in your dough to provide structure, but remember that oatmeal cookie dough is naturally a bit stickier than other cookie doughs. This slight stickiness is perfectly normal and contributes to their characteristic chewiness. If your dough feels excessively sticky and unmanageable, you might need to add a tablespoon or two more flour, but be cautious not to add too much, as this can result in dry, crumbly cookies.
- Embrace the Oat Combination: Our recipe specifically calls for a mix of old-fashioned (rolled) oats and quick oats, and for good reason! This combination yields the most desirable texture: the rolled oats provide a hearty, substantial chew, while the quick oats blend more smoothly into the dough, contributing to a softer, more tender interior. While using only one type of oat will still produce edible cookies, the unique blend is truly what makes these cookies absolutely perfect.
- Cream Butter and Sugars Thoroughly: Don’t rush the creaming process. Taking an extra 2-3 minutes to beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy makes a significant difference. This step incorporates air into the mixture, creating a tender crumb and improving the overall consistency of your cookies, making them soft and airy.
- Always Preheat Your Oven: This might seem like a basic tip, but a properly preheated oven is crucial for consistent baking. Placing cookie dough into a cold or partially heated oven can cause the cookies to spread too much or bake unevenly. A hot oven helps the cookies set quickly, retaining their shape and chewy texture.
- Avoid Overbaking: This is perhaps the most critical tip for soft, chewy cookies. When we pull our cookies out of the oven, they still look slightly under-baked in the very center. This is intentional and perfectly fine! Cookies continue to bake and set on the hot cookie sheet for a few minutes after being removed from the oven. If you wait until they look completely done in the oven, they will be overbaked and dry once cooled. Aim for edges that are set and lightly golden, with centers that still look a bit soft.
How to Properly Soften Butter for Baking
Softened butter is a cornerstone for many baking recipes, especially cookies, as it creams beautifully with sugar to create a light and airy dough. The key is to soften it without melting it. Here’s how we prefer to do it:
Our favorite method for quickly softening butter is using the defrost function on the microwave. If you need a full ½ cup (one stick) of butter, you can leave it in its paper wrapper. For smaller amounts, place the necessary quantity of butter in a glass or porcelain bowl. Set your microwave to its lowest defrost setting and run it for just 20 seconds. After 20 seconds, check the butter by gently pressing it with a rubber scraper or your finger. It should yield easily and leave a slight indentation without being greasy or melted. If it’s still firm, give it another 5-10 seconds. It’s crucial to watch it very closely, as butter can go from perfectly softened to melted in a matter of seconds!
If you don’t have a microwave or prefer an alternative, you can also:
Leave it out: Place butter on the counter at room temperature for 30-60 minutes, depending on the ambient temperature. Cutting it into smaller cubes will speed up this process.
Water bath: Fill a bowl with warm (not hot) water, then place the butter (still wrapped) in a plastic bag and submerge it for 5-10 minutes. This method requires careful monitoring to ensure it doesn’t melt.
Remember, properly softened butter should be pliable, but still cool to the touch – never greasy or oily.
Why Do My Oatmeal Cookies Burn on the Bottom While the Middle Stays Undercooked?
This common baking frustration often points to an issue with your cookie sheets, not necessarily your recipe! If you’re consistently finding your cookies with dark, crispy, or even burned bottoms while the centers remain stubbornly undone, here are the most likely culprits and how to fix them:
Dark Cookie Sheets: Dark-colored cookie sheets absorb and retain heat more intensely than lighter ones. This increased heat transfer to the bottom of your cookies can cause them to brown and burn much faster than the top and center can cook through. To combat this, consider investing in lighter-colored, heavy-gauge aluminum baking sheets. These conduct heat more evenly, allowing for a more consistent bake throughout the cookie.
Excessive Cooking Spray: While cooking spray is designed to prevent sticking, using too much can also lead to burned bottoms. The oils in the spray can heat up quickly and over-caramelize the sugars in the cookie dough at the contact points. This is another reason why we’ve wholeheartedly embraced parchment paper and silicone baking mats. They provide a reliable non-stick surface without the need for any sprays, ensuring perfectly golden bottoms every time. With silicone mats, cookies glide off the tray effortlessly, eliminating any sticking concerns.
Oven Hot Spots: Sometimes, the issue isn’t the pan but the oven itself. Ovens can have uneven heating, with certain areas running hotter than others. If you suspect hot spots, try rotating your cookie sheets halfway through the baking time. You can also use an oven thermometer to verify if your oven’s internal temperature matches the setting.
By switching to lighter baking sheets and using parchment paper or silicone mats, you’ll likely resolve the issue of burnt bottoms and achieve uniformly baked, chewy chocolate oatmeal cookies.
More Delicious Oatmeal Cookies to Try:
If you love the hearty texture and comforting taste of oatmeal in your baked goods, you’re in for a treat! Explore some of our other fantastic oatmeal cookie variations:
- RASPBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES
- NO-BAKE OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
- BLUEBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES
- HOMEMADE OATMEAL CREAM PIES
- BEST OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
- S’MORES OATMEAL COOKIES
- OATMEAL WALNUT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
- NUTELLA NO-BAKE COOKIES
- M&M OATMEAL COOKIES
- LEMON OATMEAL COOKIES
- FUDGY OATMEAL COOKIE BARS
- PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
We hope you enjoy baking and sharing these incredible Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies as much as we do. Their soft, chewy texture, combined with the intense cocoa flavor and melty chocolate chips, makes them an instant classic and a definite crowd-pleaser. This chocolate cookie recipe, packed with nutritious oats and delicious chocolate, is perfect for any occasion – from a simple afternoon treat to a festive dessert. Give them a try and discover your new favorite cookie!