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Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Delicious, gooey oatmeal chocolate chunk cookie bars are made even better with a complex, caramely flavor from brown butter. Better make a double batch - these will fly off the plate anywhere you take them.
Course Dessert, Dessert Bars
Cuisine Dessert
Keyword Easy Dessert Bars, Cookie Bars
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Servings 16 bars
Author Stephanie Simmons

Ingredients

  • 9 tbsp salted butter I prefer salted, you can use unsalted if desired
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon See note
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg See note
  • pinch ground cloves See note
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 and 1/2 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats
  • 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped into chunks

Instructions

  • Prep: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper.
  • Brown the Butter: Add the butter to a skillet over medium heat. Once melted, turn the heat to medium-low, and continue cooking the butter, stirring constantly. The butter will get foamy and bubbly, and then turn a deep golden shade with a nutty, caramely aroma. (This will take about 5-6 minutes once the butter has melted.) Once the butter reaches this stage, remove it from the heat.
  • Make the Cookie Bars: Add the brown butter to a medium mixing bowl, making sure to scrape all of it from the pan, including the little brown bits. Whisk in the sugars, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients - the flour, baking soda, spices, salt, and oats. Stir in the chocolate chunks last.
    Note: You can leave out the spices if desired, but they are honestly SO good in these bars, even if you might not think they "go" with the chocolate. You could also just add a pinch or two of cinnamon if you don't want to completely omit the spices.
  • Bake: Spread the batter evenly in your prepared pan. Bake for 16-19 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or have some moist crumbs, but not wet batter. The bars will look a bit underdone, but will set up more as they cool.
  • Serve + Store: Let bars cool for about an hour before cutting into them. They're so good warm from the oven, with a glass of milk! Store leftovers (once cooled) in an airtight container at room temp for 4-5 days, or in the fridge for longer. Gently reheat squares if you love to eat them warm (like we do!).