Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (13 cents/cookie)

These Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies combine all that’s good in a cookie: hearty oats, earthy cocoa powder, and sweet chocolate chips. They get a little extra kick from cayenne pepper and ground cinnamon.

One of many great cookies you can freeze, this chocolate oatmeal cookie recipe is great for packing in lunches or for serving as an afternoon snack. You can even include them in a gift to friends; for ultimate chocolate goodness, tuck in a jar of Malted Hot Chocolate Mix.

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Pretty much everyone has a favorite cookie. Maybe it’s Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookie or Double Chocolate Magic Bars, classic you can depend on. Or Breakfast Cookies which help you start the day on a sweet note.

There’s such a long list of cookies out there, but every once in awhile you have a hankering for something just a little different.

These Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies are just the thing, a perfect mash up of the classic oatmeal cookie meets brownie with a little spice added for good measure. Be sure to add these to your next holiday cookie platter.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s packed with flavor. With warm spices and two kinds of chocolate, these chocolate oatmeal cookies are full of flavor. They may not be flashy, but they can be counted on to give you a dose of chocolate and a hint of spice.

It makes a lot. This recipe makes a fair three dozen cookies, plenty to bake fresh as well as extra frozen cookie dough to stash for later.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need for Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies:

butter – I love baking cookies with butter, but you can use margarine or other plant-based butter if you like.

brown sugar – Brown sugar gives cookies a rich flavor with a hint of molasses. Remember you can make your own brown sugar if you run out. In a pinch, you can substitute granulated sugar in these cookies.

eggs – You just need two for this recipe, but you can use Flaxseed Meal Egg Substitute if needed.

vanilla extract – Vanilla adds great flavor to the chocolate. It’s cheaper to make your own vanilla extract. You can use another extract if you prefer, such as coffee or rum.

flour – I like to use unbleached, all-purpose flour. You can also use whole wheat pastry flour if you like.

rolled oats – You can use either old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats in these chocolate oatmeal cookies. If you have leftover to use up, be sure to make Instant Oatmeal Packets for quick and easy breakfasts or check out these other oats recipes.

cocoa powder – Be sure to use unsweetened baking cocoa, not hot chocolate mix. Leftover can be used to make stovetop hot cocoa.

chocolate chips – You can use whatever baking chips you like. Dark chocolate chunks are delicious, but you can also use cinnamon, milk chocolate, white chocolate, or espresso chips.

salt – Salt is such a great foil for chocolate. Don’t omit this.

baking powder – You definitely need the baking powder to give some lift to these cookies.

spices – The cinnamon and cayenne add wonderful warmth to the cookies, but if you prefer you can omit them.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies are super simple to make. Make sure you soften the butter before mixing.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

1. Cream together the brown sugar and butter. Stir in the eggs and vanilla extract.

2. Add the flour, oats, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and spices. Stir well to distribute the ingredients throughout the dough.

3. With wet hands or a 1-inch cookie scoop, shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place the cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared trays.

Press each dough ball with the bottom of a glass dipped in water, to flatten.

Bake until set, about 8 to 9 minutes. Cool on a rack.

How do I freeze these cookies?

There are several different ways to freeze cookies.

• Store the dough in an airtight container in the freezer. Thaw and scoop as directed in the recipe.
• Scoop the dough balls as directed and place on a lined tray in the freezer. Once frozen firm, remove to a labeled, ziptop freezer bag and store in the freezer. To bake: thaw slightly and proceed with the recipe.
• Bake and cool the cookies according to the recipe. Place them in an airtight container and store in the freezer.

FAQs

Recipe Costs

You know me, I love to make Good Cheap Eats. And you know that commercially made items are often more expensive than homemade. The same is true for these chocolate oatmeal cookies.

Look how this recipe pencils out, priced with non-sale prices at a mid-range grocery store:

• butter – $1.38 ($3.69/lb)
• brown sugar – $0.36
• eggs – $0.50 ($2.99/12)
• vanilla extract – $0.67 ($7.99/2 oz)
• flour – $0.30 ($2.69/5 lbs)
• oats – $0.50 ($3.50/42 oz)
• cocoa powder $0.64 ($1.93/8 oz)
• chocolate chips – $1.00
• salt – $0.02 ($2.99/26 oz)
• baking powder – $0.09 ($1.49/8.1 oz)
• spices – $0.05

So basically, if you weren’t really paying attention to the cost of ingredients, you can expect to spend about $5.51 for 3 dozen chocolate oatmeal cookies, about 13 cents per cookie!

How to save even more on this recipe:

Save even more using the Good Cheap Eats System! Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:

• Shop your kitchen. What ingredients do you already have on hand? Chances are you can bake these cookies without even going to the store. Out of something? Consider all the pantry staples you can make yourself. You may be able to find a substitute with what’s on hand.
• Make a plan for leftovers. Eating up leftover cookies shouldn’t be a problem, but what about the rest of the ingredients in the package. Make sure you have a use for the brown sugar, flour, etc. so that you don’t waste what’s left.
• Compare prices. The quote above is for a mid-range grocery store. Shopping someplace like ALDI will likely provide lower price points for the ingredients needed.
• Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money. For this recipe, keeping an eye on the price of sugar, oats, flour, raisins, and butter can help keep the price down.
• Buying in bulk or on sale. It’s rare that I would buy just one bag of flour. Instead I stock up when I see a sale. I also have gotten into the habit of buying cases of flour from Bob’s Red Mill.  I practice the same bulk buying for spices and other baking ingredients. Check for sales and stock up!
• Make your own. Did you know that you can make vanilla extract much more cheaply at home? It’s true!

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This post was originally published on November 30, 2020. It has been updated for content and clarity.