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These Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies are rich and fudgy, perfect for when you’re craving chocolate! This cookie recipe is easy to make with cocoa powder, oats, chocolate chips, and M&M’s. Bake them up for any occasion – family gatherings, an after-school snack, or your holiday cookie tray!
There’s nothing better than the smell of freshly-baked cookies coming out of the oven, but these tender Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies are made extra delicious with the addition of cocoa, oats, and M&M’s!
This irresistible treat is perfect for the holidays, parties, impromptu cookie cravings, or a lunchbox surprise. They’re also easy to change up for the holidays with different colored M&Ms!
Why you should make this healthy cookie recipe
- Add-ins: Cocoa powder, oats, chocolate chips, and M&M’s come together for the BEST Chocolate Cookies!
- Freezer-friendly: These are great candidates for the freezer. You can either freeze the dough or you can freeze the cookies once they have been baked. This means fresh, homemade cookies at a moment’s notice!
- Simple ingredients: Aside from grabbing the candy and chocolate chips from the store, this recipe uses pantry staples you probably have on hand.
Ingredients needed
The ingredient list is very simple and includes all of the basics that you’d expect to find in most cookie recipes, plus a few delicious add-ins. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Eggs: Two large eggs provide shape and structure, and also fat and additional moisture to keep these tender.
- Melted coconut oil: To make these moist and tender.
- Coconut sugar: For the perfect amount of natural sweetness. Sub with brown sugar, if preferred.
- Vanilla extract: Adds flavor depth and a touch of sweetness.
- All-purpose flour: The most commonly used flour for baking because of its mild flavor and versatility. For the best texture, we recommend sticking with all-purpose flour.
- Cocoa powder: We recommend using a high-quality, unsweetened dutch-processed cocoa powder for the best flavor.
- Baking staples: You’ll need some salt and baking soda to help the cookies bake properly.
- Old-fashioned oats: For that delicious, chewy texture.
- Add-ins: For extra deliciousness, we’re packing these with chocolate chips and M&M’s. Feel free to use semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips.
How to make this recipe
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a mixing bowl beat the eggs. Add the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk by hand or using an electric mixer, until creamy.
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a second mixing bowl, add flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until well combined.
- Add liquid ingredients to flour mixture: Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk until combined and the dough looks smooth.
- Chill the dough: Fold in the oats, chocolate chips, and M&M’s. Refrigerate the dough for 30-45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375ºF and line 2 large sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Scoop dough: Scoop the dough into balls over your prepared sheet pans. To get evenly shaped cookies, roll each ball between your palms, then arrange with some space in between. Stick 2 to 4 extra M&M’s into each dough ball.
- Bake: Place cookie sheets into the oven and bake for around 8-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack and enjoy!
Expert Tips
This chocolate oatmeal cookie recipe is really quite easy, and here are our TOP tips for making sure they turn out perfect!
- It’s important to measure flour correctly. Using a food scale is the most precise method for measuring ingredients, especially flour. If you don’t have one available, lightly spoon flour (don’t pack) into a measuring cup, and without shaking the cup, use the straight side of a butter knife to level the flour across the measuring cup.
- For best results, it’s worth it to take the extra time to chill the dough. The texture and flavor will be optimal when the dough has been chilled for up to about 45 minutes.
- Baking cookies on parchment paper or a silicone baking mat makes for the most perfect cookies. Greasing the baking sheet can create an overly greasy foundation, which could cause these to spread too much.
Frequently asked questions
For soft cookies, we recommend baking them quickly in a hot oven – at 375 degrees F as opposed to a lower temperature – which will make for soft results. Ever so slightly underbaking your cookies will also give you softer results.
Chilling cookie dough before baking solidifies the fat in the cookies. As the cookies bake, the fat in the chilled cookie dough takes longer to melt than room-temperature fat, which helps keep the cookies from spreading.
We recommend Dutch-processed cocoa powder (as opposed to regular cocoa powder) in these cookies. Regular cocoa powder will make them dry and less flavorful.
Storage recommendations
- Storing cookies: These will keep fresh, in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 2 days. To keep them fresh for longer, store them for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
- Freezing: Freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months. Allow cookies to cool completely before putting them in a freezer-safe bag.
- Freezing dough: Chill scooped dough balls in the freezer, on a sheet pan, for 30 minutes. This will flash-freeze them, so they don’t stick together. Once firm, you can transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. The frozen dough will keep well for up to 3 months. Be sure to label your bag with the date.
- Bake from frozen: Follow all of the cooking instructions, but add a minute or two to the bake time. The tops of your cookies may darken a bit more, but they will still be delicious.
More dessert recipes to try
- Healthy Lemon Loaf
- Healthy Zucchini Brownies
- Cranberry Almond Breakfast Cookies
- Paleo Pumpkin Chocolate Truffles
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
If you try a recipe and you like it, leave us some feedback in the comment section below. Don’t forget to rate the recipe, too! We would love it if you shared it with friends and family.
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Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 cup coconut sugar, cane or monk fruit sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, wheat flour or oat flour
- 1/4 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine kosher salt
- 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/3 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup M&M's, or you can use minis
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl beat the eggs. Add the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk by hand or using an electric mixer, until creamy.
- In a second mixing bowl, add flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk until combined and the dough looks smooth. Fold in the oats, chocolate chips and M&M's.
- Refrigerate the dough for 30-45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375ºF and line 2 large sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough into balls over your prepared sheet pans. To get evenly shaped cookies, roll each ball between your palms, then arrange with some space in between. Stick an extra 2 to 4 M&M's into each dough ball.
- Bake for around 8-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
Notes
- Storing cookies: These will keep fresh, in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 2 days. To keep them fresh for longer, store them for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
- Freezing: Freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months. Allow cookies to cool completely before putting them in a freezer-safe bag.
- Freezing dough: Chill scooped dough balls in the freezer, on a sheet pan, for 30 minutes. This will flash-freeze them, so they don’t stick together. Once firm, you can transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. The frozen dough will keep well for up to 3 months. Be sure to label your bag with the date.
- Bake from frozen: Follow all of the cooking instructions, but add a minute or two to the bake time. The tops of your cookies may darken a bit more, but they will still be delicious.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this and it was absolutely delicious .
So glad you loved it. Yay