This recipe for gluten-free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies mixes chewy, buttery oats with semisweet chocolate chips and just the right amount of salt. Hearty and wholesome and totally satisfying.

I’ve been making these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies since I moved to San Francisco back in 2006ish — I had picked up a used copy of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook soon after I arrived there and the recipe caught my eye. It’s a winner: chewy, buttery oats mixed with semisweet chocolate chips and just the right amount of salt. My friend Lesli called these the “Make Everything Better” cookies and the name stuck; even when things are pretty good, these cookies make them just that much better. Now that I’ve rewritten it to be gluten-free and using unrefined sweeteners dare I admit the recipe been elevated from really really good to really, really, REALLY good.

I’m the first person to argue in favor of cake, but my kids love — and need — a regular infusion of cookies. I hadn’t done these in awhile, and while I included a version in my cookbook I decided to give it another go. In this round I’ve updated the weight measurements for the flour, swapped in coconut and maple sugars, and removed the baking powder, replacing it with more baking soda to make a chewier cookie. I used oat flour in place of the original recipe’s all-purpose flour, because these are oatmeal cookies though you could try sorghum instead. In each recipe in which I use both oat flour and maple sugar the two play off off of each other so beautifully, creating a caramel-sweet undertone that is perfect in cookies and vanilla cakes. S commented that she liked these even better than the “regular” chocolate chip cookies I make for them — so, all in all a rousing success.

Original recipe is here.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies

They make everything better. Ok, maybe not everything but it doesn’t hurt to try, and they sure do help. Toasty oats, buttery oat flour, and lots of chocolate make these cookies pretty irresistible.

Whole grain goodness. I won’t say these are “healthy” cookies but there is a lot of oats called for in the ingredients list and oats are SO good for you! Plus they bring a wonderful texture and flavor to the cookies. (See more gluten-free flours.)

Chocolate chips. Loads of semisweet chocolate chips take these over the top. You could also try milk chocolate chips or swap the chocolate for toasted walnuts (or add both?)

A stack of gluten-free oatmeal chocolate chips cookies

What You’ll Need to Make Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Unsalted butter
Sugar
Coconut sugar
Egg
Pure vanilla extract
Oat flour
Baking soda
Fine sea salt
Rolled oats
Semisweet chocolate chips

Method for Gluten-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Scroll down to the recipe card at the end of this post for the full instructions.

Prepare pans. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cream butter and sugars. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
Whisk flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, baking soda and salt and beat into butter mixture until well combined. Add the oats and chocolate chips on low speed and mix until well blended.
Bake cookies. Drop batter by tablespoons onto the prepared sheets. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack and serve.

Substitutions

Oat flour – swap sorghum flour.

Coconut sugar – swap brown sugar.

To make egg-free – use one flax egg in place of the egg. Mix 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds in 3 tablespoons water and let stand for 5 minutes.

To make dairy-free – use your favorite non-dairy butter for the butter.

To make refined sugar-free – substitute maple sugar for the sugar.

Rolled oats – I don’t have a good sub for the rolled oats since they are so important to the cookie, but if you can’t tolerate oats, you could experiment with quinoa flakes.

Storage

Store oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for 5 days. You can freeze cookies in a sealed plastic bag for 3 months.