Last updated on February 12th, 2025
Baked oats started trending not too long ago, and since then, I just knew I had to collect some of the best cookie dough baked oats recipes I could find. In this post, you’ll gain insight into tips and tricks you can use to make your baked oatmeal turn out perfect. In addition, I’ve provided you with a variety of cookie dough baked oatmeal options so you can pick the one best suited to your tastes. So, without further delay, let’s dive into these yummy recipes!
Cookie Dough Baked Oatmeal Recipe
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 banana
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
- To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- From there, place oats, baking powder, salt, banana, peanut butter, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and maple syrup in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- After blending, place the batter into a baking dish. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
- Bake the mixture in the oven for approximately 30 minutes. You can bake it for slightly longer if you want a firmer texture.
- Once removed from the oven, allow the baked oatmeal to cool for at least five minutes.
- From here, you can add any optional topping (ex. sliced banana or additional chocolate chips).
- Slice and serve!
What Is Baked Oatmeal?
Baked oatmeal is a combination of oats with a variety of other ingredients, such as milk and sugar. To this, you can add a variety of other mix-ins. Finally, the oats are baked in the oven and dished up either in bowls or on plates.
The taste and consistency of baked oatmeal often vary from recipe to recipe. This is because most baked oatmeal recipes contain different ingredients at differing ratios, which can cause textures to be dissimilar. One baked oatmeal recipe may be gooey in the center (similar to that of normal oatmeal), while another may resemble a soft-baked granola bar.
It really just depends!
Why Make Baked Oatmeal?
These delicious baked oats aren’t just tasty – they’re actually pretty good for you too!
Oats brings a wealth of benefits to your breakfast bowl. They’re packed with fiber that keeps you feeling full and satisfied throughout your morning. Plus, oats contain something special called beta-glucans, which are great for heart health.
When you combine oats with protein-rich ingredients like eggs, yogurt, or protein powder (like in our protein version in this post later), you’re creating a balanced breakfast.
Even the chocolate chips contribute a bit of antioxidants – though maybe don’t tell your kids that part if you want to keep it as your secret!
Tips for Making Cookie Dough Baked Oatmeal
Now that you know what baked oatmeal is, let’s discuss a few tips for making cookie dough baked oats.
As you might imagine, making cookie dough baked oatmeal includes all the usual suspects for traditional oatmeal, but also includes, you guessed it, chocolate chips!
Follow these tips for making scrumptious cookie dough baked oatmeal the next time you get the craving!
- Use old-fashioned oats for thicker, chewier, and heartier baked oatmeal. Choose quick oats for thinner or gooier baked oatmeal.
- Only use a blender for your baked oats if your recipe calls for one. As previously mentioned, baked oat recipe results can vary dramatically. Therefore, be sure to follow the directions to a tee to achieve the intended outcome.
- Baking times will affect the consistency of your baked oatmeal. You’ll notice that some cookie dough baked oatmeal recipes will call for you to cook the oatmeal for more or less time, depending on the texture you want. Be mindful of this when following recipe instructions.
- Lastly, most of the upcoming recipes will ask that you mix in your chocolate chips into the oatmeal before cooking. Still, you should feel free to add additional chocolate chips to the top of your baked oats once baked.
How to Make This Cookie Dough Oatmeal
Coming up, we’ve got a handful of different baked oatmeal recipes for you that are inspired by deliciously satisfying cookie dough, such as the chocolate covered cookie dough bites I have on the blog. Each recipe is a little different from the others in terms of ingredients and directions, so be sure to read each one closely.
Alright, enough of the chatter. Let’s dive into these enticing baked oat breakfast recipes!
Cookie Dough Baked Oatmeal #1 (Basic)
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 banana
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- From there, place oats, baking powder, salt, banana, peanut butter, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and maple syrup in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- After blending, place the batter into a baking dish. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
- Bake the mixture in the oven for approximately 30 minutes. You can bake it for slightly longer if you want a firmer texture.
- Once removed from the oven, allow the baked oatmeal to cool for at least five minutes.
- From here, you can add any optional topping (ex. sliced banana or additional chocolate chips).
- Slice and serve!
Cookie Dough Baked Oatmeal #2 (No Banana)
If having banana in your recipe, like in the above baked oatmeal cookie dough, is not something you want, you might like this banana-less baked oatmeal cookie dough instead:
Ingredients
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup plain yogurt
- ¼ cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- To begin, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a mixing bowl, add your yogurt and milk and mix until combined.
- To this, stir in your brown sugar, oats, and baking powder.
- Lastly, fold in a tablespoon of your chocolate chips. Top the mixture with 1 teaspoon (or more) of additional chocolate chips.
- Bake in a baking dish for about 18-20 minutes. The baked oats are ready when nicely browned.
- Allow the cookie dough baked oatmeal to cool for about 10 minutes before slicing into it.
- Serve!
Cookie Dough Oatmeal #3 (Microwave)
Don’t have time to make overnight oats, or bake your oatmeal? You can make cookie dough in the microwave, and certainly there’s a version of this recipe, too!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 2/3 cup vanilla almond milk
- 1/2 tablespoon almond butter
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips. divided
Instructions
- To make your cookie dough baked oatmeal in the microwave, begin by mixing together all of the ingredients except your chocolate chips.
- From here, stir in half of your chocolate chips.
- Cook the mixture for 1 minute.
- Remove your oatmeal from the microwave and stir before topping with the other half of your chocolate chips.
- Microwave for an additional minute.
- Allow your oatmeal to cool. Enjoy!
Cookie Dough Baked Oatmeal #4 (Protein)
If you’re on a high protein diet, you might want to put more protein in this recipe. And don’t worry, I’ve got you! Like my protein cookie dough, you can try this recipe below, too!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Using a blender, blend your oats to create your own oat flour. Once your oats resemble flour, add your baking powder, maple, vanilla protein powder, milk, and egg. Stir until combined. (It is important not to use your blender to mix these final ingredients together. Over mixing may render your final baked oatmeal dense and rubbery.)
- Once combined, fold in your chocolate chips.
- Transfer the mixture to an oven-safe baking dish and top with additional chocolate chips.
- Cook for 23-27 minutes.
- Slice and serve!
Magical Mix-In Ideas
While chocolate chips are classic, why stop there?
- White chocolate chips with dried cranberries
- Butterscotch chips and chopped pecans
- Mini M&Ms for a birthday cake vibe
- Crushed cookie pieces (why not double down on the cookie theme?)
And for texture:
- Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, or chopped dates)
- Chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, or pecans)
- Seeds (pumpkin or sunflower)
- Shredded coconut
How to Serve
For Breakfast
- A drizzle of warm milk or cream
- Fresh berries or sliced bananas
- A spoonful of nut butter that gets all melty on top
- A dollop of Greek yogurt for extra protein
For Dessert (because why not?)
- Nutella drizzle
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream
- Warm caramel sauce
- Whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon
Can You Make This Ahead?
One of the best things about baked oatmeal? It’s meal-prep friendly! Once baked and cooled, you can store your oatmeal in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Want to think even further ahead? These baked oats freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. Just wrap individual portions well and store them in a freezer-safe container.
To reheat, pop a portion in the microwave for 60-90 seconds if refrigerated, or 2-3 minutes if frozen. Add a splash of milk if it seems a bit dry. For the best texture, you can also reheat in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.
Adjusting the Recipe for Your Needs
- Going Gluten-Free: Simply swap in certified gluten-free oats. All other ingredients in our base recipes are naturally gluten-free, but always check your labels, especially on chocolate chips.
- Vegan Version: Replace the egg in Recipe #4 with a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water, let sit for 5 minutes). Use plant-based milk and protein powder, and ensure your chocolate chips are dairy-free.
- Dairy-Free: Any plant-based milk works great here – almond, oat, or soy are all fantastic choices. For Recipe #2, replace the yogurt with dairy-free yogurt or mashed banana.
- Sugar-Free Options: Try using mashed banana or unsweetened applesauce for natural sweetness, or swap in your favorite sugar substitute. Just remember that this might change the texture slightly.
Cookie Dough Baked Oats: Embrace the Variety!
As you can see, there are several ways you can whip up a delicious cookie dough baked oatmeal at home, with all four recipes offering their own unique texture and flavor. And if you have leftover oats from this recipe, why not use them to make this fantastic overnight oats tiramisu? And if you’re looking to increase your protein intake, this recipe for protein baked oats is a great addition to your meal plan.
I hope you’ve found this helpful and that you give a few of these recipes a try.
See you next time!
FAQs
Can I add oatmeal to store bought cookie dough?
You can if you wish. Just know that doing this may be best suited for cookie mix rather than premade cookie dough. Adding it to premade cookie dough may make it difficult to fully incorporate in the batter, and also, may cause the oats to drastically change the texture of your cookies.
Can I make this without a blender?
Yes! While some recipes call for blending, you can skip this step by using quick oats instead of old-fashioned oats. Your texture will be slightly different but still delicious. If you want the finer texture without a blender, you can also pulse your oats in a food processor or even use store-bought oat flour (use slightly less as it’s more concentrated).
Why did my baked oats sink in the middle?
This usually happens when there’s too much moisture or the oats haven’t baked long enough. Make sure you’re measuring your liquid ingredients accurately and bake until the center is set. Also check that your baking powder is fresh – it should fizz actively when you add it to water.
My baked oats turned out gummy – what happened?
Gummy texture usually comes from over-blending or using too much banana. If you’re using a blender, pulse just until combined rather than blending thoroughly. Also make sure you’re using the right ratio of dry to wet ingredients.
Can I prep the batter the night before?
Yes, you can mix the wet and dry ingredients separately and store them in the refrigerator overnight. Combine them just before baking. If you mix everything together the night before, the oats will absorb too much liquid and your texture might be off.
How do I know when baked oats are done?
The top should be lightly golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out mostly clean (a few moist crumbs are okay). The edges should be set, and the center should spring back slightly when gently pressed.
Can I use steel-cut oats instead of rolled oats?
Steel-cut oats require more liquid and longer cooking time than rolled oats. While you can use them, you’ll need to increase the liquid by about 1/4 cup per 1/2 cup of oats and expect to add 15-20 minutes to the baking time. The texture will be chewier and denser.
My chocolate chips all sank to the bottom – how can I prevent this?
Try tossing your chocolate chips in a little bit of the dry ingredients before folding them into the batter. Also, reserve some to sprinkle on top just before baking. Using mini chocolate chips can help too, as they’re lighter and less likely to sink.
What’s the best milk to use?
Any milk works! Dairy milk, almond milk, oat milk, soy milk – use whatever you prefer or have on hand. Just note that different milks have different protein and fat contents, which might slightly affect the final texture. Creamier milk alternatives (like oat or cashew milk) tend to work better than thinner ones (like rice milk).
