These cocoa oatmeal cookies are soft, chewy, and lightly chocolaty, with a flavor that’s more like hot cocoa than dark chocolate. Using cocoa powder keeps the cookies tender and balanced rather than rich or heavy. They’re perfect if you want an oatmeal cookie with a gentle cocoa flavor and can be made traditionally, gluten-free, vegan or dairy-free.

I adapted these from my Oatmeal Cookies Without Butter, tweaking the ratios to make room for cocoa powder and reducing the oats so the cookies don’t turn out dry. The result is a thick, sturdy cookie that stays soft and chewy. I have to say, I like the non-cocoa version I just linked a bit more, probably because oatmeal raisin cookies are already one of my top three favorites.

For today’s recipe, I used natural cocoa powder because I didn’t want the cookies to be super chocolaty. Natural cocoa powder is cocoa powder that hasn’t been alkalized, like regular Hershey’s cocoa powder. Natural cocoa has a brighter, more acidic, and “old-fashioned” chocolate flavor that is often associated with nostalgic hot cocoa mixes and childhood treats. It’s also lighter in color than Dutch-process cocoa powder. It’s also great in recipes like these Cocoa Bars, Banana Cocoa Cookies and Almond Flour Cocoa Cookies.

What’s To Love

Soft and chewy texture that stays tender for days
No butter required
Easy to make ahead and freeze for later
Perfect for oatmeal cookie lovers who want something different. If you want something more traditional, check out my collection of healthy oatmeal cookies over on my other blog!

Ingredient Notes

Please scroll down for the full recipe. These notes just explain a few of the key ingredients.

Flour – you can use whole wheat, all-purpose or a gluten-free baking blend that’s meant as a 1:1 sub for all-purpose flour. I used King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour.
Natural cocoa powder – as I said above, natural cocoa has a lighter color and a flavor that’s more like classic hot cocoa. It’s slightly sharper and less rich, which works really well with the oats and chocolate chips. Using Dutch-process cocoa would give these cookies a deeper color, but it would also change the chemistry of the dough and require adjusting the leavening.
Oil – you can use vegetable, canola, grapeseed or any neutral oil. I like to use refined coconut oil, which doesn’t have any coconut flavor. It should be firm, not melted or soft. This helps the cookies hold their shape and prevents excessive spreading. You can also use butter, but the cookies will be cakier and less chewy with that.
Quick oats – quick oats create a softer, more cohesive cookie. Old-fashioned oats would make the cookies drier and more crumbly, so I don’t recommend that.
Brown sugar – brown sugar adds moisture and chewiness. I don’t recommend replacing it with white sugar. Coconut sugar also works but makes the cookies drier and more crumbly.

How to Make Them

This is a standard cookie recipe. No special techniques or equipment needed!

Whisk together the dry ingredients until evenly combined.
Cream the coconut oil and brown sugar until smooth.
Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients.
Stir in the oats and most of the chocolate chips.
Mix until well combined.
Portion the dough into large balls, flatten slightly, and press extra chocolate chips on top.
Bake just until the centers look set. The cookies will be extremely soft. Let the cookies cool completely before moving them. They are extremely fragile when hot and firm up as they cool. You’ll need about 3 hours before they’re set! If you want to make them ahead of time, making them overnight is a great option.

Tips for Success

If using coconut oil, make sure it’s firm and not soft or melted. Otherwise the cookies will spread too much.
Measure the flour and oats carefully to avoid dry cookies.
Don’t overbake. The centers should look just set, not dry.

Make Ahead, Storage and Freezing

These cookies are an excellent make-ahead option. Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They stay soft and chewy the entire time.

The dough can be portioned and frozen. Freeze the dough balls on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding about 1–2 minutes to the bake time.

Troubleshooting

Cookies spread too much – the coconut oil was likely too warm. Chill the dough briefly before baking.
Cookies seem underbaked – they firm up significantly as they cool. Avoid overbaking.
Dry cookies – too much flour or oats can cause dryness. Spoon and level flour rather than scooping. Or even better, use a scale!
Cookies fall apart – let them cool longer. These cookies need about three hours to fully set.

Gluten-free, vegan and dairy-free options

For a gluten-free version, I’ve only tested this recipe with King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour. This is also what the photographer used, but the whole wheat and all-purpose versions look the same.

I can’t say how any other brands of flour would work in these cookies since I haven’t tried it out. But the King Arthur one (along with Bob’s Red Mill) are my favorites and perfect in recipes like this Healthy Chocolate Cake, Independence Day Cake and these Memorial Day Cookies.

If you’re dairy-free or vegan, make sure to use oil and plant-based chocolate. If you’re vegan, also use 2 chia eggs in place of the eggs. I’ve done this many times with great results!

To make the 2 chia eggs for this recipe, mix 2 tablespoons ground chia seed with 6 tablespoons water. Mix until combined and gloopy like an egg.

🍪 Have you tried these cocoa oatmeal cookies? 🍪

Please leave a ✍️review and ⭐ rating to let me (and others!) know how they turned out. I appreciate it so much! 💛

5 from 2 votes