Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies with Cacao Nibs

Are you craving cookies right now, but maybe something a little different from a plain old chocolate chip cookie? How about a cookie filled with lots of chocolate and nutty goodness? This recipe for Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies with Cacao Nibs is seriously addicting. The cocoa nibs, pecans, and oatmeal bake into a fabulous hearty cookie. 

This page may contain affiliate links; please see my full disclosure for policy details. I earn commissions if you shop through the links on this page.

This recipe has several components, but the great thing is you add the ingredients to a mixing bowl for a quick mix, and no chilling is required.  Nope, you don’t have to find room in the fridge for your big mixing bowl and patiently wait for some magic chilling thing to happen with this dough.

Let’s start with the ingredients

• Butter
• Brown sugar
• White sugar
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Oatmeal
• Flour
• Salt, Baking Soda & Baking Powder
• Chocolate
• Chocolate chips
• Cacao nibs
• Pecans

This cookie is all about texture. Yes, I know there are quite a few ingredients, but each has a delicious purpose that results in a deeply rich, chewy and crunchy chocolate chip oatmeal cookie that begs for a glass of cold milk or even a cup of coffee or tea.

And if you are looking to make just a few cookies, try this Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe for 12 delicious cookies. Or if you want a classic oatmeal cookie, bake these chewy Ice Oatmeal Cookies.

Three ingredients make this a great cookie

Chocolate – Cocao Nibs – Rolled Oats

Grated chocolate – for the grated chocolate, a large piece of chocolate works the best since you need to grate 4 ounces. I use milk chocolate for this step, which mildly flavors the cookie and gives it a light chocolate color. Feel free to use your favorite chocolate.  I buy chunks of chocolate, but you can also buy 4-ounce bars such as Lindt, Ghiradelli, and Valahrona at most stores.

Grating the chocolate does take a little time, but it is worth the effort.

Here are a few grating tips

1. Grating a block of chocolate is easier than a bar
2. Refrigerate the chocolate before grating to keep it from getting soft, and it will grate more easily.
3. Watch your knuckles when grating and stop before you get close to the end piece of the chocolate.

Chocolate Chips – use your favorite brand for the chips.  I like using semi-sweet to add a deep chocolatey flavor, and to offset the grated milk chocolate; for today’s recipe, is used Trader Joe’s semi-sweet chips.

 Cacao Nibs – Lastly, what about those cacao nibs? I like to add cacao nibs to these cookies for a nice little crunch, and the nibs add another layer of chocolate flavor. You can find cacao nibs next to chocolate and cocoa in most stores. Try these Cacao Nibs and Sea Salt Shortbread Cookies for another cacao nib recipe.

But what the heck are cacao nibs?  They are roasted and husked cacao beans and are pure chocolate.  I like to eat them by themselves. Cacao nibs are crunchy and not sweet at all, plus they are also full of antioxidants; another good reason to eat chocolate!

Rolled Oats – Unlike other oatmeal cookie recipes, this recipe calls for putting the oatmeal in a food processor and grinding it down into smaller pieces. Grinding the oatmeal gives these cookies a lighter texture than regular oatmeal cookies, but you still get that great nutty oatmeal taste. Seriously, I love this technique, and I love the ground oats in cookies.

Ready to bake?  Get out your cookie sheets, turn on your oven and let’s mix up a batch of cookie dough.

How To Make Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Step 1. Using a small food processor, grind the rolled oats to a medium to fine grind; this takes a few whirls. Add the ground oats to a bowl along with the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set this aside for a minute.

Step 2. Using a food grater, grate the four-ounce bar of chocolate into a shallow pan or a pie plate. The grated chocolate tends to scatter, so use a pan with edges that help keep it contained better.  Once grated, set aside.

Step 3. In a stand mixer bowl, mix the softened butter and the white and brown sugars on medium speed until the mixture is nice and creamy.

Step 4. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed until the mixture is well blended.

Step 5. Add the flour and oatmeal mixture to the creamed mixture, then mix at low speed until blended.

Step 6. Add the grated chocolate, chocolate chips, cacao nibs, and pecans; mix at a low speed to incorporate all the ingredients.  At this point, the dough will be very heavy and thick, so mix slowly.

Step 7. Scoop the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets and bake at 375 degrees F. for 10 minutes.  I like using a 1.5 tablespoon (#40) cookie scoop for this, but a regular teaspoon will also work.

When done, remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Store in an airtight container for several days.

These didn’t last long…we started eating them right off the cookie sheet when they were nice and warm with all the gooey chocolate.

Bake these other chocolate treats from One Hot Oven 

Chocolate Shortbread Cookies with Cacao Nibs

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dark Chocolate Slice and Bake Cookies

Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache

Stout Beer Cake

Chocolate Torte with Chocolate Ganache

Make sure to visit the Sweet Than Oats Blog for another tasty treat made with cacao nibs. These vegan Cacao Nib Truffles have just six ingredients and are a healthy and delicious snack.

Cookie Questions

Can you freeze these cookies? Yes, and I do it two ways.

1. Make the cookie batter and scoop the cookie dough onto parchment paper or wax paper on a plate or tray.  Place these cookie dough scoops in the freezer and freeze for about 1/2 hour. Remove from the freezer and place the frozen dough balls in a storage bag or container, pressing the air out of the bag. When ready to bake, remove from the freezer, place on the baking sheet, and bake as directed, adding  2-3 minutes for the cookies to bake.
2. Bake the cookies as directed and let them cool completely.  Transfer the cookies to a freezer container or bag, press to remove the air, and seal tightly.  When ready to eat, remove the cookies from the freezer and let them defrost for about a half-hour.  You can pop the cookies into a 350-degree F. oven for 5 minutes to heat up if you like warm cookies.

What about the nuts

1.  Chopped walnuts or almonds are a good option
2. You can also leave the nuts out, and the cookie with be just as tasty.

Do you have to grind the oatmeal?

For these cookies, yes. The recipe is calculated for the flour to the ground oatmeal ratio for the right consistency.

Do you have to grate the chocolate?

I suggest doing this step; otherwise, it isn’t a chocolate cookie, and the grated chocolate adds great flavor.

Chocolate Suggestions

Cacao Nibs add a wonderful crunch to these cookies, and they make a delicious snack.

Using blocks of chocolate are perfect for recipes like this when you need grated or shaved chocolate.

You can also buy smaller bars of chocolate like this 4-ounce bar.

Please pin for later!

More to make and eat!

First Published: Nov 9, 2015… Last Updated: April 16, 2021, for better readability,

Thank you for stopping by the One Hot Oven blog.  Please leave a comment to say hello or tell me what you are baking; I always love hearing from fellow bakers. Have any questions or want to chat about the recipe? Please visit my About page for information, and I’ll be happy to help!

About Jere’ 

From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending.  Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven, sharing both sweet and savory recipes with all my baking friends.