Chocolate Oatmeal Icebox Cookies (Slice-and-Bake)

These chocolate oatmeal icebox cookies are classic slice-and-bake cookies you can keep in the refrigerator or freezer for fresh cookies anytime. Equal parts flour and oatmeal create a hearty texture, with optional pecans or mini chocolate chips for extra flavor and crunch.

48 cookies

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE OATMEAL REFRIGERATOR COOKIES

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Ingredients

2 squares (56 g) unsweetened chocolate
½ cup (113 g) butter
1 cup (220 g) brown sugar, packed
1 large (50 g) egg
1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) almond extract
1 cup (120 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) baking soda
½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) salt
1 cup (81 g) quick or old-fashioned oats
½ cup (54 g) chopped pecans
1 cup (180 g) mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Melt Chocolate: Melt 2 squares unsweetened chocolate in a microwave for 2 minutes on MEDIUM and set aside to cool.
Combine Ingredients: Mix 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup brown sugar, packed until light and fluffy. Add 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, and continue to beat.
Blend in cooled chocolate.
Add 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in 1 cup quick or old-fashioned oats, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, and 1 cup mini chocolate chips.
Shape dough: Mold cookie dough into a long cylinder and wrap in waxed paper.
Refrigerate at least 4-5 hours or overnight.
Bake: Cut cookies with a sharp knife into 1/4-inch thick slices.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180˚C) for 10-12 minutes.
It is difficult to tell when they're done because you won't see any browning. The entire cookie should be puffed up but soft in the middle.

Notes

DO NOT OVERBAKE or these cookies will be hard when cool. Mine are always done in 10 minutes (when coming out of the fridge), but your oven may be different. Allow an extra minute or two if the cookie dough is frozen.

How long does the dough last in the freezer?
Double-wrapped logs last up to 3 months. Slice only when ready to bake.
How to slice frozen dough without breaking it?
Use mini chocolate chips, not regular ones.
Slice with a sharp or high-quality serrated knife (e.g., Victorinox).
Frozen dough slices cleaner than refrigerated but let it soften slightly if too hard.
What to do with leftovers?
Turn leftover cookies into truffles using my chocolate chip cookie truffle recipe and substituting these cookies.
Prevent flavor transfer in the freezer.
Wrap the logs in wax paper → foil → freezer bag. Chocolate dough, especially with oatmeal, can pick up freezer odors easily. Triple-wrapping keeps the flavor pure.
Use a bench scraper, not a knife, to measure uniform slices. Once the dough is cold, use the flat metal edge of a bench scraper to press light marks across the log every ¼ inch, then slice. You get perfectly even cookies and better baking consistency.

Nutritional Information