Irresistible Caramel Oatmeal Cookies filled with gooey chocolate and caramel and topped with a chocolate drizzle!

For more oatmeal cookies, try my famous Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Pecan, or Oatmeal Cookies!

Ready-to-eat caramel oatmeal cookies stacked on top of each other, with one broken in half to reveal the gooey caramel center.

The Best Caramel Oatmeal Cookies

Today, I’m mixing one of my favorite candies (Rolos®) with my favorite cookie type (oatmeal!) for the ultimate combo. These cookies are thick, chewy, chocolatey, filled with caramel, and downright delicious!

The Rolos stay soft and gooey inside, creating a melty center when you take a bite. Two Rolos in the middle, with just enough dough around them, is the secret to these cookies.

Oats, flour, and brown sugar separated in a bowl, then mixed together for this delicious and easy recipe.

Ingredients

  • Flour: Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it off to prevent heavy cookies.
  • Old-Fashioned Oats: Stick with old-fashioned oats; instant oats can make the cookies too soft.
  • Light Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and a caramel flavor.
  • Baking Soda: Makes the cookies puff up a bit for a soft texture.
  • Salt: Don’t skip the salt—it brings out all the other flavors.
  • Unsalted Butter: Let melted butter cool first to keep cookies from getting greasy.
  • Vanilla Extract: Boosts the flavor and sweetness.
  • Egg: Holds everything together for a soft, chewy texture.
  • Rolos: Wrap the Rolos completely in dough to keep caramel from oozing out.
  • Chocolate Chips: For drizzling, add an extra touch of sweetness.
Melted butter being added to the dry ingredients.

How To Make Caramel Oatmeal Cookies

  1. Prep: Heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, mix together flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
  3. Wet Ingredients: Melt the butter and let it cool. Stir in vanilla and egg, then mix with the dry ingredients.
  4. Shape Cookies: Flatten the dough in your hand, put two Rolos in the center, and wrap the dough around them. Do this for each cookie.
  5. Chill & Bake: Place the cookies on the baking sheet, chill, then bake until golden.
  6. Cool & Drizzle: Melt chocolate chips with a bit of oil, then drizzle over the cookies. Enjoy!
Rolo candies being added to the center of the dough, showing how the dough ball should look with the candy inside for the oatmeal caramel cookies.
  • Measure Flour Carefully: Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it off to avoid thick, puffy cookies.
  • Bake Until Just Set: For chewy cookies, take them out when they’re just set; baking too long can make them less soft.
  • Cover Rolos Fully: Make sure each Rolo is completely wrapped in dough to stop the caramel from leaking.
  • Use a Liner: Bake on a silicone mat or parchment paper to keep cookies from sticking, especially if some caramel comes out while baking.
Baked, ready-to-eat salted caramel oatmeal cookies with a drizzle of chocolate on top, showcasing their delicious and indulgent appearance.

Storage

Leftovers?

Store: Keep cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to a week.

To Freeze: Shape dough into balls and freeze. Bake straight from frozen, adding a few more minutes to the baking time.

4.84 from 6 votes

Caramel Oatmeal Cookies

Homemade caramel oatmeal cookies featuring a gooey chocolate caramel filling, all topped with a luscious chocolate drizzle.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes
Total Time: 24 minutes
Servings: 15 cookies

Equipment

  • Sheet pan 15 x 21-inch

Ingredients 
 

  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • 1-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 30 Rolos unwrapped
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.
  • Melt the butter and allow it to cool to room temperature, so it doesn't melt the sugar and cause greasy cookies. Combine with the vanilla extract and egg. Pour into the dry ingredients. Stir until a thick dough forms. You may need to knead the mixture with your hands.
  • Cover and refrigerate the dough while you unwrap the Rolos.
  • Take about 3 tablespoons of dough and flatten it in your hand. Place two candies in the center, then fold the edges of the dough up around the candies, sealing them completely to form a large cookie. The dough should just cover the Rolos without much extra. Make sure none of the candies are exposed or the caramel will leak out during baking.
  • Place 6–8 cookies on the prepared sheet pan, giving the cookies plenty of room. Refrigerate the tray for 10 minutes to firm up before baking.
  • Bake for 9–12 minutes. I love to underbake these just slightly, it creates a softer cookie with melted and gooey caramel. Overbaking will cause the caramel to harden when cooled. 
  • Allow the cookies to sit on the cookie sheet for another 2–3 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack to allow them to firm up a bit.
  • To top with chocolate, combine the chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in bursts of 15 seconds, stirring in between each burst for 10 seconds until completely melted.
  • Dip a spoon in the melted chocolate and drizzle it over the cookies. Alternatively transfer the chocolate to a small plastic bag, snip off the top with scissors, and drizzle all over.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Freeze dough balls and bake them directly from the freezer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 204mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 266IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

 

Meet Chelsea


Hello, and welcome to Chelseaโ€™s Messy Apron! Iโ€™m Chelsea, the recipe developer, food photographer, and writer behind the site. Iโ€™m passionate about creating simple, reliable, and delicious recipes that anyone can make.

Thanks for stopping byโ€”I hope you find something delicious to make!

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4.84 from 6 votes

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43 Comments

  1. Courtney says:

    These look amazing, and I am planning on making them for a cookie exchange this year. But I don’t see anywhere in the directions how many cookies this recipe yields? Just curious b/c I will need about 3-4 dozen cookies and I’m not sure how to properly manipulate the recipe for what I need! Thanks!

  2. Chelsea @ Chelsea Eats Treats says:

    4 stars
    I just made these, and they turned out great! Thanks for the recipe ๐Ÿ™‚ A couple of notes: My dough turned out really crumbly at first, so I wound up adding about two more tbsp. of butter and that seemed to help it come together. Also I found that when I put two Rolos inside the cookies they were HUGE, and I knew I wouldn’t have enough dough to make as many cookies as I wanted. It might be worth doubling the dough so you have enough cookies. I wound up using just one Rolo in each cookie, and they weren’t as gooey. Overall though, these are delicious!

  3. Jessica @ Citrus Blossom Bliss says:

    I love this fun twist on oats. I also use a TON of oats, but this cookie recipe looks superb! You have the most creative recipes ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures says:

    So decadent! I adore oats in cookies!

  5. Michelle { A Latte Food } says:

    These cookies totally are magic! Can’t wait to try! Pinned ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. Kristine @ Kristine's Kitchen says:

    I’m as obsessed with oats as you are! I buy them in bulk and go through them so quickly, between all of the granola, oatmeal, cookies, and so much more that I make with them! These cookies look incredible! Pinned!

  7. Thalia @ butter and brioche says:

    5 stars
    I have never seen oatmeal cookies like these before Chelsea! You always have the most creative (and delicious) ideas… pinned!

  8. Amy @ Chew Out Loud says:

    These are decadent YUM things! I could eat a bunch, b/c oats are goooood for you!!! Your Littles are adorbs, by the way. When I give mine cookies, that’s when all becomes peaceful and quiet ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. chrysta@noshed says:

    5 stars
    o.m.g…I love the twist you have on these oatmeal cookies! dang girl…..Im scared to make them as I would eat them all! Do you know if they freeze? Id love to batch them out for the holidays….

  10. Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says:

    5 stars
    Oats are just—awesome! Hearty and chewy and they add so much to so many different recipes! And girl….molten. caramel. and chocolate. IN COOKIES! *swoon*