Soft Oat, Cocoa and Hazelnut Cookies — Ready in 30 Minutes

Soft homemade cookies with oats, cocoa and hazelnuts: a quick and satisfying bake for breakfast, an afternoon snack or a treat any time of day.

Soft Oat, Cocoa and Hazelnut Cookies — Ready in 30 Minutes
Prep
15 min
Cook
14 min
Total
29 min
Servings
16 servings
Calories
185 kcal

Looking for a homemade cookie recipe that comes together quickly, with no stand mixer and no complicated technique?

These soft oat, cocoa and hazelnut cookies might be exactly what you need. You can have them ready in under 30 minutes, using a single bowl and a spoon, and the result is genuinely satisfying — not just for the ease, but for the flavour.

What makes this recipe work is the combination of three simple ingredients: rolled oats give body and a pleasant chew, unsweetened cocoa adds real depth, and chopped hazelnuts bring a toasty crunch that makes each bite a little different from the last. The cookies come out soft in the middle, just golden at the edges and with a flavour that feels like proper old-fashioned baking.

Compared with other breakfast cookies, these have at least three things going for them: everything happens in one bowl, there is no need to chill the dough in the fridge, and they hold up well for several days without going dry.

One small trick that makes a real difference: once you have mixed everything together, leave the dough to sit for five minutes before you shape the cookies. The oats soak up the moisture, the dough becomes easier to handle and the cookies hold their shape in the oven. If you want to take them in a slightly different direction, half a teaspoon of cinnamon or a few drops of vanilla extract works very well here.

To keep them, just pop them in an airtight container at room temperature: they stay soft for 3-4 days. If you bake them the evening before, they are even better the next morning, once the flavours have had time to come together.

Ready to get started? Here is how to make these soft oat, cocoa and hazelnut cookies.

To make this recipe

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Digital kitchen scale

In leavened recipes and baked goods, it lets you accurately weigh flour, liquids, and yeast.

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Oven tray or baking dish

Perfect for baking meatballs and vegetables. Choose a non-stick tray for better results and easy cleaning.

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Steps

  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.
  3. Add the melted butter (slightly cooled) and the whole egg, then stir with a spoon until you get a soft, slightly sticky dough.
  4. Fold in the chopped hazelnuts, then let the dough rest for 5 minutes so the oats can absorb the moisture.
  5. With slightly damp hands, portion the dough into 16 rounds, place them on the prepared tray and gently flatten each one with the back of a spoon.
  6. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, until the edges are just golden and the centres still look a little soft.
  7. Let the cookies cool on the tray for at least 10 minutes before serving or storing — they firm up as they cool.

Helpful tips

After mixing the dough, let it rest for 5 minutes before shaping — the oats absorb the moisture and the dough becomes much easier to handle.

For a more aromatic version, stir in half a teaspoon of cinnamon or a few drops of vanilla extract with the butter and egg.

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature: they stay soft for 3–4 days. Baked the night before, they taste even better the next morning.

For crunchier cookies, add 2 extra minutes in the oven; for a softer centre, pull them out while the middle still looks slightly underdone.

Average nutrition per serving

Calories
185 kcal
Carbohydrates
19.0 g
Sugars
7.8 g
Protein
3.6 g
Fat
10.1 g
Saturated fat
3.4 g
Fiber
2.3 g
Sodium
68 mg