Best Oatmeal Cookies

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The best Oatmeal Cookie Recipe – crispy edges with soft and chewy centers, these oatmeal cookies are easy to make with simple ingredients and no chilling! . Add your favorite mix-ins to make them your own.

oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips

You all know I love cookies. From chocolate chip cookies to peanut butter cookies to fun and festive cut-out sugar cookies, I have spent many, many years developing the best cookie recipes, and now I present to you, the best oatmeal cookies ever

Sometimes you just need the comforting nostalgia of a chewy oatmeal cookie. With hints of cinnamon and vanilla, these oatmeal cookies will soon become your go-to recipe.

These Oatmeal Cookies have crispy edges and soft and chewy centers. They’re made with simple ingredients and don’t need to be chilled. Add your favorite mix-ins to make them your own.

 stack of 5 oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips

Before we walk through how to make oatmeal cookies, let’s chat about the ingredients in this oatmeal cookie recipe. 

photo of the ingredients in this oatmeal cookies recipe
  • Salted Butter. Unsalted butter is a good substitute.
  • Flour. gluten-free flour can be used in place of all-purpose flour to make these cookies gluten free.
  • Oatmeal: For the perfect, chewy texture use old-fashioned (or rolled) oats. You can use quick oats, just be aware it will change the texture of the cookies.
  • Light Brown Sugar.ย using dark brown sugar will impart a slightly bolder molasses flavor.
  • Granulated Sugar. Organic cane sugar works well.
  • Fine Sea Salt. if using iodized table salt, decrease the amount by half.
  • Mix-ins. Adding mix-ins is optional. Some possibilities include: chocolate chips, raisins (try these oatmeal raisin cookies), white chocolate chips, cinnamon chips etc.
one oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips

How to Make Oatmeal Cookies

Let’s walk through how to make oatmeal cookies step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.

Begin by creaming the butter and sugars together on speed until the evenly combined (about 60 seconds). You may need to pause, scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue beating. 

You can also use a large mixing bowl and a hand mixer if you do not have a standing mixer.

How to Make Oatmeal Cookies - butter & sugars in a bowl before creaming
How to Make Oatmeal Cookies - butter & sugars in a bowl after creaming

Next, add the egg and vanilla extract and beat for about 60 seconds until the mixture is light and fluffy. 

How to Make Oatmeal Cookies - adding vanilla and egg
oatmeal cookies dough after vanilla and egg have been beaten

After 1 minute, beat in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt and cinnamon until just combined.

You can either mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl before you begin the rest of the recipe, or just toss them into the mixer on top of the beaten wet ingredients.

How to Make Oatmeal Cookies - adding dry ingredients
How to Make Oatmeal Cookies - dough after flour mixture has been added

Next, add the oatmeal and beat it’s evenly distributed in the dough. Then, add the mix-ins, if desired. Here are some suggestions:

How to Make Oatmeal Cookies - adding oatmeal
finished oatmeal cookie dough in a mixing bowl

Portion & Bake

Use a small cookie scoop (1.5 to 2 TBS) to measure out the oatmeal cookie dough. Roll each portion into a smooth ball and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 

oatmeal cookie dough on a cookie scoop

Once the dough balls are on the parchment paper, gently and ever-so-slightly press the tops down. This will ensure even baking. 

Then, bake the oatmeal cookie recipe in the preheated oven. If you have a convection oven you can bake two trays at a time. If not, I recommend only baking one tray at a time. 

All ovens bake differently

Know your oven. Invest in an inexpensive oven thermometer to check the temperature and ensure the internal temperature is actually the temperature to which the oven is set. If your oven is baking too hot or too cold, then the cookies will not turn out well.

oatmeal cookies on a baking sheet before baking

Cool & Serve

Let the oatmeal cookies sit on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy them with a glass of milk or cup of coffee! 

three oatmeal cookies on a black wire cooling rack

Store

Store oatmeal cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.

Freeze

Instead of baking, you can also freeze the oatmeal cookie dough balls

  1. Place cookie dough balls on a non-stick cookie sheet and put them in the freezer for 1-2 hours or until firm. 
  2. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-friendly container (I recommend either a glass storage container or a freezer-friendly ziplock bag). 
  3. Freeze for up to 1 month. 
  4. To bake: remove dough from the freezer and let it come to room temperature. Then bake according the the recipe instructions. 
photo of seven oatmeal cookies on a white marble background

Here are some frequently asked questions about oatmeal cookies! If you have other questions I did not address in this post, please leave a comment and I will answer them!

Why are my oatmeal cookies dry?

These cookies shouldn’t be dry, if they are – here are some possible reasons:
Too much flour. Scoop and level the flour to get just the right amount.ย 
Over-mixing.ย Mix the dry ingredients in until they are just combined.ย 
Over-baking. Don’t do this! Remember they continue baking slightly after they are removed from the oven as they cool on the baking pan.ย 

What gives oatmeal cookies chewy texture?

A combination of butter/sugar/eggs, rolled oats and proper baking time/temperature will result in perfectly chewy oatmeal cookies.ย 

Are old fashioned oats and quick oats the same?

No! Old fashioned (or rolled) oats are whole-grain oat kernels that have been rolled flat. Quick-cooking oats are also rolled, but the oat kernel is cut into smaller pieces so it can cook faster.ย 

How do you know when oatmeal cookies are done?

They are done when the top is just barely set and the edges begin to crack slightly.

What kind of oats do you use for oatmeal cookies?

For the perfect, chewy texture use old-fashioned (or rolled) oats.ย 

Can you use quick oats instead of old fashioned in oatmeal cookies?

Yes, you can, just be aware that it will change the texture of the oatmeal cookies to be less chewy!ย 

stack of five oatmeal cookies

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Best Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

Laura
The best Oatmeal Cookie Recipe – crispy edges with soft and chewy centers, these oatmeal cookies are easy to make with simple ingredients and no chilling! . Add your favorite mix-ins to make them your own.
5 from 465 votes
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 18 cookies
Calories 133
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
  • Place softened butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer and beat until combined.
  • Add egg and vanilla and beat on medium speed until the mixture is light (about 30-60 seconds).
  • Add dry ingredient mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.
  • Add oatmeal and beat on low speed until combined.
  • Add mix ins (if desired) and stir until evenly distributed in the dough.
  • Use a 1 ยฝ to 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out the dough.
  • Roll the dough into a ball and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat until all the dough is used.
  • Gently and very slightly press down tops of cookies until they are flat.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until the top is just set.
  • Let sit on the baking pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions
  • Flour.ย for a gluten-free version, use an all-purpose gluten-free baking flour.
  • Salted Butter.ย Unsalted butter also works well, you may just need to increase the amount of sea salt.ย 
  • Light Brown Sugar. If you like a bolder molasses taste then you can use dark brown sugar.
  • Granulated Sugar.ย Organic cane sugar is my granulated sugar can be used in place of regular white sugar.ย 
  • Fine Sea salt. I only ever bake with pure, fine sea salt. If you are using iodized salt I recommend decreasing the amount of salt by half.ย 
  • Mix-ins.ย Adding mix-ins is optional. Here are some suggestions:ย 
Mix-In Suggestionsย 
Store
Store oatmeal cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. You can also freeze the cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 month.ย 
Freeze
  1. Place oatmeal cookie dough balls on a non-stick cookie sheet and put them in the freezer for 1-2 hours or until firm.ย 
  2. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-friendly container (I recommend either a glass storage container or a freezer-friendly ziplock bag).ย 
  3. Freeze for up to 1 month.ย 
  4. To bake: remove dough from the freezer and let it come to room temperature. Then bake according the the recipe instructions.ย 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 151mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 171IU | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg

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

    Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question? Leave a comment below!

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    5 from 465 votes (239 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




    398 Comments

    1. 5 stars
      Great cookies’ added butterscotch morsels and pecans to make quite an amazing cookie.

    2. 5 stars
      I baked a single recipe of oatmeal cookies using this recipe. I must say, they are the best oatmeal cookies I’ve ever eaten. I have done several of your cookie recipes and this one is the simplest and the quickest. Sometimes an hour before dinner I would whip up a batch and time it so they are in the cool down cycle yet still warm. Mmmmm the best. Keep on printing these recipes…. please!!!
      Thankx a bunch!
      Ken

    3. I made these cookies tonight. I added 1/2 cup of raisins, 1/2 cup of cranberries and 1/2 cup of walnuts. They were very good but were hard to remove from the cookie sheet. I used a light-colored cookie sheet on two of the trays, then decided to use a dark cookie sheet on the last 2 trays. In addition, I added parchment paper while baking the last 2 trays on the dark cookie sheets. They came out a bit thicker and didn’t break while trying to remove them from the cookie sheet. I’ll try again another day.

      1. I suggest using parchment paper or silicone baking mats to line your cookie trays to prevent sticking.

    4. 5 stars
      I make these for coworkers all the time because they say they’re the best! Which they are, my family agrees. It’s a small batch but yields a lot of cookies since you dont make them as big.

    5. Made your chocolate chip cookies a couple of weeks ago…..OMG…ate half dozen before the day was out! Took some in to work and they disappeared in a heartbeat (co-workers kept asking if any more!)
      I did change it up a little by using almond extract along with the vanilla and added Girhadeli bittersweet chips in addition to the semi sweet as called for in the recipe. Yummy

      Trying oatmeal cookies this weekend!

        1. Love your recipes! Question… can I use instant oats instead of old fashioned oats?

        2. No I don’t suggest instant oats. You can use quick-cooking oats, but the texture will be slightly different.

    6. 5 stars
      These are really good! I added some maple flavoring, pecans and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Wow! Delicious!

    7. These cookies were delicious.my recipe made 38.only cooked for 8 min. at 375 convection oven. Chewy. I did not add anything but next time it will be raisins.unsalted butter was fine

    8. This is the first time that I have tried the recipe. The cookies were chewy and delicious. My grandson (1year old) devoured them.