By Maria Lichty
Published on March 03, 2023
Pin Recipe
4.62121This post may contain affiliate links. Read mydisclosure policy.
Quick Summary
These soft and chewy Oatmeal Cookies are the BEST oatmeal cookies. They are made with basic ingredients, easy to make, and a family favorite. You can’t go wrong with this classic oatmeal cookie recipe!
One of my favorite cookies to bake and eat are Oatmeal Cookies. I know they are often picked last because their friends are more popular…chocolate chip, chocolate, peanut butter, and snickerdoodles, BUT I always pick oatmeal cookies first. You can’t go wrong with a GOOD oatmeal cookie.
This is the BEST oatmeal cookie recipe. The cookies are soft, chewy, sweet, buttery, and taste like home. They are comforting, wholesome, and nostalgic.
There is nothing fancy about oatmeal cookies, but I don’t need fancy, I just need a really good cookie and this recipe is perfection. I guarantee it will become your GO-TO recipe. Enjoy for dessert, a snack, or even breakfast…there is lots of oatmeal involved so they are the perfect breakfast food:)
Table of Contents
- What Kind of Oats Do You Use for Oatmeal Cookies?
- Cookie Ingredients
- How to Make Oatmeal Cookies
- How to Keep Oatmeal Cookies Soft
- Variations
- More Oatmeal Cookie Recipes:
- Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
What Kind of Oats Do You Use for Oatmeal Cookies?
Oatmeal is the star so it’s important to use the right kind of oats. For my oatmeal cookie recipe, I use old fashioned oats, also called rolled oats. When processed, the whole grains of oats are first steamed to make them soft and pliable, then pressed to flatten them. The oats look like flat, irregular discs.
Old fashioned oats provide a chewy, nutty texture and flavor to oatmeal cookies. They are thicker and heartier than quick oats (instant oats).
I don’t recommend using quick oats because the cookies won’t have as much texture and you want a nice and chewy oatmeal cookie that is hearty with lots of texture going on. Quick oats also absorb liquid differently and you don’t want to end up with dry cookies.
You can find old fashioned (rolled oats) at any grocery store in the cereal aisle. You can also buy oats in bulk.
Cookie Ingredients
I make these cookies A LOT because I always have the ingredients on hand. You will need:
- All-purpose flour– to measure, fluff, spoon, and level the flour. Never pack the flour or the cookies will be dry.
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon
- Sea salt– salt goes in the cookie dough and I like to finish the cookies with a sprinkling of sea salt.
- Pinchof nutmeg-optional, but so good!
- Butter– I use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Sugar– brown sugar and granulated sugar
- Eggs– one large egg AND a large egg yolk. The extra yolk makes the cookies super chewy.
- Vanilla extract– always use pure vanilla, not imitation.
- Old fashioned oats
How to Make Oatmeal Cookies
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Don’t skip the cinnamon, it adds a warm, sweetness to the oatmeal cookies. If you like nutmeg, you can also add a pinch of nutmeg to increase the nutty flavor.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat with the paddle attachment until creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides with a spatula if necessary. This should take 1 to 2 minutes. Note-if you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer or even mix by hand, just make sure you cream the butter and sugars together really well.
- I use an egg and egg yolk to create super chewy oatmeal cookies. Make sure you use pure vanilla extract for maximum vanilla flavor.
- When you add the dry ingredients, don’t over mix. It’s ok if there are still a few streaks of flour left.
- Stir in the oats with a spatula.
- Line large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Scoop the cookie dough into round balls, about 2 tablespoons per ball. Place on the lined baking sheets, about 2-inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown but the centers are still light golden and soft. Don’t over bake!
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cookies with flaked sea salt. The flaky salt is the perfect finishing touch! Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
How to Keep Oatmeal Cookies Soft
Here are a few tricks to keeping oatmeal cookies soft and chewy!
- Using butter, brown sugar, and old fashioned oats in the recipe will help create a soft and chewy cookie.
- I also use a large egg and a large egg yolk. The yolk makes the oatmeal cookies extra chewy.
- Don’t over mix your cookie dough or you will end up with a dense cookie.
- Make sure you don’t over bake the cookies. This is really important! The cookies are done baking when they are still soft in the center and slightly golden brown around the edges. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes. The cookies will finish baking as they cool.
- Store the cooled oatmeal cookies in an airtight container. You can even put a half piece of bread or a large marshmallow in the container to keep the cookies super soft. The cookies will absorb moisture from the bread, the bread will get hard, but the cookies will stay soft. White bread is best, as it won’t transfer its own flavors to the cookies.
Variations
I love the simplicity of a plain oatmeal cookie, but if you want to jazz up your oatmeal cookies, this is a great base recipe. You can add up to 2 cups of the following ingredients, depending on how loaded you want them to be.
- chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips
- chocolate chunks
- chopped nuts
- raisins or dried cranberries
- M&M’s
- flaked coconut
- chopped toffee
How to Store & Freeze
Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months.
You can also freeze the cookie dough. Scoop the cookies into balls and place on a baking sheet or tray. Put in the freezer until the balls are firm. Transfer the balls to a freezer container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, remove from the oven and add a few minutes to the baking time.
More Oatmeal Cookie Recipes:
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- No Bake Cookies
- Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Scotchies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Cowboy Cookies
Cookies
Oatmeal Cookies
These soft and chewy Oatmeal Cookies are the BEST oatmeal cookies. They are easy to make, everyone needs this classic oatmeal cookie recipe.
4.62 from 203 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 12 minutes mins
Total Time 27 minutes mins
Cuisine American
Servings 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Pinch of nutmeg, optional
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- Flaked sea salt, for sprinkling on cookies
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg, if using. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat with the paddle attachment until creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides with a spatula if necessary. This should take 1 to 2 minutes.
Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and beat until combined and smooth.
With the mixer off, add all of the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer on low and mix until just combined. Stir in the oats.
Line large baking sheets with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Scoop the cookie dough into round balls, about 2 tablespoons per ball. Place on the lined baking sheets, about 2-inches apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown but the centers are still light golden and soft. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cookies with flaked sea salt. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Store the cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the cookies for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 226kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 143mg, Potassium: 70mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 265IU, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 1.2mg
Keywords oatmeal cookies, oats
Have you tried this recipe?
Leave a comment below and share a photo on Instagram. Tag @twopeasandpod and hashtag it with #twopeasandtheirpod
Home » Recipes » Cookies
Maria
I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
Read More
Vegetarian Christmas Maria's Favorites Desserts Cookies
Leave a Reply
Comments
Leave a comment
Recipe is amazing! I used equal amount of GF flour the only thing I noticed is that they spread almost completely flat not sure why they came out so thin they still taste amazing though LOL wonder what I did wrong or could it have been the gluten-free flour? I use the same gluten-free flour for all my GF recipes with no problem not sure what happened but like I said they still taste amazing thank you for your recipeReply
Was your butter too warm? It could have been the flour too. Next time, make sure your butter isn’t too warm and add 1/4 cup of flour.
Using gluten free flour I have found you have the let the dough or batter if making cake sit for at least a few hours covered in fridge because it takes a bit of time for the GF flour to absorb moisture. It also helps to up the baking soda up to a tsp more.
Curious, what GF did u use??
These are great! I’ve made them twice!! Very yummy!Reply
I thought I had a really good oatmeal cookie recipe for years, but when I couldn’t find it I googled and found this recipe. These are the best oatmeal cookie EVER!!!Reply
I am thinking of making these fro my dad but i don’t have old fashioned oats so could i use oatmeal from little packages instead?
Reply
My one and only oatmeal cookie recipe. Just put a batch in the oven. Thank you
Reply
These came out soft and chewy but they did not look anything like the picture. The only thing I did was not remove the second egg white (I already cracked it in before I remembered.) I even chilled the dough, which I normally don’t do for any cookies I make. They flattened out too much, even after cooling on the sheet with undercooked centers. They taste fine though!Reply
Any change to main ingredients will change the texture. Try it again after separating the yolk.
I make meringues for my kids or fluff 😉
I hate to do it since this recipe called for an extra egg yolk and I hate having to store a white. But. It was really really good. Added a cup of walnut pieces and 1/2 c of dried cranberries with the oats.Reply
I hate to waste it, too, so I cook it up for my pups!
re: extra egg white
I hate to waste the egg white, too, so I cook it up for my pups as a treat!
I made these tonight and Im not a “baker”. All of the previous recipes I have tried in the past were so dry and simply not edible. After making these tonight I can say that they are THE BEST oatmeal cookies I have ever eaten!! They came out perfect and so yummy!
I’m so excited that I now have such an incredible recipe for oatmeal cookies. Thank you so very much!Reply
The best recipe!Reply
I’ve tried this recipe last weekend and it was a success at home. The cookies were soft, chewy and full of flavor. My kids are not fans of oatmeal cookies but these cookies didn’t last the weekend.A total keeper!Reply
Nice…. Sweet & chewy! I also added raisins.
Reply
I have never made a good oatmeal cookie until I found your recipe. They are amazing. Thank you for sharing.Reply
They really are the best.
Best oatmeal cookies!! Follow the recipe for cooking time!Reply
You can’t go wrong with a classic.
The best oatmeal cookies I have ever made, love this recipe gold star for my rating.Reply
They are my favorite too.
Now my go-to oatmeal cookie recipe!Reply
Yahoo!
Loved it it was great 5 stars all the wayReply
Thanks!
Very good cookies. They will come out like the picture if you take out 2-3 mins earlier. They will sink down like a cake and finish baking with residual heat.Reply
Yum. 10/10, I added raisins and it was so good. They are also wonderful for breakfast-nice and easy.
Reply
Is the nutritional facts for one cookie?
Reply
Super yummy!! I didn’t chill my the first batch I did and then I chilled the second one. The ones I chilled came out thicker for sure, but they taste the same and are just as good either way:) definitely will be making again!
Reply
So happy you love the oatmeal cookies. They are my favorite.
Could cooled browned butter be used in place of softened butter?
Reply
I haven’t tried it. I do have a recipe for brown butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, just leave out the chocolate chips! The recipe is on the blog!
I had an oatmeal cookie bar recipe that I always made but so many good comments I decided to try this one. It was delicious!!! I loved the addition of both white and brown sugar. My husband is a cookie monster and he gave them double thumbs up and asked for them with toffee chips next time. Thanks for the recipe. My son is at college and I will make them with raisins for him when he comes home.Reply
Super tasty! Will deff be making these again. I did reduce the oats by 1/2 a cup though, as I just felt they would be a little too oat-y with a full 3 cups.Reply
I made these for a bake sale at my daughters school. I needed an allergy free item so I substituted with dairy free butter and you can’t tell the difference! The cookies held together so well and they were delicious!!! Not having to chill the dough made these cookies even easier to whip together!! Thank you for this recipe. It’s definitely one I’ll make again and again!Reply
I am thrilled you loved my oatmeal cookie recipe. I make them all of the time.
I made these for the State Park Staff today. I added in Butterscotch and Chocolate Chips. They loved them! Thank you for another great cookie recipe!
Reply
Hello from the UK! It sounds a great recipe, but we don’t use “cups” to measure our ingredients. Can you please tell me how many grams in 3 cups oatmeal?
Thank you!
Reply
Hi! I am planning to make these this weekend. I would like to use oat flour instead of all-purpose flour. Should I use the same measurement here? is there anything I will need to do differently?
Reply
I haven’t tested the recipe with oat flour.
Can you use quick cooking oats for this recipe?
Reply
I prefer old-fashioned oats, but I know some people have used quick oats with success.
I followed the recipe exactly and they taste great! I used a larger scoop which made 15 cookies and they took 15min to bake. Thank you!Reply
Also, I used quick oats, not to be confused with instant or steel cut.I am glad you loved the cookies.
Good recipe, even smells fantastic before cooking (obviously) needed to cook about 20 minutes, overall great recipe.Reply
You can’t go wrong with a classic!
For those making GF versions:
Make sure you are measuring your flour correctly.
I feel the amount of [old fashioned] oats in this recipe is too much. Reduce the amount by a cup (2c total). I would also recommend pulsing the oats a bit in a food processor before measuring and adding. Mine (GF) ended up looking like the picture with the suggestions I just mentioned.Reply
would love to make these! Do you use light or dark brown sugar? Thanks!
Reply
light, but dark will work too!
I’m planning to make these, love a good oatmeal cookie, but was wondering if I could substitute the all purpose flour for whole wheat flour?? Or a combination of whole wheat and almond flour?
Reply
Yes! Whole wheat flour is great. I wouldn’t use almond flour though.
We love this recipe. My husband is allergic to eggs so we substituted a quarter cup of pumpkin puree for the egg parts and it’s amazing! The combo of nutmeg, cinnamon, and pumpkin is a winner!Reply
Yay!
See More Comments
