Oatmeal Cookies

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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!

Oatmeal Cookies on cooling rack.

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:)

oatmeal cookie with flaky sea salt.

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.

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.
  • Pinch of 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
Stack of Oatmeal Cookies.

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.

Oatmeal cookies stacked on cooling rack with striped tea towel.
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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 202 votes

Ingredients
  

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?

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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!
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  1. 5 stars
    Made thsee cookies this rainy weekend with my 1 year old and three year old. They were a hut with everyone! And we always have the ingredients on hand.

  2. 5 stars
    Been baking for over 40 years and am very picky about my oatmeal cookies.
    These are one of the BEST online Oatmeal cookies I have tried. Follow the directions as instructed, {including letting the cookies cool on the pans}, and this recipe will give you great cookies every time!

  3. Beautiful. Wish I could leave a picture. I followed as instructed, except I cut cinnamon to just a pinch, my preference. I chopped up some dark chocolate chips and added some chopped pecans too. The cookies are flattish and chewy, just like I wanted.

  4. 5 stars
    SOOOO GOOD!! Chewy and flavor is amazing. Made a batch with chocolate chips and one with raisins. Family loved them. They also taste store bought like they’re that good.

  5. Help! My son is allergic to dairy and egg whites. What can I substitute for the butter and egg? Thanks for your help!

  6. 5 stars
    I made these last night, the best oatmeal cookies ever. We loved them so yummy, soft and chewy. Thanks Maria for another great recipe.

  7. 5 stars
    Just baked these they were perfect , thank you so much , they were so good I called my friend and took some to her house , love love them

    1. I made them tonight without a mixer and they turned out fine. It really helps to make sure your butter is very soft.

  8. 5 stars
    Exactly the flavor plus crisp I was looking for. I didn’t have flaked salt so omitted. And 1/2 the sugar was subbed for coconut sugar but still yielded a brown sugar flavor.

  9. I made these cookies and added chocolate chips !! My grandson LOVED them.. I am going to try them with raisins next time.. Soft and chewy and they froze great !!

  10. I only have one stick of unsalted butter. Do I have to modify the recipe if I do half a cup with unsalted butter and the other half with regular butter? Or no biggie??

  11. 5 stars
    VERY DELICIOUS AND LIGHT . I WILL SAY BECAUSE I WASNT FULLY PREPARED I HAD A FEW SUBSTITUTES. I DIDNT HAVE SEA SALT SO I USED REGULAR SALT AND I ENDED UP USING 1 1/2 OF OLD FASHIONED AND 1 1/2 QUICK OAT BECASUE IT WHAT I HAD AND BECAUSE THEY WERENT FLATTENING AS MUCH I DID SMASH THEM A LITTLE WITH A SPOON AND LEFT THEM IN FOR 2 EXTRA MINS BUT SO DELICIOUS THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING

  12. I was out of brown sugar and had to make my own (white sugar and some maple syrup) and they still turned out perfectly. Thank you!

  13. 5 stars
    I’ve never mad oatmeal cookies before and these were a huge hit! I did half with raisins and half chocolate chip little something for everyone Question about the large egg is it one whole egg plus an egg yolk?

  14. 5 stars
    These cookies are amazing! When they first came out of the oven they scared me – they were thinner than I expected and didn’t quite look done. I let them sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes and they set up perfectly. They’re so good I sent some home with a friend and woke up to a text the next morning from her begging me to make her a personal batch!

  15. 3 stars
    Mine came out like cake meatballs! I used whole wheat flour instead of all purpose and only used brown sugar (1 cup), and they didn’t spread at all and the texture was way too soft. I remade them with a 1/2 stick extra of butter, omitted the extra yoke, halved the vanilla, and upped the temperature to 375 degrees and they were perfect.

    1. If you take a recipe and rewrite the whole thing then you shouldn’t leave a bad review because the recipe didn’t turn out. It’s YOUR fault that they turned out poorly, not that the original recipe was bad. Try making it per the instructions and THEN leave a proper review, otherwise you are rating your your own made up recipe.

  16. 5 stars
    These really are the BEST oatmeal cookies ever! I live above 7000 ft sea level and I had no issues with this recipe. The only ingredient I didn’t have on hand was the baking soda and so substituted 3 teaspoons of baking powder instead. I also added a cup of raisins! Totally delicious….this has become our all-time favorite cookie recipe!

    1. Update: Admission time…this was our third night in a row of craving these delicious cookies! But…as such, I ran out of brown sugar and eggs…O.M.G.!
      Anyway, I made some substitutions and wanted to share my experience. Note: my place is just at about 7500 ft above sea level. So, for the brown sugar I made my own (1 cup sugar / 1 tablespoon molasses) and for the egg I used 1 cup peanut butter. The taste is good, but the dough won’t stick together. I had to add additional peanut butter to get the last batch to form ANY type/shape familiar with cookie-making.
      I absolutely ❤ this recipe! I plan to keep it and pass it down to children/grandchildren. With that being said…I will NOT be substituting any ingredients in this recipe!
      Just wanted to share…keep baking, stay happy!

    1. You can use salted butter. The cookies will be a tad more salty. You can always reduce the salt a little.

  17. 5 stars
    OK , I can’t follow directions . I tried but it’s kind of like when you go on a trip and leave the map in the trunk of the car because you looked at it yesterday . So I had no brown sugar and substituted refined sugar , went a little crazy with the cinnamon , tablespoons 2, maybe 3 , probably 3 , nutmeg 1 tablespoon , had no vanilla so I thought the cinnamon and nutmeg would lead the flavor . I mixed by hand and it was extremely dry so I kept adding water till it looked like the consistency suited me . Made large cookies 5-6 inch diameter ( looked like flying saucers after baking). Removed them from the oven before the edge darkened and they were perfect and I separated them from the foil when hot but left them cooldown in their bake position on the foil . They made a wonderful dinner .

  18. 3 stars
    These were ok. A little disappointed how they melted into each other, making cutting the cookies into squares. My standard recipe is similar but does not have egg and yolk included. This could be why the cookies came out too soft and sticky. Sorry, but I don’t think I’ll make this recipe again.

  19. Didn’t have any brown sugar so I substituted with more granulated sugar and my cookies came out hard next time I’ll follow the recipe to the T

  20. 5 stars
    Made these cookies today and they were delicious!! Chewy in the center and crisp outside. Will definitely make them again. Thanks for the recipe!

  21. 5 stars
    I have used a couple recipes and this one is totally worth throwing my old recipes out. Highly recommend, absolutely delicious, and flatten nicely. I did add about 1-2 TBSP water but it is up to you. I added raisins and they were great!

    1. If that is all you have right now, you can use them. The texture will be different. You might need to add a little more.

  22. 5 stars
    I made these with my 7 year old daughter and they are delicious! My husband says they are the best oatmeal cookies he’s ever tasted, and I know he’s not lying because I just had to slap his hand away after already eating 4. We put white chocolate and milk chocolate in 1/2 the batch and just raisins in the other 1/2.

  23. 3 stars
    Hi two peas and a pod – love you guys! Not sure what I did wrong but my cookies did NOT flatten out at all but instead stayed thick and round and white. My second batch I left in 6-8 min longer than u suggested but they just got darker and harder – still didn’t spread at all. I thought I followed exactly but any idea what I could have done? The dough was to die for and want to try again. Thx!

    1. Was your butter too cold? Did you add too much flour or oats? I fluff my flour, then spoon it in the measuring cup, and then level. Never pack your flour. Try using a little less flour or oats next time. You can also gently press down on the cookie dough ball with the palm of your hand before baking, but mine always spread just fine. I have never had this issue. I hope you can figure it out!

  24. 5 stars
    I have been making these for a while and they’ve always been great. I made them again this morning (5/20/20) and they came out different, didn’t spread out. I didn’t understand and looked at the recipe. Oops, I used 1 stick of butter instead of 1 cup. This caused them to stay round. They still taste good, but I will make sure I use 2 sticks butter (1cup) next time. Katie from May 19, could that be what you did?

  25. I’ve made plenty of oatmeal cookies in the past .. it’s not rocket science, but these were a bit of a disaster. The dough never really got creamy and it was near impossible to get the oats to mix in well, and forget scooping. It was all I could do to make balls by hand. And they’re not flattening out and getting golden. Nothing going right. Guess it’s back to the recipe on the oats box for me.

  26. I have never commented before on a recipe and I have been baking for a long time. I followed the recipe exactly. They are the best oatmeal cookies if not the best cookie I have ever baked. I really enjoy your site and have used a lot of your recipes. I think your comments are very helpful. Thank you.

  27. I’m 12 years old and I made these cookies tonight and they were really good! Thank you for this recipe! 🙂

  28. 5 stars
    Wonderful recipe!! So chewy and delicious. I love the flaked salt on top. Thank you also for the tip in the comments about not packing the flour. I think this has been an issue for me in the past.

  29. 5 stars
    Made these today & they were a hit with my husband who had been asking for them. I tried to follow recipe. Had to work the butter and sugar part a little harder since I had not soften butter prior. I also warmed by brown sugar to soften it a little. Anyway, the rest of recipe was followed & included nutmeg. This recipe is simply good & is a 5 star rating. I make the banana bread recipe every other week so knew I would use one of Maria’s recipes.

  30. 5 stars
    Taste was really good so I’m sure it would be perfect if i followed the instructions to the T….but I used min oats because that’s what I had in hand and I used a hand mixer. It came out cakey. What could have been the cause? So I make sure not to do it that way next time

  31. Greetings:)
    Delish! Except my cookies didn’t flatten like your photo. Hmmmmm All the ingredients were exact.
    Please advise

  32. 5 stars
    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 recipe

    1. 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.

    2. 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??

  33. 5 stars
    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!!!

  34. 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?

  35. 4 stars
    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!

    1. Any change to main ingredients will change the texture. Try it again after separating the yolk.

  36. 5 stars
    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.

  37. 5 stars
    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!

  38. 5 stars
    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!

  39. 5 stars
    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.

  40. 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!

    1. 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!

  41. 5 stars
    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.

  42. 4 stars
    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.

  43. 5 stars
    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!

    1. I am thrilled you loved my oatmeal cookie recipe. I make them all of the time.

  44. 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!

  45. 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!

  46. 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?

  47. 5 stars
    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!

  48. 5 stars
    Good recipe, even smells fantastic before cooking (obviously) needed to cook about 20 minutes, overall great recipe.

  49. 4 stars
    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.

  50. 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?