These are the best oatmeal cookies — so soft, addictively chewy, perfectly spiced, and beyond easy to make! Made with humble ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, like brown sugar, cinnamon, and rolled oats, this timeless treat is comforting and satisfying.
And I love their versatility! You can add so many different types of mix-ins to oatmeal cookies; get creative and add chopped nuts, chocolate chips, raisins, or other dried fruit. They’re so easy to change up to suit your preferences! For more classic cookie recipes, try my peanut butter cookies, snickerdoodle recipe, or chocolate chip cookies.
Ingredients
Flour — all-purpose flour creates perfectly chewy and tender cookies.
Leavening — you need baking powder and baking soda so they puff up and spread just the right amount to turn out perfectly chewy.
Cinnamon — this spice is essential to my perfect oatmeal cookie! There’s just enough to add a warm flavor without overpowering the nutty oats.
Butter — not only does unsalted butter add delicious flavor to the cookies, beating the softened butter with sugar whips in air, helping the cookies puff and spread and aiding in a chewy cookie.
Sugar — granulated sugar and light brown sugar are the perfect pair for these cookies for cookies with a chewy center and crispy edges.
Eggs — eggs help to bind the cookie dough. Without it, the cookies would be thinner and more crispy than chewy.
Oats — rolled oats, also called old-fashioned oats, are a must for chewy oatmeal cookies. I do not recommend substituting quick-cooking oats.
Mix-ins of choice — I’ve got lots of ideas for you in the Oatmeal Cookie Variations section, from nuts to dried fruit.
How To Make Oatmeal Cookies
1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
2. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Reduce speed to low and add the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat well to combine.
4. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until almost combined.
5. Stir in the rolled oats and raisins (if using).
6. Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into balls onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Using a cookie scoop is a really easy way to do this! Cover and chill for 1 hour or up to 72 hours. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the chilled dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake at 350°F for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown but still shiny and soft in the center. Let the baked cookies cool on the cookie sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
What Makes A Perfectly Chewy Oatmeal Cookie
Here are a few tips for a chewy cookie every single time:
- Use white sugar and brown sugar: Brown sugar is a must for chewy cookies because it is slightly acidic and is also more moist than granulated sugar, which results in chewy cookies. The granulated sugar helps the bottom and edges of the cookies brown and become crispy. This combination makes the perfect chewy oatmeal cookies!
- Use old-fashioned rolled oats: They are vital for the perfect oatmeal cookie texture!
- Chill the dough: One of the best things you can do for chewy cookies every time. You can keep the dough balls in the fridge for up to 3 days; the longer they chill, the chewier the cookies will be once baked.
- Underbake the cookies slightly: Pulling the cookies out of the oven when the centers still look slightly wet is ideal because they will finish setting up as they cool, becoming chewy in the middle.
- Let the cookies cool completely: Since you’ll take the cookies out of the oven while slightly underbaked, letting them cool completely is vital so the residual heat can finish the baking process. As the cookies cool, their chewy texture sets up.
Oatmeal Cookie Variations
Keep the total amount of mix-ins to no more than 1½ cups, or the cookies will not spread as well.
- Skip the mix-ins: If you prefer a plain oatmeal cookie with no bells and whistles, feel free to leave out the mix-ins. Just use an extra ½ cup of oats instead.
- Add raisins: You can use regular or golden raisins or make my oatmeal raisin cookies instead.
- Add dried cranberries: Or try my oatmeal cranberry cookies.
- Add other dried fruit: Like dried cherries or chopped dried apricots.
- Add nuts: For crunch that complements the chewy cookies, add chopped pecans or walnuts.
- Add chocolate chips: White, milk, or semi-sweet chocolate chips add delicious pops of sweetness. Or try my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
How To Store Oatmeal Cookies
Store completely cooled oatmeal cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
To keep oatmeal cookies longer, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. Pop the cooled cookies into a freezer-safe container with sheets of parchment paper between layers to keep them from sticking to each other.
How To Freeze Cookie Dough Balls
Scoop the dough into 2 tablespoon-sized balls onto a lined baking sheet, flash freeze until solid, and then transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. The dough freezes well for up to 3 months.
Bake the dough from frozen; you’ll just need to add a minute or two to the baking time.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Weigh ingredients: Weighing the flour and oats is the best way to prevent accidentally using too much, which leads to dry cookies.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature to make them easier to incorporate into a cohesive cookie dough. If you forget to set out the butter, just use my simple tutorial for how to soften butter quickly.
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough to prevent the cookies from becoming tough when they bake. You can stir in the mix-ins by hand if desired.
- Use a cookie scoop to ensure each cookie is the same size. This promotes even baking, so all the oatmeal cookies are done at the same time. If your cookie scoop has a number on it, look for #40, which has a 2-tablespoon capacity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use white whole wheat flour for all or part of the all-purpose flour. I recommend beating in 2 tablespoons of water or milk if doing so as whole wheat flour is dryer.
I don’t recommend using quick oats (also called instant oats). Old-fashioned oats are the better option for this oatmeal cookie recipe. Quick oats yield cookies that are drier and not as chewy.
The trick to keeping cookies soft and chewy and drying out as the days pass is to store them in an airtight container and toss a slice of bread or a few marshmallows into the container with them.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this oatmeal cookies recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Rimmed baking sheets
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (180g)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (226g)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar (220g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats (280g)
- 1 cup raisins (or other mixins) (160g)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes
- Reduce speed to low. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and beat until almost combined. Stir in the oats and the raisins. Scoop the dough into 2 tablespoon-sized balls, cover, and chill for 1 hour or up to 72 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart on the parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown around the edges but still soft in the center. (The centers should still appear wet and shiny but will set up once cooled.) Let cool on the pans for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Notes
- Weigh ingredients: Weighing the flour and oats is the best way to prevent accidentally using too much, which leads to dry cookies.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature to make them easier to incorporate into a cohesive cookie dough. If you forget to set out the butter, just use my simple tutorial for how to soften butter quickly.
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough to prevent the cookies from becoming tough when they bake. You can stir in the mix-ins by hand if desired.
- Use a cookie scoop to ensure each cookie is the same size. This promotes even baking, so all the oatmeal cookies are done at the same time. If your cookie scoop has a number on it, look for #40, which has a 2-tablespoon capacity.
