My oatmeal cookies recipe yields soft, chewy, bakery-style cookies. This old-fashioned classic is an all-time favorite, and I think you’ll love the incredible flavors, perfectly balanced texture and sweetness, and ease of this recipe! Includes a how-to video!
Truly the Best Oatmeal Cookies
Despite their humble appearance, my oatmeal cookies are always the very first cookies to disappear from their cookie tins each Christmas.
While they may not look as exciting as chocolate chip cookies, snickerdoodles, or flashy iced sugar cookies, they have a classic hearty texture and incredible depth of flavor that’s rich with brown sugar, vanilla, and butter. They’re also easy to prepare, are made with basic, easy to find ingredients, and are perfect for beginner and advanced bakers alike.
Why You Should Try THIS Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
- Incredible flavor. A blend of brown and white sugar, a healthy splash of real vanilla, a subtle sprinkling of cinnamon, this recipe checks all the boxes for a satisfying cookie.
- The *perfect* texture. Hearty and satisfying, the oats make for a sturdy cookie with perfectly balanced sweetness.
- Easy to make! This recipe is perfect for bakers of any level of expertise.
- Over 250 five-star reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! Since I first published this recipe in 2017, it’s garnered hundreds of rave reviews and has become a new staple in households across the world. So don’t just take my word for it, check out the comments!
I know there are literally hundreds of thousands of other oatmeal cookies out there, but give this one a try and I strongly suspect it will become your new go-to, too.
What You Need
Oatmeal cookies are made with pantry staples, which is one of the many reasons they’ve been so popular over the years! Let’s go over a few key ingredients.
- Oats. I recommend and prefer old-fashioned oats in my oatmeal cookies, but discuss alternatives in the FAQ section below.
- Sugar. My oatmeal cookies use a blend of white granulated and light brown. The brown sugar adds moisture and flavor, helping to make these cookies nice and soft.
- Softened butter. Perfectly softened butter should be slightly cooler than room temperature; 65°F is ideal, if you want to get technical (it does not need to be exact!).
- Vanilla extract. I use a healthy pour of vanilla in my recipe, which gives the cookies incredible depth of flavor. Now is a great time to whip out your homemade vanilla, if you have any!
- Flour. Use all-purpose flour. Bleached or unbleached will work, I personally use unbleached. Do not use self-rising flour which contains baking powder, which this recipe does not use, and salt, which we have already accounted for.
- Corn starch. As I mentioned, this is one of my favorite ingredients to use in my cookies (it makes an appearance in my peanut butter blossoms, too). It makes them nice and soft and chewy without making them cakey. You could alternatively substitute arrowroot starch.
- Baking soda. This leavening agent gives the cookies the perfect chewy texture and just the right amount of spread. It also helps cause some of that golden caramelization that gives the cookies their beautiful coloring (and rich flavor). No baking powder is needed in this recipe
- Ground cinnamon. You can leave this out if you have allergies, but the flavor of these oatmeal cookies is so perfectly enhanced by a dash of cinnamon.
SAM’S TIP: If you don’t have cornstarch and can’t find arrowroot, you can substitute the cornstarch with an equal amount of flour. The oatmeal cookies will be a tad flatter and they won’t be quite as soft and chewy, but they’ll still be very good!
This is just an overview of the ingredients I use in my oatmeal cookie recipe and why I do so. For the full recipe with measurements, please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
Tips for Perfect Cookies, Every Time
I love these oatmeal cookies (and really all cookie recipes) because I think they’re the perfect recipe for beginner bakers and seasoned pros alike. I wanted to share a few tips that helped me level up my own cookie game, hopefully they help you, too!
- Cream the butter and sugar well. Creaming, or thoroughly beating together the butter and sugars, is necessary in this recipe because it helps incorporate air into the batter and helps the cookies achieve the proper texture. This means going beyond simply stirring together the butter and sugar until just combined; you want the mixture to appear light and fluffy, and an electric or stand mixer is best for easily achieving this.
- Weigh your ingredients! A kitchen scale (⬅️ that one is my favorite!) is a game changer when it comes to baking anything, from cakes to macarons and oatmeal cookies. It will also save you on dishes, no more measuring cups to wash. Here is my guide on using a kitchen scale to get you started. If you don’t have a scale, don’t worry, you can still make great cookies, just make sure you are measuring your flour properly (don’t scoop it into your measuring cup!).
- Roll your cookies. Most drop cookies (like these) can simply be, well, dropped on the baking pan and baked. No problem! But if you want your cookies to look more uniform and round, roll the dough between your palms to make a round ball before baking.
- Know your oven temperature. Many ovens run hotter or cooler than they let on (I once had an oven that was 25 degrees hotter than it told me it was!). I highly recommend keeping an oven thermometer in the center of your oven to monitor the temperature. Also make sure you bake in the center rack, unless otherwise noted.
- Underbake slightly. Remove the oatmeal cookies from the oven before they’re baked all the way through! The edges should look set/slightly golden but the centers will appear slightly underdone (but not raw!). Let your cookies cool completely on the baking sheet, where they’ll finish cooking to perfection. This will give you cookies that stay soft and chewy for days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes you can! Any of these may be added to the dough without having to make any other alterations to the recipe. I recommend adding about 1 ½ cups of your favorite add-ins, stir them in with a wooden spoon or spatula after adding your oats.
I also do have a standalone oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe and an oatmeal raisin cookie recipe, both of which are different from this recipe.
I used to recommend against using quick oats (also sometimes called “instant oats”), but after a series of recent tests I’ve concluded that it’s fine to use quick oats instead. Note that your oatmeal cookies will be less chewy, less hearty, and may be a tad more dry.
Substitute an equal amount.
This recipe is specifically designed to yield soft, chewy cookies. You can help ensure your cookies stay soft by following my instructions for not over-baking the cookies. When storing, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature, they’re best when enjoyed within 5 days of baking.
I hope you love this oatmeal cookie recipe every bit as my family does!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup (215 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (cornflour in UK)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 cups (285 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or raisins optional!
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Beat butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or using an electric beater) for about 30 seconds.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy (pause to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl, if needed).1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined.2 large eggs
- Stir in vanilla extract.1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.1 ¾ cup (215 g) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon table salt, ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture until completely combined. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so ingredients are well-mixed.3 cups (285 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- Gradually stir in oats until completely combined. If using raisins or chocolate chips, stir them in at this point.1 ½ cups chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or raisins
- Cover dough with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper.
- Drop cookie dough by rounded 2 Tablespoon-sized balls onto parchment paper, spacing at least 2" apart. If desired, roll cookies between your palms to make a smooth ball, which will give you more uniform cookies.
- Bake on 375F (190C) for 10-12 minutes (edges should be slightly browned, centers may still be slightly underbaked but shouldn't be raw, they'll bake completely as they cool).
- Allow cookies to cool completely on cookie sheet before serving and enjoying.
Notes
Brown sugar
You may substitute dark brown sugar for an even softer and more chewy oatmeal cookie!Oats
You may substitute an equal amount of instant oats for the old-fashioned.Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This oatmeal cookie recipe was originally published April of 2017. Photos have been updated, additional tips have been added, and a video has been added. Recipe remains the same.
Dawn
Such soft, delicious cookies!! I made 3 dozen: a dozen with dried cranberries, a dozen with chopped up dates, and a dozen with Ghirardelli chocolate chips (60% cacao). Oh, and I did not put in the cinnamon. Thank you for this fantastic recipe!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Dawn! 🙂
Toni
Great recipe, so soft!
Laura
My husband loves these cookies. I use craisens in lieu of raisins.
Jan Taylor
can I freeze dough to be cooked later?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
Ruth
I freeze my chocolate chip dough balls & the instructions indicated to drop baking temp by 25° from frozen state. Would this hold true for frozen oatmeal dough balls as well?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Ruth! No need to drop the temperature, but they will need approximately 3+ minutes longer in the oven than the recipe indicates. We recommend you do a small tray first to test how long it takes. We talk more about this in our post on how to freeze cookie dough 😊
Monica Burton
Question… I just “bought” Oatmeal Apple Pie Cookies from HEB (couldn’t resist the look of them!). They were wonderful! HOPING and PRAYING I can add a can of Apple Pie Filling to your recipe, to try to duplicate? Do you have any suggestions on adding/subtracting any other ingredient(s) if I do so? TYIA!!!
Sam
Hi Monica! Unfortunately I’m not sure how that would work. It would definitely take some tweaking but without having tried it I can’t say for sure how to do it. I do have an apple pie cookie that you may be interested in trying. It’s more of an apple pie in cookie form. 🙂
Ruth
Could Steel Cut Oats vs Old Fashioned be used ?
If so, would any tweaks to the recipe be required?
TIA!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Ruth! The cookies will be a lot chewier if you use steel cut oats vs old fashioned oats. We recommend sticking with the recipe here for best results 😊
Sid
I’m a newish baker and these are beginner friendly. There also super yummy, would recommend! Xp
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed them, Sid 🩷
Kathy
I love these oatmeal cookies! They stay so soft and chewy!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you like them, Kathy! Enjoy ☺️
Pas
The first time I made this cookies I gave them to my (not in that moment) boyfriend. He loved them and now that we are together always ask for more 🙂
I’m from another country and our taste buds may be different, but with half the sugar and ⅓ less the butter they still come out delicious 😋, and I always bake 30 cookies of 30 grams each.
Today I replaced one third of the flour with whey powder to take them on a hiking trip, and, no surprise, they are amazing 😍
THANK YOU for the metric measures, I have had to discard so many recipes because of this!!
Candace
The best recipe we’ve tried for oatmeal cookies. I didn’t use cinnamon and added butterscotch chips and measured with kitchen scale.
Highly recommend.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
So glad you like them, Candace! Thanks for the review 🥰
CarmenWZB
I had a taste for oatmeal cookies and found this recipe. I initially made them to take them to Bible Study. They were such a hit everyone wanted me to make more for after Sunday service. I am about to make my 4th or 5th batch! I have shared them with my family and they asked me to add them to my Christmas cookie baking. Thank you so much for sharing; the cinnamon is the secret ingredient!
Sam
I’m so glad to hear they have been such a hit, Carmen! 🙂
Nancy Johnson
mady these today. best oatmeal cookies I have ever made. wish I had chocolate or raisins to put in. next time I will add extras.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Nancy! 🙂
Vicki A Jones
I had a wonderful oatmeal cookie recipe and lost it in a house fire. I made these. I had no butter so I used coconut oil and I had to add about 1/2 cup more of flour. they are so wonderful. I think its my old recipe. I chose your recipe because the looked like the ones from my old recipe. thank you so much. love them
Diane
Delicious cookies. This is a new oatmeal cookie recipe for me and it is now in the #1 spot. I did plain this time, next I’ll try raisins (I didn’t have any this time). Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Pamela J Byers
Very good Oatmeal Cookies. I used craisins in this recipe instead of raisins. Only thing was they got very soft and I like a crunch. Not quite such what I did.
Kelsi
Hi there! My cookies keep turning out thin and almost crispy like. I am following instructions to a t and just not sure what’s wrong! Can you help?
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this is happening, Kelsi! Are you making any substitutions/omissions. Is your oven temperature accurate? Is it possible they may just need a little less time in the oven?
Brenda
These are probably the best Oatmeal Cookies I have ever made! Everyone loves them!
Carole
I only use salted butter. How do I adjust this???
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Carole! You can use your butter and just reduce the salt in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon. We actually talk about how to do this conversion in our salted vs. unsalted butter post. 😊
Carole
I did the conversion and used 1/4tsp. These were delicious, best ever.
Thank you for speedy reply.
Carole