Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (2024)

By Genevieve Ko

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (1)

Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
4(3,131)
Notes
Read community notes

These taste distinctly homemade: much smaller than giant, thick bakery-style disks and more delicate, with just enough buttery dough to bind the chocolate and oats. Mixing by hand turns out cookies that are crisp at the edges and tender in the centers. These can be mixed and baked in under an hour, but the dough balls also can be packed in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to a month. You can bake them from ice-cold, though they’ll need a few more minutes to turn golden brown.

Featured in: Baking That’s Simple, but Always Satisfying

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have

    10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers.

    Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Print Options

    Include recipe photo

Advertisem*nt

Ingredients

Yield:2 to 3 dozen cookies

  • ¾cup/100 grams all-purpose flour
  • ½teaspoon baking soda
  • ½teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 8tablespoons/114 grams unsalted butter, softened
  • ½cup/94 grams packed brown sugar
  • ¼cup/59 grams granulated sugar
  • 1large egg, at room temperature
  • 2tablespoons heavy cream or milk
  • 2teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • cups/134 grams old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1cup/189 grams semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ½cup/63 grams chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (30 servings)

127 calories; 7 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 65 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

  2. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Mix the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with a wooden spoon until creamy. Beat in the egg until incorporated, then stir in the cream and vanilla.

  3. Step

    3

    Add the flour mixture and gently stir until no traces of flour remain. Add the oats, chocolate chips and nuts (if using), and fold until evenly distributed. Loosely scoop a rounded ball of dough using a measuring tablespoon or small cookie scoop and drop onto a prepared sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls 2 inches apart.

  4. Step

    4

    Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool on the sheet on a wire rack for 1 minute, then transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely. The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Ratings

4

out of 5

3,131

user ratings

Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

Mary

This is essentially the recipe handed down to me from my mother. One thing it doesn't mention is, it's important to NOT overbake the cookies. These cookies puff up while they're baking and then deflate at the end, so I start watching the cookies after they've baked for about 10 minutes and as soon as the first one or two deflate I remove the pan from the oven and let them cool for 3-5 minutes on the sheet or until they're firm enough be moved to a wire rack.

Jan

If you’re torn between raisins and chocolate chips in your oatmeal cookies, try dark chocolate raisinets. The best of both worlds!

Leslie Verner

I just happened to bake these cookies last week! I got the recipe from the Quaker Oats website. If you don't have patience or time to make several dozen cookies, they say on the website you can make bar cookies by using a 9x13 inch baking pan, which is what I did and they came out great!

Susie K

I like to put wax paper on a cookie sheet and place the raw, scooped cookie dough balls close to one another. I then place the sheet in the freezer for a half hour or until frozen. Then I put them all in a freezer storage bag and freeze until ready to use. This way I can bake a few at a time and resist temptation.

Miri

A teaspoon of cinnamon was my Mom's 'secret' to brightening up oatmeal cookies. She would make a batch, divide the dough into thirds, add chocolate chips to one, raisins to one, and nuts to the third.

laura s

This is basically my grandmothers’ recipe (they both had the same one, somehow, despite growing up in different parts of the US), so I’ve been making it for 20 years. Tip: refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes and between batches to prevent super-spreader cookies… these also freeze well as dough or once baked, just keep in an airtight container.

John Golden

I love what you say and practice and it sounds so right. Yet as we get older—or are older—the machines that do it for ourselves are so much easier. You just have to do it correctly and carefully. I will try creaming butter with a wooden spoon when I make your cookies. I get it. I Just hope my hands are up to it. Lol

David

I learned from a friend that one or two chopped chipotle chilis with a bit of their sauce add a lovely but not overpowering bite to oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

VMay

In case anyone is wondering, this recipe will work with steel-cut oats. That’s what I used because it’s what I had on hand. I also added about 1teaspoon more of milk and let the dough sit overnight in the refrigerator before I baked them according to the instructions. They came out golden and crispy.

Linda

To the doubters, just try making this recipe by hand. On occasion it's nice not to drag out the heavy Kitchen Aid. The butter should be room temp as stated, and then you won't have any problems, it literally took me 3 minutes to blend my sugar and butter to a creamy consistency. Note that it does not say fluffy! With all ingredients prepped ahead of time it took at most 7 minutes to make the dough by hand. I was out of chocolate chips so added ½ cup of dried cranberries instead. They were great!

Winifred

GF bakers: these cookies are delicious. I have made them with an almost identical recipe using any number of store bought gluten free flours and they all work perfectly. Laughed at the last line about how these cookies keep in the freezer for two months. Not at our house.

Jennifer

Sorry, until someone does a double blind taste test with hand-mixed vs. machine mixed dough, I'm unconvinced that there's any special magic to hand mixing. If you like mixing by hand, cool, but don't think it's going to better than a mixer, provided you use the mixer correctly.

Jan

Raisins are not to be trusted. They like to hide in cookies and masquerade as chocolate chips. Go with real chocolate chips!

Lia

Wow, I'm all for making things by hand, but I draw the line at creaming butter and sugar together. Hilarious that the recipe says "mix...until creamy." That'll take a good 10 min of arm muscle.

SteveRR

I’m going to try halving this recipe, the last thing my wife and I need is two to three dozen cookies hanging around.No, won’t be freezing extra dough, sounds easy enough to make fresh if I like them.

Raqi

This recipe is perfect if you use dark—73% cocoa—chocolate chips.I also tried the suggestion to make them as bars. (1 used a Pyrex dish approx 9x7 inches.) For which I baked at 350 for 20 minutes and then at 320 for another 10 minutes. Just as delicious and even easier.

David

I used ½ cup peanut butter rather than the sugar. This required an additional two to three tablespoons of milk. It gave it a nice flavor. I left out the chocolate chips and used raisins as in traditional oatmeal cookies. I used golden raisins and “plumped” them before adding them. This kept them moist and sweet. I also added in sliced almonds, but will leave that out next time.

Jeff

The first time I made these, I halved the sugars and thought the cookies were great. Since then, I have made batches with a chopped up chocolate bar instead of chips and with raisins instead of chocolate. All were good with the raisins ones having a complex flavor. Now make with 1/2 the butter and sugar. We like it with the reduced quantities.

Hannah

I made these today as instructed with the only caveat being my egg wasn’t room temp and I used a mixer. They spread so much and all blended together even at 2” apart. It’s hard to believe that using a cold egg or a mixer would make these turn out so bad. They taste fine but are really difficult to pickup and eat.

chi tiens notes

Scant 1/4 cup

Kathy

Made these cookies yesterday when some friends came over for dinner. I didn’t expect them to spread out the way they did but the result was wonderful. There’s nothing wrong with a nice lacy cookie. I made it without vanilla because my friend is allergic to it and used a Tony’s milk chocolate bar chopped up. These cookies were gobbled up. Oh, and I also used my mixer. Next time I’m going to add some orange zest as someone suggested.

Tess

Very versatile recipe. I added white chocolate and walnuts and it feels like a hug

Joana

I must confess I struggle immensely with the portions of butter and sugar usually mentioned in American recipes. I followed the recipe to the dot and found the cookies fine - but greasy, heavy and over sweet. I less than halved the butter and did a third of the sugar, adding in apples and cinnamon. It absolutely lost in texture - but the flavour…! The cookies vanished in two hours.

Amirissa

I tried as people suggested to refrigerate the shaped cookies before baking and keeping an eye on them before they “deflate.” Nothing worked and I ended up with an oatmeal cookie Florentine. Tastes fine but not at all the texture I crave in an oatmeal cookie

Cooking notes

Add 1.5 tsp cinnamon

Stacy VB

For best texture: (a) chill dough for about 1 hour before; (b) make *heaped* 1 TBL-sized cookies (a bit more than 1 tablespoon). I would have had about 2 dozen if made to that size.First batch (no chilling) was nearly flat, though still tasty. Second batch (chilled, but still 1 TBL) were a bit better. Third batch -- 1 hour of chilling plus slightly larger 1.5 TBL -- were the clear winners.

Caria

Discovered I like making these cookies with chocolate chunks rather than chips. I used Hershey bar with almonds. Everyone loved it.

Andrea

Loved this recipe! I made 11 big cookies and baked them for about 13 minutes until the edges were golden brown. I add pecans. For next time (or for anyone looking for a tip) I will add the same amount of nuts and chocolate chips. In my experience, the chocolate seemed to overpower the oatmeal flavour, which was the first thing I was that looking for.

Teel

Made recipe using exact directions. A few notes. Chill dough before baking. hand mixing probably not necessary. Too sweet- I will definitely cut the sugar a bit next go. Delicious cookies with chopped pecans!

sola4

Doubled the recipe. Used 225g of brown sugar. Creamed with butter using a hand held mixer. Used 1TB half & half (didn’t have cream or full fat milk). Left overnight in the fridge. The dough didn’t soften much on the counter, even after baking the first of 2 rounds. Made 48 very small cookies. Nice crunch and they held their shape as small balls (didn’t flatten or spread). Overall, they’re tasty but a bit underwhelming. I’d make them larger if I bake them again.

Private notes are only visible to you.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should oatmeal cookies be soft or hard? ›

The best oatmeal cookies, like the kind we're sharing here, are soft and chewy through the center with crispy edges. They're studded with plenty of old-fashioned whole rolled oats and plump, sweet raisins.

What is the secret to chewy cookies? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

Why are my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies so hard? ›

There are a few reasons why your oatmeal cookies may be too hard. Perhaps you left them in the oven a couple of minutes too long. To rectify this, simply bake the next batch for less time. Another reason could be the density of the dough.

How do you know when oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are done? ›

Golden brown edges - A fully cooked chocolate chip cookie will have light, golden-brown edges. If the edges are dark brown or black, you've overcooked them. On the other hand, if they're pale without a honey-brown tinge, they're not ready yet.

What makes a cookie more soft? ›

The lower the protein, the softer your cookies will be. All-purpose flour is a medium-protein flour, making for mediumly-soft cookies. Cake flour is low in protein and you can substitute it into cookie recipes for all-purpose flour 1:1. The results will be very tender cookies.

Why are my chocolate oatmeal cookies not getting hard? ›

Likely, you didn't boil the mixture long enough. You want the butter, milk, sugar, and cocoa mixture to boil for 2-3 full minutes and reach between 190°F-200°F. If you don't boil them for long enough, they will turn out gooey and will not set.

What flour is best for chewy cookies? ›

Bread Flour: For Chewy Texture

Bread flour contains a higher protein content (around 12-14%), leading to more gluten development. This makes it ideal for bakers seeking a chewier texture in their cookies. The extra gluten can help retain gas and moisture, producing a denser and chewier result.

Does adding more butter make cookies softer? ›

Also, underbaking them by a minute or 2 will help them retain a dense, chewy bite, explains Jenny McCoy, pastry baking arts chef-instructor at the Institute for Culinary Education in New York. Adding more moisture to your dough in the form of extra butter, egg yolks, or brown sugar will make your cookies even softer.

Why are my homemade oatmeal cookies dry? ›

Not Enough Moisture: Ensure you're using the right amount of butter in your recipe and that it's at the correct temperature (softened not melted) when you start. Oatmeal cookies require more moisture to stay soft. Consider adding an extra egg yolk or a touch of milk to your dough to enhance moisture content.

What makes cookies fluffy and not flat? ›

Flour adds fluff and texture to the cookies. Adding too little flour can cause cookies to be flat, greasy, and crispy. Most recipes assume you'll use all-purpose, but if you want a lighter, crumblier cookie texture, choose one with a lower protein content such as cake-and-pastry flour.

Why are my oatmeal cookies always flat? ›

Oven temperatures are a crucial factor in baking. If your cookies consistently come out flat, you may have selected the wrong baking temperature. If you bake cookies using too much heat, the fats in the dough begin to melt before the other ingredients can cook together and form your cookie's rise.

Should oatmeal cookies be refrigerated before baking? ›

As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. More than that, and you won't see a noticeable difference in the final product. Once the dough has chilled, let it warm up at room temperature until it's just pliable (about 5 to 10 minutes).

Are oatmeal cookies supposed to be soft or hard? ›

These oatmeal cookies are perfectly flavored and lightly spiced with just a touch of cinnamon. They're soft, chewy, and easily customizable — just add 1 cup raisins, nuts, or chocolate chips when you mix in the oats. Keep them on hand for after-school snacking or make a batch for a holiday cookie exchange.

Do you have to refrigerate oatmeal cookie dough? ›

Epperson said that, like many foods, cookie dough benefits from resting (in the refrigerator) to let the flavors infuse and basically marinate together. So not only will the cookie's consistency be more even, but the actual taste will be better, too!

Should cookies be hard or soft when they come out? ›

They are likely not fully cooked if they feel excessively soft or doughy. Properly baked cookies should have a slightly firm texture on the outside. Spread: Raw or undercooked cookies may spread excessively during baking and have a flatter shape than desired.

Why are my oatmeal cookies flat and hard? ›

Oven temperatures are a crucial factor in baking. If your cookies consistently come out flat, you may have selected the wrong baking temperature. If you bake cookies using too much heat, the fats in the dough begin to melt before the other ingredients can cook together and form your cookie's rise.

Why are my cookies crunchy instead of soft? ›

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

Why are my oatmeal cookies spongy? ›

Check package to make sure what you used contained at least 70% fat. A spread with less fat, diet "margarines" or spreads in tubs contain have too much water. The water creates steam, causing the cookies to puff.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Msgr. Benton Quitzon

Last Updated:

Views: 6455

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (63 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Msgr. Benton Quitzon

Birthday: 2001-08-13

Address: 96487 Kris Cliff, Teresiafurt, WI 95201

Phone: +9418513585781

Job: Senior Designer

Hobby: Calligraphy, Rowing, Vacation, Geocaching, Web surfing, Electronics, Electronics

Introduction: My name is Msgr. Benton Quitzon, I am a comfortable, charming, thankful, happy, adventurous, handsome, precious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.