The Best Oatmeal Cookies
This Oatmeal Cookie Recipe has been one of my most popular recipes for years, and the hundreds of 5-star reviews speak for themselves. These cookies are easy to make with simple pantry ingredients and bake up with soft centers, chewy edges, and just the right amount of sweetness. Keep them classic or add your favorite mix-ins to make them your own.
Why You’ll Love This Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
There’s a lot to love about a classic oatmeal cookie recipe. These cookies have soft, chewy centers and that familiar oatmeal flavor, all from simple everyday ingredients. They’re also easy to customize with chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, or whatever mix-ins you have on hand.
Ingredients Needed for the Best Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
- Salted butter – Make sure it’s softened butter for easy mixing. If using unsalted butter, add an extra pinch of salt.
- Light brown sugar & white sugar – The mix of both gives these brown sugar oatmeal cookies their chewy center and great flavor.
- Large eggs – Help bind everything together.
- Vanilla extract – Adds depth to the sweetness.
- Old-fashioned oats – I recommend using old-fashioned rolled oats. They offer a chewy, nutty flavor that I really like. You can also use quick oats (also known as instant oats). The big difference here is that quick oats are cut smaller and may change the texture slightly, but you likely won’t notice.
- All-purpose flour – The foundation of the flour mixture.
- Baking soda & baking powder – The key to a balanced rise.
- Salt – Enhances all the flavors.
- Cinnamon – This was not in my original recipe, but feel free to add
How to make the Best Oatmeal Cookies
I use the creaming method for these chewy oatmeal cookies. It’s the classic method for just about any cookie dough out there.
For full recipe details, including ingredient measurements, see the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. Here are my simple step by step directions for making Oatmeal Cookies:
Step 1: Preheat + Prep
Preheat the oven to 325° F.
Line two light-colored baking sheets (these are my go-to) with parchment paper and set aside. Of course, silicone baking mats (I use these) work really well, as do plain cookie sheets sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Pro Tip: For softer cookies, be sure to use light-colored baking sheets, not the darker teflon ones (they darken the edges much quicker for a much crispier cookie).
Step 2: Make the Cookie Dough
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter with white and brown sugar until it becomes lighter in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Make This Recipe Even Easier
These are a few of my favorite shortcuts when making cookies:
- Pre-cut parchment sheets
- Cookie scoop (for even baking every time)
- Cooling rack
Step 3: Add Wet + Dry Ingredients
Add large eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt). If you love cinnamon in your oatmeal cookies, add that here now as well. (See my note on cinnamon below.)
Gradually mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients on medium speed.
Step 4: Add Oats
Stir in old-fashioned oats and any mix-ins like chocolate chips or sweet raisins if you’re using.
Step 5: Bake + Cool
Using a medium cookie scoop (this is the exact one I use for evenly sized cookies), scoop cookie dough balls onto the lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the centers are soft but not gooey.
Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack (this one is my favorite)
Tips for Success
- Measure the flour carefully: Too much flour can make the cookies dry and cakey. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off instead of scooping directly from the bag.
- Don’t overbake: Take the cookies out when the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft. They’ll continue to firm up on the hot baking sheet as they cool.
- Give the dough room to spread: Leave enough space between scoops so the cookies can spread evenly without running into each other.
- Let them cool on the baking sheet: A few minutes of cooling helps the soft centers finish setting without turning dry.
- Use rolled oats for better texture: Old-fashioned rolled oats give the cookies more chew and texture than quick oats, which can make them softer and less substantial.
What to Serve With Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal cookies are great on their own, but a few simple pairings make them even better.
- Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream: A scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream is a classic match for warm, chewy oatmeal cookies.
- Strawberry Milkshake: The fruity, creamy milkshake adds a refreshing contrast to the sweet oatmeal cookies.
- Hot Chocolate: A warm mug of hot chocolate pairs perfectly with freshly baked oatmeal cookies.
- Whipped Cream: A little whipped cream adds a light, creamy topping for a simple dessert.
If you love classic cookie recipes, this oatmeal cookie recipe is a must-try. It’s easy, reliable, and turns out soft, chewy cookies every single time. Printable recipe card is below. Enjoy, friends! 
The BEST Oatmeal Cookie Recipe (no Raisins)
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups rolled oats
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon optional (not in my original recipe)
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line two light-colored baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
-
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter with white and brown sugar until it becomes lighter in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
-
Add large eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
-
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt). If you love cinnamon in your oatmeal cookies (not in my original recipe), add that here now as well.
-
Gradually mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients on medium speed.
-
Stir in old-fashioned oats and any mix-ins like chocolate chips or sweet raisins if you’re using.
-
Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough balls onto the lined baking sheet.
-
Bake for 9-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the centers are soft but not gooey.
-
Cool for 5 minutes on the hot baking sheet before transferring to cooling racks. Store in airtight containers for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
For oatmeal raisin cookies, add 1 cup of raisins and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the cookie dough before scooping.
For oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, add 1-1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips to the cookie dough before scooping.
Nutrition
Mix-in Ideas for Oatmeal Cookies
Raisins and chocolate chips are classics, but you can easily switch things up with a few other add-ins:
- Mini M&Ms. This is a super fun option for kids because of all the colors. See my Monster Cookies!
- Butterscotch chips. Add butterscotch chips for a delightfully buttery flavor. You won’t regret it!
- White Chocolate. I love adding white chocolate chips to any cookie dough for a more vanilla/creamy flavor.
- Craisins. For a fancier twist, try craisins instead of raisins. Super festive for the holidays too.
- Chopped nuts. To contrast the soft, chewy texture, chopped walnuts or pecans make great optional additions for extra crunch.
- Dried fruit. If you like your oatmeal cookies with added raisins, you are going to love them with dried cherries or dried cranberries instead!
- Combination! Mix and match with any of these ingredients! Try a white chocolate, Craisins, and walnut oatmeal cookie.
Storage + Make Ahead Directions for Oatmeal Cookies
Once your baked cookies are completely cooled to room temperature, you can store them in an airtight container and keep them for up to 3 days. This helps the cookies stay soft and fresh.
If, after a day or two, they are getting a little crispy or noticeably stale, add a slice of plain white bread into the container to make them soft again. It won’t completely fix the problem, but it will certainly help them stay soft. As someone who has spent most of their adult life avoiding crispy cookies, trust me when I say this works like a charm.
How to Make Ahead Oatmeal Cookies
Prepare the dough, cover it in a separate bowl, and refrigerate for up to 48 hours before baking. Bake as usual.
How to Freeze Soft Oatmeal Cookies
These old-fashioned oatmeal cookies are great to make ahead so that you can always have a chewy cookie on hand when your sweet tooth calls. Simply make and bake the cookies as normal and cool completely. Then store oatmeal cookies in an airtight freezer bag and keep them in the freezer for up to 2 months!
Don’t forget to let them defrost before digging in. A quick 10-second zap in the microwave will do the trick.
FAQ About Oatmeal Cookies
Lots of classic oatmeal cookie recipes add cinnamon to their dough. I left it out because this recipe is a lot more versatile that way. But if you are missing that warm spice, simply mix 1 teaspoon into the dough.
No. Steel-cut oats have the texture of a grain or rice. They require a much longer cook time than old-fashioned oats and won’t work very well in baking cookies.
More Oatmeal Cookie Recipes!
- Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies
- Apple Oatmeal Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting
- Coconut Peanut Butter Oatmeal Scotchies
- Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tag me @laurens_latest.
