Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
These are the best oatmeal cookies, with rich buttery flavor, a hint of cinnamon, and lots of chewy oatmeal texture.
They’re not fancy. They’re not even very pretty. They’re just basic drop cookies filled with oats and a hint of cinnamon. Dessert possibly couldn’t get any less sophisticated.
BUT, sometimes simple is best. And these chewy oatmeal cookies really are the best. They’ve got a great chewy texture, delicious buttery-brown sugar flavor, and they’re so nostalgic. I dare you to stop at just one!
Table of Contents
- Ingredients you'll need
- Have fun with mix-ins! (if you want)
- How to make these chewy oatmeal cookies
- My best cookie tips
- Get the recipe
- More classic cookie recipes
Ingredients you’ll need
Let’s get baking, shall we? Here’s everything you need to make these delicious oatmeal cookies (full recipe below):
- Butter
- Light or dark brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Old-fashioned rolled oats
- Baking soda
- Salt
Have fun with mix-ins! (if you want)
These oatmeal cookies are perfect on their own, but sometimes it’s fun to add something a little extra! Feel free to add 1 cup total of mix-ins such as:
- Chocolate chips
- Chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans
- Raisins, dried cherries or dried cranberries
- Mini M&Ms
How to make these chewy oatmeal cookies
Like most drop cookies, these simple oatmeal cookies are made using the creaming method:
- “Cream” butter and sugars. Beat with an electric mixer and paddle attachment (if you have one), until mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl at least once.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Mix after each addition.
- Add dry ingredients. Add all at once and mix until almost combined.
- Add oats and mix-ins. Mix until just incorporated.
- Scoop. Use a medium or large cookie scoop to portion dough and arrange a few inches apart on sheet pans lined with parchment paper.
- Bake. Bake in an oven preheat to 350°F for 8-10 minutes for smaller cookies, 10-12 minutes for larger cookies.
- Enjoy! These cookies will keep at room temperature for about a week, but are best within a few days of baking.
My best cookie tips
- Have butter at the right temperature. Butter should be soft enough that a pressed finger will leave an indent, but not soft enough that your finger can press all the way through. If it’s shiny or melty at all, the butter is too warm and your cookies may spread.
- You can use salted or unsalted butter in these cookies, but I love the additional flavor that comes from using salted butter.
- Be sure to measure flour correctly! All of my recipes are tested using the spoon and level method (more info through that link).
- These pre-cut parchment sheets are perfect for cookie baking.
- Use a cookie scoop. For show-stopping cookies like you see in this post, I like to make them big and use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoon). More traditional sized cookies can be shaped with a medium cookie scoop (1½ tablespoon).
- If cookies come out slightly misshapen, use a spatula to press them back into a circle right after they come out of the oven. See more of my tips for how to bake pretty cookies.
- Add flaky salt. While completely optional, I love to sprinkle baked cookies with coarse or flaky salt for a bit of flair and additional sweet and salty flavor.
- Cookie dough freezes really well. I like to keep a stash in the freezer for fresh-baked cookies on demand.
Get the recipe
Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 grams) butter , at room temperature
- 1 cup (213 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (200 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 cups (297 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats , not quick cooking
- Optional add-ins: 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped nuts, dried fruit, or M&Ms
- Coarse of flaky salt , for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, or in large bowl with hand-held mixer, beat butter, brown sugar and sugar until creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Add vanilla and mix until well combined.
- In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and oats. Add to butter mixture all at once and mix on low until combined.
- Use a medium (1½ tablespoon) or large cookie scoop (3 tablespoon) to portion dough and arrange a few inches apart on sheet pans lined with parchment paper.
- Bake until edges just begin to turn golden, about 8-10 minutes for smaller cookies, 10-12 minutes for larger cookies.
- Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
- Sprinkle baked cookies with coarse salt, if desired. Let cookies cool on the sheet pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy within a few days!
Video
This recipe was originally developed in partnership with Go Bold with Butter in September of 2016. View the recipe on their website. Thank you for supporting partnerships with brands and campaigns I believe in, which make it easier for me to bring you new and creative content. All opinions are always my own.
More classic cookie recipes
Tried recipe this morning for the 1st time…I will certainly use it from now on! Easy to make with staple ingredients…chewy & absolutely deelish. I did cut back on white sugar, as I do in all my baking. I love these..best ever. Thank you muchly.
Wonderful recipe, Annalise Sandberg! These chewy oatmeal cookies look like the perfect classic homemade treat. I love how the recipe highlights simple ingredients like rolled oats, brown sugar, and a hint of cinnamon to create that rich buttery flavor and chewy texture. Sometimes the most traditional recipes really are the best. Your tips for achieving the perfect cookie texture are especially helpful for home bakers. This is a fantastic guide for anyone searching for the best chewy oatmeal cookies recipe with classic flavor.
So I followed the recipe exactly how it is written and my cookies came out flat. Like laced cookies. I don’t know what I could have done wrong. I weighed out my ingredients read the recipe 2 times. Can’t figure out what happened. The flavor is good but the texture is way off.
What temperature was your butter? It sounds like maybe it was too warm? That will cause the cookies to spread too much in the oven.
Thanks! I made it, it was very very easy and they taste delicious. I used margarine instead of butter, added some pieces of chocolate and chopped almonds and they’re so good! Full success at home and I froze half of them!
Yay! So happy to hear that Esther. And freezing cookie and cookie dough is the best hack for delicious treats later, love it!
The good news: My cookies taste great! I didn’t add anything more like chips or raisins, and followed the directions, but they never flattened. They didn’t stay in the ball shape, but look pretty poofy. What did I do wrong?
Hmm, it could be too much flour was added during measuring? All of my recipes are developed using the “spoon and level” method of measuring flour, or using a kitchen scale if you have one is always a fool-proof way to get exactly what you need.
Fantastic recipe for oaty cookies. Used part unrefined molasses sugar with caster sugar as it was in the house and added coconut and sultanas. They were perfect and is my go to recipe. Thankyou
Thank you for the feedback, Georgina!
I made these cookies. I added dates. They are not too sweet and are perfect with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee