Oatmeal Cookies
Updated March 27, 2025
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Quick Summary
These oatmeal cookies are soft, chewy, with slightly crisp edges, and a hint of cinnamon, delivering a delightful balance of sweetness and hearty texture. A timeless favorite for any cookie lover!
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Oatmeal cookies are nostalgic and one of my all-time favorite cookies. I’ve been making this classic recipe for years. You can’t go wrong with a classic!
The cookies are soft, chewy, and have slightly crisp edges, making each bite a true delight. Bonus, they are made with simple pantry ingredients and come together in just about 30 minutes.
I love that you can easily tweak the recipe to include your favorite add-ins like raisins, chocolate chips, or nuts.
There is nothing better than eating a warm cookie, right out of the oven, with a glass of cold milk! So comforting and satisfying! Bake a batch to share with your loved ones!
How to Make Oatmeal Cookies
- Preheat oven. Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Don’t skip the cinnamon, it adds a warm, sweetness to the oatmeal cookies. If you like nutmeg, you can also add a pinch of nutmeg to increase the nutty flavor.
- Cream butter and sugars. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to cream the softened butter and sugars together until creamy and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, if necessary.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. I use an egg and egg yolk to create super chewy oatmeal cookies. Make sure you use pure vanilla extract for maximum vanilla flavor.
- Add the dry ingredients. When you add the dry ingredients, don’t over mix. It’s ok if there are still a few streaks of flour left.
- Stir in the oats. Use a spatula to gently stir in the oats. If you want to add extra mix-ins like chocolate chips, raisins, or chopped nuts, add them in this step.
- Scoop and bake. Scoop the cookie dough into round balls, about 2 tablespoons per ball. Place on the lined baking sheets, about 2-inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown but the centers are still light golden and soft. Don’t over bake!
- Cool and enjoy! Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cookies with a little flaky sea salt. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
These soft and chewy oatmeal cookies are easy to make, deliciously satisfying, and perfect for any occasion. Whether you're baking for a family gathering, a cookie jar treat, or just indulging in something sweet, oatmeal cookies should be your go-to dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Pinch of nutmeg, optional
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- Flaked sea salt, for sprinkling on cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg, if using. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat with the paddle attachment until creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides with a spatula if necessary. This should take 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and beat until combined and smooth.
- With the mixer off, add all of the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer on low and mix until just combined. Stir in the oats.
- Scoop the cookie dough into round balls, about 2 tablespoons per ball. Place on the lined baking sheets, about 2-inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown but the centers are still light golden and soft.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cookies with flaked sea salt. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Oats: I don’t recommend using quick oats because they don’t have as much texture and absorb liquid differently. Quick oats will result in a drier cookie.
Variations: Stir in up to 2 cups of any of the following. Chocolate Chips: You can add chocolate chips or chunks (semisweet, milk, or dark), butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips. Nuts or Toffee: For a crunch, add chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, or toffee bits. Dried fruit: For added sweetness, stir in raisins or dried cranberries. M&M’s: Add M&M’s for a pop of color! Coconut: Stir in coconut or toasted coconut.
Storing: Store the cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the cookie dough. Scoop the cookies into balls and place on a baking sheet or tray. Put in the freezer until the balls are firm. Transfer the balls to a freezer container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, remove from the oven and add a few minutes to the baking time.You can easily double this recipe for more cookies!
Nutrition
Calories: 226kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 143mg, Potassium: 70mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 265IU, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 1.2mg
Have you tried this recipe?
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More Oatmeal Cookie Recipes
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- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Cowboy Cookies
Discover MORE COOKIE RECIPES! I have LOTS to choose from!
Made thsee cookies this rainy weekend with my 1 year old and three year old. They were a hut with everyone! And we always have the ingredients on hand.
Been baking for over 40 years and am very picky about my oatmeal cookies.
These are one of the BEST online Oatmeal cookies I have tried. Follow the directions as instructed, {including letting the cookies cool on the pans}, and this recipe will give you great cookies every time!
So happy you love my oatmeal cookie recipe!
Could you refrigerate the dough for a few days before baking or freeze?
Yes! Enjoy!
Beautiful. Wish I could leave a picture. I followed as instructed, except I cut cinnamon to just a pinch, my preference. I chopped up some dark chocolate chips and added some chopped pecans too. The cookies are flattish and chewy, just like I wanted.
I am so glad you loved our oatmeal cookies!
Could I use quick cooking oats?
You can, but the texture won’t be the same. I like using old fashioned oats.
We just made these and they are amazing! Thank you
They are too good:) Glad you loved my oatmeal cookies!
SOOOO GOOD!! Chewy and flavor is amazing. Made a batch with chocolate chips and one with raisins. Family loved them. They also taste store bought like they’re that good.
So happy you loved my oatmeal cookie recipe!
Help! My son is allergic to dairy and egg whites. What can I substitute for the butter and egg? Thanks for your help!
You can try vegan butter or coconut oil and do a flax egg.
I made these last night, the best oatmeal cookies ever. We loved them so yummy, soft and chewy. Thanks Maria for another great recipe.
You are welcome! They are the best!
Just baked these they were perfect , thank you so much , they were so good I called my friend and took some to her house , love love them
I only have a hand mixer. Any suggestions besides buying a stand up one! LOL
You can use a hand mixer! Enjoy!
I made them tonight without a mixer and they turned out fine. It really helps to make sure your butter is very soft.
Exactly the flavor plus crisp I was looking for. I didn’t have flaked salt so omitted. And 1/2 the sugar was subbed for coconut sugar but still yielded a brown sugar flavor.
I made these cookies and added chocolate chips !! My grandson LOVED them.. I am going to try them with raisins next time.. Soft and chewy and they froze great !!
So glad you loved the oatmeal cookies!
I only have one stick of unsalted butter. Do I have to modify the recipe if I do half a cup with unsalted butter and the other half with regular butter? Or no biggie??
It should be just fine:) Enjoy the cookies!
VERY DELICIOUS AND LIGHT . I WILL SAY BECAUSE I WASNT FULLY PREPARED I HAD A FEW SUBSTITUTES. I DIDNT HAVE SEA SALT SO I USED REGULAR SALT AND I ENDED UP USING 1 1/2 OF OLD FASHIONED AND 1 1/2 QUICK OAT BECASUE IT WHAT I HAD AND BECAUSE THEY WERENT FLATTENING AS MUCH I DID SMASH THEM A LITTLE WITH A SPOON AND LEFT THEM IN FOR 2 EXTRA MINS BUT SO DELICIOUS THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING
I was out of brown sugar and had to make my own (white sugar and some maple syrup) and they still turned out perfectly. Thank you!
I’ve never mad oatmeal cookies before and these were a huge hit! I did half with raisins and half chocolate chip little something for everyone Question about the large egg is it one whole egg plus an egg yolk?
Yes, one large egg and one egg yolk!
These cookies are amazing! When they first came out of the oven they scared me – they were thinner than I expected and didn’t quite look done. I let them sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes and they set up perfectly. They’re so good I sent some home with a friend and woke up to a text the next morning from her begging me to make her a personal batch!
So glad you loved the oatmeal cookies!
Mine came out like cake meatballs! I used whole wheat flour instead of all purpose and only used brown sugar (1 cup), and they didn’t spread at all and the texture was way too soft. I remade them with a 1/2 stick extra of butter, omitted the extra yoke, halved the vanilla, and upped the temperature to 375 degrees and they were perfect.
OR you could just make the recipe and STFU
If you take a recipe and rewrite the whole thing then you shouldn’t leave a bad review because the recipe didn’t turn out. It’s YOUR fault that they turned out poorly, not that the original recipe was bad. Try making it per the instructions and THEN leave a proper review, otherwise you are rating your your own made up recipe.
These really are the BEST oatmeal cookies ever! I live above 7000 ft sea level and I had no issues with this recipe. The only ingredient I didn’t have on hand was the baking soda and so substituted 3 teaspoons of baking powder instead. I also added a cup of raisins! Totally delicious….this has become our all-time favorite cookie recipe!
Update: Admission time…this was our third night in a row of craving these delicious cookies! But…as such, I ran out of brown sugar and eggs…O.M.G.!
Anyway, I made some substitutions and wanted to share my experience. Note: my place is just at about 7500 ft above sea level. So, for the brown sugar I made my own (1 cup sugar / 1 tablespoon molasses) and for the egg I used 1 cup peanut butter. The taste is good, but the dough won’t stick together. I had to add additional peanut butter to get the last batch to form ANY type/shape familiar with cookie-making.
I absolutely ❤ this recipe! I plan to keep it and pass it down to children/grandchildren. With that being said…I will NOT be substituting any ingredients in this recipe!
Just wanted to share…keep baking, stay happy!
I only have salted butter, so how will that effect the taste/texture?
You can use salted butter. The cookies will be a tad more salty. You can always reduce the salt a little.
Just made these tonight and added dark chocolate chips. They were so good!
Enjoyed this recipe. Simple and delicious!
OK , I can’t follow directions . I tried but it’s kind of like when you go on a trip and leave the map in the trunk of the car because you looked at it yesterday . So I had no brown sugar and substituted refined sugar , went a little crazy with the cinnamon , tablespoons 2, maybe 3 , probably 3 , nutmeg 1 tablespoon , had no vanilla so I thought the cinnamon and nutmeg would lead the flavor . I mixed by hand and it was extremely dry so I kept adding water till it looked like the consistency suited me . Made large cookies 5-6 inch diameter ( looked like flying saucers after baking). Removed them from the oven before the edge darkened and they were perfect and I separated them from the foil when hot but left them cooldown in their bake position on the foil . They made a wonderful dinner .
Glad you enjoyed the oatmeal cookies! My kind of dinner:)
These were ok. A little disappointed how they melted into each other, making cutting the cookies into squares. My standard recipe is similar but does not have egg and yolk included. This could be why the cookies came out too soft and sticky. Sorry, but I don’t think I’ll make this recipe again.
Didn’t have any brown sugar so I substituted with more granulated sugar and my cookies came out hard next time I’ll follow the recipe to the T
Made these cookies today and they were delicious!! Chewy in the center and crisp outside. Will definitely make them again. Thanks for the recipe!
I have used a couple recipes and this one is totally worth throwing my old recipes out. Highly recommend, absolutely delicious, and flatten nicely. I did add about 1-2 TBSP water but it is up to you. I added raisins and they were great!
Will they still come out as good with instant oatmeal?
If that is all you have right now, you can use them. The texture will be different. You might need to add a little more.
I made these with my 7 year old daughter and they are delicious! My husband says they are the best oatmeal cookies he’s ever tasted, and I know he’s not lying because I just had to slap his hand away after already eating 4. We put white chocolate and milk chocolate in 1/2 the batch and just raisins in the other 1/2.
Hi two peas and a pod – love you guys! Not sure what I did wrong but my cookies did NOT flatten out at all but instead stayed thick and round and white. My second batch I left in 6-8 min longer than u suggested but they just got darker and harder – still didn’t spread at all. I thought I followed exactly but any idea what I could have done? The dough was to die for and want to try again. Thx!
Was your butter too cold? Did you add too much flour or oats? I fluff my flour, then spoon it in the measuring cup, and then level. Never pack your flour. Try using a little less flour or oats next time. You can also gently press down on the cookie dough ball with the palm of your hand before baking, but mine always spread just fine. I have never had this issue. I hope you can figure it out!
I have been making these for a while and they’ve always been great. I made them again this morning (5/20/20) and they came out different, didn’t spread out. I didn’t understand and looked at the recipe. Oops, I used 1 stick of butter instead of 1 cup. This caused them to stay round. They still taste good, but I will make sure I use 2 sticks butter (1cup) next time. Katie from May 19, could that be what you did?
Yes, you need one cup of butter:)
I’ve made plenty of oatmeal cookies in the past .. it’s not rocket science, but these were a bit of a disaster. The dough never really got creamy and it was near impossible to get the oats to mix in well, and forget scooping. It was all I could do to make balls by hand. And they’re not flattening out and getting golden. Nothing going right. Guess it’s back to the recipe on the oats box for me.
I have never commented before on a recipe and I have been baking for a long time. I followed the recipe exactly. They are the best oatmeal cookies if not the best cookie I have ever baked. I really enjoy your site and have used a lot of your recipes. I think your comments are very helpful. Thank you.
I’m 12 years old and I made these cookies tonight and they were really good! Thank you for this recipe! 🙂
That is awesome!! I love them too!
Wonderful recipe!! So chewy and delicious. I love the flaked salt on top. Thank you also for the tip in the comments about not packing the flour. I think this has been an issue for me in the past.
Made these today & they were a hit with my husband who had been asking for them. I tried to follow recipe. Had to work the butter and sugar part a little harder since I had not soften butter prior. I also warmed by brown sugar to soften it a little. Anyway, the rest of recipe was followed & included nutmeg. This recipe is simply good & is a 5 star rating. I make the banana bread recipe every other week so knew I would use one of Maria’s recipes.
So glad you loved my oatmeal cookie recipe!
Taste was really good so I’m sure it would be perfect if i followed the instructions to the T….but I used min oats because that’s what I had in hand and I used a hand mixer. It came out cakey. What could have been the cause? So I make sure not to do it that way next time
Greetings:)
Delish! Except my cookies didn’t flatten like your photo. Hmmmmm
Please advise
Greetings:)
Delish! Except my cookies didn’t flatten like your photo. Hmmmmm All the ingredients were exact.
Please advise
Recipe is amazing! I used equal amount of GF flour the only thing I noticed is that they spread almost completely flat not sure why they came out so thin they still taste amazing though LOL wonder what I did wrong or could it have been the gluten-free flour? I use the same gluten-free flour for all my GF recipes with no problem not sure what happened but like I said they still taste amazing thank you for your recipe
Was your butter too warm? It could have been the flour too. Next time, make sure your butter isn’t too warm and add 1/4 cup of flour.
Using gluten free flour I have found you have the let the dough or batter if making cake sit for at least a few hours covered in fridge because it takes a bit of time for the GF flour to absorb moisture. It also helps to up the baking soda up to a tsp more.
Curious, what GF did u use??
These are great! I’ve made them twice!! Very yummy!
I thought I had a really good oatmeal cookie recipe for years, but when I couldn’t find it I googled and found this recipe. These are the best oatmeal cookie EVER!!!
I am thinking of making these fro my dad but i don’t have old fashioned oats so could i use oatmeal from little packages instead?
My one and only oatmeal cookie recipe. Just put a batch in the oven. Thank you
These came out soft and chewy but they did not look anything like the picture. The only thing I did was not remove the second egg white (I already cracked it in before I remembered.) I even chilled the dough, which I normally don’t do for any cookies I make. They flattened out too much, even after cooling on the sheet with undercooked centers. They taste fine though!
Any change to main ingredients will change the texture. Try it again after separating the yolk.
I make meringues for my kids or fluff 😉
I hate to do it since this recipe called for an extra egg yolk and I hate having to store a white. But. It was really really good. Added a cup of walnut pieces and 1/2 c of dried cranberries with the oats.
I hate to waste it, too, so I cook it up for my pups!
re: extra egg white
I hate to waste the egg white, too, so I cook it up for my pups as a treat!
I made these tonight and Im not a “baker”. All of the previous recipes I have tried in the past were so dry and simply not edible. After making these tonight I can say that they are THE BEST oatmeal cookies I have ever eaten!! They came out perfect and so yummy!
I’m so excited that I now have such an incredible recipe for oatmeal cookies. Thank you so very much!
The best recipe!
I’ve tried this recipe last weekend and it was a success at home. The cookies were soft, chewy and full of flavor. My kids are not fans of oatmeal cookies but these cookies didn’t last the weekend.A total keeper!
Nice…. Sweet & chewy! I also added raisins.
I have never made a good oatmeal cookie until I found your recipe. They are amazing. Thank you for sharing.
They really are the best.
Best oatmeal cookies!! Follow the recipe for cooking time!
You can’t go wrong with a classic.
The best oatmeal cookies I have ever made, love this recipe gold star for my rating.
They are my favorite too.
Now my go-to oatmeal cookie recipe!
Yahoo!
Loved it it was great 5 stars all the way
Thanks!
Very good cookies. They will come out like the picture if you take out 2-3 mins earlier. They will sink down like a cake and finish baking with residual heat.
Yum. 10/10, I added raisins and it was so good. They are also wonderful for breakfast-nice and easy.
Is the nutritional facts for one cookie?
Super yummy!! I didn’t chill my the first batch I did and then I chilled the second one. The ones I chilled came out thicker for sure, but they taste the same and are just as good either way:) definitely will be making again!
So happy you love the oatmeal cookies. They are my favorite.
Could cooled browned butter be used in place of softened butter?
I haven’t tried it. I do have a recipe for brown butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, just leave out the chocolate chips! The recipe is on the blog!
I had an oatmeal cookie bar recipe that I always made but so many good comments I decided to try this one. It was delicious!!! I loved the addition of both white and brown sugar. My husband is a cookie monster and he gave them double thumbs up and asked for them with toffee chips next time. Thanks for the recipe. My son is at college and I will make them with raisins for him when he comes home.
Super tasty! Will deff be making these again. I did reduce the oats by 1/2 a cup though, as I just felt they would be a little too oat-y with a full 3 cups.
I made these for a bake sale at my daughters school. I needed an allergy free item so I substituted with dairy free butter and you can’t tell the difference! The cookies held together so well and they were delicious!!! Not having to chill the dough made these cookies even easier to whip together!! Thank you for this recipe. It’s definitely one I’ll make again and again!
I am thrilled you loved my oatmeal cookie recipe. I make them all of the time.
I made these for the State Park Staff today. I added in Butterscotch and Chocolate Chips. They loved them! Thank you for another great cookie recipe!
Hello from the UK! It sounds a great recipe, but we don’t use “cups” to measure our ingredients. Can you please tell me how many grams in 3 cups oatmeal?
Thank you!
Hi! I am planning to make these this weekend. I would like to use oat flour instead of all-purpose flour. Should I use the same measurement here? is there anything I will need to do differently?
I haven’t tested the recipe with oat flour.
Can you use quick cooking oats for this recipe?
I prefer old-fashioned oats, but I know some people have used quick oats with success.
I followed the recipe exactly and they taste great! I used a larger scoop which made 15 cookies and they took 15min to bake. Thank you!
Also, I used quick oats, not to be confused with instant or steel cut.
I am glad you loved the cookies.
Good recipe, even smells fantastic before cooking (obviously) needed to cook about 20 minutes, overall great recipe.
You can’t go wrong with a classic!
For those making GF versions:
Make sure you are measuring your flour correctly.
I feel the amount of [old fashioned] oats in this recipe is too much. Reduce the amount by a cup (2c total). I would also recommend pulsing the oats a bit in a food processor before measuring and adding. Mine (GF) ended up looking like the picture with the suggestions I just mentioned.
would love to make these! Do you use light or dark brown sugar? Thanks!
light, but dark will work too!
I’m planning to make these, love a good oatmeal cookie, but was wondering if I could substitute the all purpose flour for whole wheat flour?? Or a combination of whole wheat and almond flour?
Yes! Whole wheat flour is great. I wouldn’t use almond flour though.
We love this recipe. My husband is allergic to eggs so we substituted a quarter cup of pumpkin puree for the egg parts and it’s amazing! The combo of nutmeg, cinnamon, and pumpkin is a winner!
Yay!
Was a very good cookie.
Thanks!
Amazing recipe!! We added a couple dark chocolate chips on top and these were the bomb.com!! Perfect texture and perfect combination of salty and sweet! Great cookie recipe.. Thank you!!
My favorite classic oatmeal cookie recipe!
AMAZING RECIPE! Most oatmeal cookie recipes make flat cookies. These are picture perfect without refrigeration! This is definitely a keeper! I added 1/4 tsp of cardamom and they were heavenly! Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
I love the addition of cardamom!
First I want to say your recipes are awesome my children really likes them
I have made the creamy cilantro lime dressing
I am making granola it’s baking right now
I have also made salsa
I want to know what can I substitute the butter for in making the oatmeal cookies
I am glad you are loving our recipes. I have only used butter in this oatmeal cookie recipe. You can try coconut oil, but I haven’t.
I made these tonight with chocolate chips. They are delicious. I’m not sure why but mine didn’t spread out, they stayed in the shape of my scoop.
I am so glad you liked them! Don’t pack your flour when measuring. Fluff, spoon, and level!
Turned out well. So yummy!! Will definitely be making these again.
Yay! Happy to hear!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times now and every time they come out great love this as a basic Oatmeal cookies they’re even better with chocolate chips in it.
A classic!
Hi! Can you use regular table salt instead of sea salt? Thank you!
I recommend kosher or sea salt for the cookie dough. I only use flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top of cookies.
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