The only oatmeal cookie recipe you will ever need! Soft and chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies loaded with oats and chocolate chips!
I’ll admit that oatmeal cookies are not usually high on my list of cookies. I usually prefer the traditional chocolate chip cookie, or peanut butter chocolate chip, or Nutella chocolate chip.
Do you see a pattern here?? I think we can agree chocolate chips make everything better.
But, the reason I generally stay away from oatmeal is the dreaded raisin.
You know what I’m talking about. You think you’re biting into a perfectly chewy and delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookie and then you bit into a raisin.
It’s the worst. WORST.
Clearly I am not a raisin fan, never have been, likely never will be. I don’t mind the flavor so much as the texture. Why ruin a perfectly good cookie with chewy, gummy raisins??
I know some of you will vehemently disagree with my raisin aversion and insist that it’s not a true oatmeal cookie without the chewy suckers, but that’s ok.
Thankfully these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies can be made with either raisins or chocolate chips and be just as delicious. Heck go crazy and add some nuts while you’re at it!
I’ve remixed these cookies a few times already with pecans and dried cranberries (NOT the same as raisins), caramelized apples, and turned them into cookie cups.
The Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
These oatmeal chocolate chip cookies here though… they’re delicious.
Like, SO. GOOD. Perfectly soft and chewy, just the right amount of oats (they are quite loaded with oats, but that’s how I like them) and chocolate with some sea salt thrown in for good measure.
Using sea salt in cookies is my favorite thing to do!! Just swap out regular salt in your cookie recipe for flakey sea salt and prepare to be amazed.
It adds such a delicious kick to cookies and those salty bites only help to enhance the sweetness.
If you like really soft and chewy cookies, make sure not to over-bake them!
They’re done when the edges are lightly browned and the center still looks very unset. They will continue to cook and firm up once you take them out of the oven.
I can’t go through this post and not talk about the bloom on my chocolate chips. It has been HOT and HUMID here and in a west-facing, no a/c apartment, it’s practically unavoidable.
You’ve likely noticed this on chocolate at some point in your life. White streaks of either fat or sugar caused by heat and/or moisture. If you were to eat a piece of chocolate like this, you’d notice it had more of a grainy texture to it.
Not ideal and definitely not aesthetically pleasing, but thankfully the bloom has no effect on the flavor or texture of the chocolate chips once baked.
They are perfectly ok to use!
How can I adapt these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Next time I make these oatmeal cookies I think I’ll pass on the cinnamon. I’ve discovered that I don’t particularly like the combo of chocolate and cinnamon so I’d skip it and maybe add some walnuts or pecans for more flavor/texture.
If you prefer raisins in your oatmeal cookies, feel free to swap out the chocolate chips. You may want to start with 1 cup of raisins though, or if you’re a raisin fiend, go for the full 2 cups!
If you’re looking for a go-to oatmeal cookie recipe, this one is for you!
Notes & tips for the perfect chewy oatmeal cookies:
- I used a small (2 tsp) cookie scoop for these.
- If you like really soft and chewy cookies, make sure not to over bake them! They’re done when the edges are lightly browned and the center still looks very unset.
- If you prefer raisins, feel free to swap out the chocolate chips — you may want to start with 1 cup of raisins though, and adjust to your liking.
- I use sea salt in all my cookies. It’s a great contrast with the sweetness of the cookie. Feel free to use regular salt if you don’t have sea salt handy.
- Chopped nuts can be added as well if you like. Customize to your heart’s content!
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon optional
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx. 3 minutes).
- Add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition, and beat on high for 1 minute. Add vanilla.
- Turn mixer to low and add flour mixture, mix until combined.
- Add oats and chocolate chips. Mix until just combined.
- Chill dough in the fridge for an hour (optional, but yields better results).
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat.
- Using a small cookie scoop, place cookies on baking sheet 2″ apart. I did 11 cookies per sheet.
- Bake for 10mins or until edges are lightly browned but center is still soft and unset.
- Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Originally published March 2016
Jennifer says
Love this recipe!!! Easy to make and I always have the ingredients on hand. Packed with chocolate chips!
Olivia says
Thank you Jennifer!
SF Cook says
fabulous!!! added 2 Tbsp what germ to the flour mixture for added depth.
Olivia says
So glad you loved them! 🙂
Terry says
These cookies are SO YUMMY! I made them with raisins instead since I didn’t have chocolate chips. They are the most moist and chewy oatmeal cookies I’ve ever made. Still chewy the next day! Old fashioned oats give that texture that you don’t get with quick cook oats. Definitely a keeper!
Olivia says
So glad you loved them, Terry! Raisins and all 😉
Kaitlin says
They were absolutely AMAZING 😍😍 My family also agreed that they were super good! They had the perfect amount of crunch on the outside and they were fluffy and soft in the inside. I definitely recommend!
Olivia says
Hi Kaitlin! Thanks for the wonderful feedback 🙂
Jan says
FYI…if you’re looking for super moist cookies….I made them while distracted on the phone today. I always split half butter and half Crisco because I don’t like flat cookies. Today, I accidentally used 1 stick of butter and 1cup of Crisco. Could not figure out why they were flat as pancakes lol. But it’s the most moist cookie I’ve ever eaten lol. Just flat😆
Olivia says
Hi Jan! Glad you still liked them despite being flat 🙂
Salama says
Thank you for the recipe, I love it, I want to know how long can I keep the cookies in an air tight jar( how many days?)
Olivia says
Hi Salama! They should last for a week or so or you can freeze them for 3 months 🙂
Betsy says
These are delicious cookies. One trick the HINTS section leaves out that will help the naysayers, when you finish mixing your dough, chill it overnight. Then scoop it out and roll into balls. Your cookies will not be flat like some describe. Try the same hint with chocolate chip cookies too.
Olivia says
Hi Betsy! Chilling the dough makes such a difference, right? So glad you love these 🙂
Kylie says
These were great. I didn’t add cinnamon. I also used only brown sugar, because I was out of white sugar. I added walnuts. They turned out plump and full of flavor with great texture.
Olivia says
Hi Kylie! So glad you loved them. Thanks for your tips!
Julie says
Hi Olivia,
Can you please clarify how big the cookies should be please? The recipe says 2 tsp, but your link is to a scoop that is a tablespoon. So I’m thoroughly confused now, lol! I appreciate your help, and can’t wait to try your cookie!
Thanks 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Julie! Strange about the link doing that! It is a 2 tsp scoop that I used for the ones pictured. They will be fairly small, but I like them that way. You could try them with a larger 1.5 Tbsp one too if you prefer but the baking time will be a bit longer 🙂
Kristi says
Love this recipe! I bake these cookies so often and share with friends and family and everyone loves them! So happy I found this recipe ¨̮
Olivia says
Hi Kristi! So glad you love these. Thank you!
Anastasia says
We love these cookies! I bake them with my young children often, especially before road trips. Thanks for the amazing recipe and childhood memories made with them.♡
Olivia says
Hi Anastasia! So glad you all love them. It makes me so happy that you’re baking them together!
Orion says
These came out perfect!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Olivia says
Hi Orion! So glad you loved them 🙂
Kat says
Literally the worst oatmeal cookies I’ve ever made/had. I have read and reread this recipe and cannot see what went wrong. Made sure everything was room temp, same brand products as yours, rolled oats, etc. Cookies were horribly dry and barely even held together enough to bake. They didn’t spread apart at all and just stayed the cookie scooper shape. Incredibly disappointed.
Olivia says
Hi Kat! I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with these. It does sound like something went wrong because these cookies get rave reviews all the time! It sounds like the cookie dough was a bit too dry. Did you make any changes to the ingredients at all? How do you measure your flour? I recommend spooning flour into the cup and leveling it off rather than using the cup to scoop it. The latter can add too much flour to a recipe.
Elizabeth says
Hey hey! Thanks for sharing your recipe! Can you share how big your cookie scoop is. Is a small cookie scoop 1 tablespoon? 2 tablespoons?
I tried your recipe with a 1 Tbs scoop (the internet said the smallest size scoop is 1 tsp, but that seemed QUITE petite) and maybe because these were relatively small cookies (like the size of a commercial cookie like Keebler’s Soft Batch) the center was set by the time the side began to brown. The cookies are fine, but not the texture I think you were going for with this recipe.
I appreciate your advice!
Olivia says
Hi Elizabeth! Sorry, I thought I had that in the post, I’ll update it. My small one is 2 tsp. This is the one I use: https://amzn.to/3e45XYZ I have used a larger (1.5 Tbsp) one for them as well without issue. Strange that the center set before the sides browned. Did you chill the dough before hand? Every oven bakes differently so it’s hard to say exactly but I would just watch them as you still want the center a bit soft when you take them out as they keep cooking on the sheet once it’s out. I hope that helps!
Juli Shamash says
These are my new go to cookies whenever I need to bring dessert somewhere. Everyone loves and raves about them. They always turn out perfect except today. For some reason the last tray of cookies spread. I had refrigerated the dough an hour before baking. Do you think the dough could have warmed up too much in the 30 minutes it took to cook the other 3 trays?
Olivia says
Hi Juli! So happy you love these 🙂 The dough would definitely have warmed up in that time. I keep my trays in the fridge until I’m about to pop them into the oven 🙂
Mindy Van Zwol says
The best recipe I’ve found! Even the fussiest of my kids loved them! They come out thick and stay soft! Perfect recipe! Thank you for sharing
Olivia says
Hi Mindy! Thanks so much, I’m so happy you guys love them 🙂
James Barends says
My family has made a similar recipe over 50 years with a few variations. It originally came from a family friend who won an national Quaker Oats contest in the early 1960’s with a grand prize of 4 days in NY City. Her recipe was on the classic Oats container for 20 years. There are differences in proportions with this recipe and no cinnamon. For the BEST cookies, use the highest butter fat content possible. In our area that means Amish butter. Use the best quality chocolate chips. For a difference in flavor use mini chips. Reduce the four by 25% for crispy cookies. Another one that works is half chocolate and half peanut butter chips.
Olivia says
Hi James! Thanks for your tips 🙂