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 extract
- 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
Mari says
Wow, sounds delicious, do you have an idea of how many calories??
Tks,
Olivia says
Hi Mari! I don’t, sorry. But I’m sure there are nutritional calculators online if you put in the ingredients :).
Tera says
We made this coolie recipe today and this will now be a household favorite. The only difference is we substituted one egg for 1/4 cup puréed banana. Amazing recipe, the texture of the cookies came out fantastic, we will definitely be using the recipe as a base!
Olivia says
Hi Tera! So glad to hear you liked the recipe! I love these cookies and will have to make them again soon :).
Anna B says
I made these cookies many times!!! I simply love, love, LOVE them! 🙂
Olivia says
Aww yay! So glad you like them, Anna! 😀
Heather says
I made these! My hubby loved them! I have major cookie spreading issues normally so I used 1/2 butter 1/2 butter flavored crisco. I used a big cookie scoop (around 1/4 cup) scooped them and popped them in the deep freeze for around an hour. I used 1 cup craisins and 1 cup white chocolate chips. So good. My edges did get crispy, but the inside was soft.
Olivia says
Yay! So glad you liked them! I just made these guys with craisins and pecans recently but am loving your white chocolate version!
Anissa says
Just finished baking these cookies! I didn’t have enough chocolate chips, so I added some white chocolate chips along with it and oh. my. GOODNESS! It tastes amazing. My husband is going to devour these!
Olivia says
Yay! I’m so glad you like them! They are some of my faves. I just posted a holiday version of them :). I hope your husband loved them too!
Wahida says
Hello, I just made this with my little girls. The cookies came out amazing! We added cranberries and raisins instead of chocolate chip. (That’s what I had already at home) we also added flax seed. It’s so delicious and we had so much fun making it too. Thank you so much!!
Olivia says
Hi Wahida! I’m so happy that you liked this recipe! Adding cranberries is perfect, especially this time of year. I actually remade these recently with cranberries and pecans :D.
Alicia says
Sooo good!! Just made these to freeze for our Christmas guests that are coming. Reminds me of the cookies my grandma used to make. This recipe is a keeper for sure!!
Olivia says
Hi Alicia! I’m so glad you liked them! Thanks for letting me know. I hope the guests enjoy them :). Happy Holidays!
Jenny says
Will this cookis spread? I wish blogging about cookies people would share if the smash them down a bit or roll them up or just scoop swipe side of the bowl and plop it goes on the cookie sheet. Thanks.
Olivia says
Hi Jenny, the cookies will spread a bit, but not a ton as you can see in the pics. For what it’s worth, I always say if I pat my cookies down or not. Most of the time I just scoop them right out of the bowl onto a cookie sheet! Hope that helps.
Jacquie says
I’m personally not a chocolate fan at all…. haha! However, I bought the Nestle Tollhouse Pumpkin Spice morsels to add to these! This is a great basic oatmeal cookie recipe…. (I will be adding raisins to these some other time.)
Thanks for the great base recipe!
Olivia says
Oh great idea!! I actual like my oatmeal cookies just plain, but it’s fun to add different components — they’re so versatile! I don’t think we have pumpkin spice morsels here or I would definitely be trying them!!
LindaS says
Oh DANG! I just saw those Pumpkin Spice morsels on sale for half price at Aldi’s yesterday and didn’t buy them because the next time I make chocolate chip cookies it will be for Christmas and I didn’t think pumpkin spice would work. Now I could kick myself. Those chips would go with Oatmeal cookies any time. Every week my 4 year old granddaughter and I make cookies and when I saw this recipe on Pinterest I knew I had my cookie recipe for next week. Maybe I’ll go back and see if there are any left. There were only about 10 on the closeout shelf so I doubt it, but you never know!
Olivia says
Ohhh I hope they are still there for you!! I would love to know how these cookies taste with the pumpkin morsels. I’m sure they’ll be a delicious addition! I hope you enjoy them! 🙂
Carly says
Can I use quick cooks oats??
Olivia says
Hi Carly, that should work fine but your cookies will likely have a different texture. I’m sure they’ll still taste delicious! 🙂
Kathie says
my husband loves oatmeal cookies and I’ve recently made a couple batches – without the raisins. He loves them that way, but I decided it’s my turn! I found your recipe and the dough is chilling, as we speak. I added chopped pecans along with the dark chocolate chips. I can’t wait…the cookie dough is awesome!!
Olivia says
Woohoo! I hope you love them! Please let me know how they turn out :).
Kathie says
OMG! Thick, moist, chewy, delicious, PERFECT! Did I mention Perfect? My husband likes them, too. Thanks for the recipe, it’s a keeper!
Olivia says
Yay!! I’m so glad you liked them! This is one of my favourite recipes. I think I’ll mix it up and add nuts next time too :).
Alison says
Nowhere in the directions do you mention adding in the cinnamon. Which isn’t a big deal but I did go by the instructions instead of the ingredient list! So my cookies didn’t end up with any cinnamon! 🙁 Otherwise a great recipe! Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Alison! Sorry, that was an oversight. I had it in the ingredients but forgot to list it in the directions. To be honest, I think I would have preferred these without cinnamon, and I’m glad they still turned out great! I guess you’ll just need to bake them again :D.
Jackie says
Oh wow, my favorite cookie of all time is oatmeal chocolate chip pecan (or walnut) !!! Am I the only one hearing angels singing?? lol I also love that they are nice and chewy and make a good amount. I cannot wait to make these immediately! For my family. Um, yeah, my family.
Olivia says
I am definitely going to try adding nuts next time! I hope you like these :).
Erin @ Shanghai Spice says
I am totally making these this weekend
Olivia says
Yay! Let me know how you like them 🙂
Claudia | The Brick Kitchen says
Haha I will eat either but chocolate is always preferable, obviously! These cookies look delicious and I love that the recipe actually makes a decent amount – who wants to only make 20 cookies? In our house that would disappear within a day! 🙂
Olivia says
Right?? Same here. This way I have enough to share if I want to…hah!
Mondo | I bake he shoots says
as a kid , I enjoyed an iced oatmeal cookie, sans chocolate or raisins. nowadays, I enjoy an oatmeal butterscotch cookie but only when I make them myself. I love that your cookies are thick; they look delicious!
Olivia says
Thanks Mondo! I love that they turned out a bit puffy/cakey too. Oatmeal butterscotch sounds delicious!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
While I certainly wouldn’t hate on a raisin in a cookie, I definitely PREFER chocolate. Hands down! These look awesome!
Olivia says
Thanks Liz! 🙂
Marla Meridith says
Oh do these cookies look amazing!
Olivia says
Thanks Marla, and thanks for sharing! 🙂
Sarah says
I am so with you! The best way to ruin a perfectly good oatmeal cookie is by adding raisins to it – just. NO.You’ve just reminded me of my love for oatmeal cookies. They are just so chewy and gooey and delicious and now I want a cookie!
Olivia says
Agreed, now I want to try different variations, but none with raisins :D.
Janice @Kitchen Heals Soul says
I’m not a huge raisin fan either, especially when I think I’m having an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie only to discover as I bite into it that the chocolate chips are raisins (the horror!) , but in certain things, they work. For example, when they are soaked in rum and mixed into a boozy ice cream 😉
Olivia says
Ok, I might just have to try them if they’re served boozy in boozy ice cream. 😀
Jill Glidden says
Love the recipe. I substituted coconut oil for the butter and used dark chocolate chips so the cookies would be healthier 😊😜- Yum!!!
Olivia says
Hi Jill! Ohhh excellent, I will have to try that combo! Glad you liked these :).
Jess says
are these soft and chewy?
Olivia says
My original recipe is, yes.
Cheryl says
How much coconut oil
Karen Grennell says
Hello, I came across this recipe and I must tell you these are the BEST Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie I have EVER made! I followed your recipe exact and WE LOVE THEM😊I baked 2 batches to gift some to my Baby Sister and my Dad! Thank you so much! The hint of cinnamon makes everyone think…. Hmmm what is in these cookies? Refrigerating the dough & letting it rest I feel is key. Thanks Again!
Sincerely,
Karen
Olivia says
Yay! I’m so glad you liked these. Thanks so much Karen!! 🙂
Abby Reynolds says
HELP! Found this recipe today! I was just wondering salted or unsalted butter????? Can’t wait to make thease!!!!!!!
Olivia says
Unsalted 😊
Olivia says
Hi Abby! I use unsalted butter in all my baking. I hope you like these 🙂
Cyndi says
Can salted butter be used minus the salt from recipe??
Olivia says
Hi Cyndi! That should work just fine 🙂
V says
Slightly deceiving to say the recipe takes 20 mins, when you have to put the dough in the fridge for an hour.
Olivia says
You’re right, I’ll update the info. Chilling is optional, but ideal.
Andrea Van Sickle says
So true on the raisins, Sister!
Scott says
I made this recipe twice and it is, by far, the best chocolate chip cookie that i’ve Made the vanilla pudding really does make the difference.