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
Gülşah says
Hi Olivia,
I looked at google but still I want to ask you. How many grams 1 cup flour and 1 tsp baking soda?
Your blog is amazing. Loves from İstanbul
Olivia says
Hi Gülşah! 1 cup flour = 125g and 1tsp baking soda = 5g. I hope that helps! Thank you 🙂
Niki says
So excited for your reply, I still have the dough out. Would flattening it in advance in to disks be harmful? They’re certainly not as pretty as yours anymore but mine just don’t seem to want to flatten out of their tiny haystacks…maybe it’s the old oven. Sad face.
Olivia says
You can totally pat them down to flatten! That will work just fine 🙂 Maybe your oven isn’t getting hot enough? Hmm. Let me know how they turn out! Either way, I’m sure they’ll taste delicious 🙂
Niki says
Last question. You can tell I’m
a novice. Would have reducing the brown sugar by 3/4 lol have contributed to my lack of spreading issue 😶🤔🙃😊 sigh.
Olivia says
Umm, yes that certainly would have made a difference 😂. Did you only use 1/4 cup of brown sugar??
Niki says
Lol yes, yes I did, only 3/4. I was trying to be a little Betty Crocker lol. On a plus though everyone enjoyed my flattened cookies and next time I’ll know better. Thanks so much for replying. Next week I’ll follow it to the T! ❤️
Olivia says
No problem! I’m glad everyone still liked them :D. Let me know how they turn out on your next attempt 🙂
Niki says
Why didn’t my cookies spread? I followed the recipe…I’ve refrigerated the batter hoping your advice could save the rest.
Olivia says
Hi Niki! These cookies don’t spread a lot, but they should spread *some*. How big were they? I use a small cookie scoop which is about 2 tsps worth of cookie dough.
Dorothy says
I had to laugh as this brought back memories of childhood cookies. My mother stretched the more costly chocolate by using half chips and half raisins. I loved the cookie.. but was always disappointed when I bit into a raisin!
Olivia says
Too funny! What a great memory though. And yes, boo to raisins! 🙂
Sally Grasso says
Hi! I did a quick calculation and worked out that it’s about 100 cal per cookie, if your into calorie counting. I’m not but hubby is and he won’t snack on what I cook if he don’t know the calorie content.
Olivia says
Awesome, thanks so much Sally! That’s great to know actually. I gotta limit my cookie intake, haha.
Kay says
Hi
can I use instant oats instead of rolled oats?
Olivia says
Hi Kay! That *should* work fine but your cookies will likely have a different texture. I’m sure they’ll still taste delicious!
Lala says
Hi. Do i lessen the amount of oats if i were to use quick oats? I am planning to make this but i do not have rolled oats right now.
Lala says
Hi. Do i lessen the amount of oats if i were to use quick cooking oats? I am planning to make this but i do not have rolled oats right now.
Olivia says
Hi Lala! I would use the same amount.
Nicole says
I was on a mission to replicate the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that I had discovered in a sandwich shop. This might be just perfect if not better!
Perfect recipe, for my liking I used half the butter. They are thick and chewy just the right amount of sweetness too.
To avoid the super thin, flat cookies. Throw your cookies dough into the freezer for 10 mins before baking and use a chilled sheet. They will come out perfectly round and thick.
Olivia says
Thanks for the tips Nicole!! I’m so glad you liked these. It’s one of my favourite recipes :). I’m going to try them with less butter next time!
Kate D says
These. Are. Amazing. My family has declared them the best cookies ever. I make them weekly. They stay soft and chewy for days after baking, which is awesome.
Olivia says
Thank you so much Kate!! I’m so glad your family loved them! 🙂
Michelle Vames says
I just made these with my 4-year-old, and we both love them! Thanks for the recipe. (Boo, raisins!)
Olivia says
Haha! Yes, boo to raisins! I’m so glad you liked them! 🙂
Char says
My recipe is very similar to yours. My sis-in-law gave me the recipe many years ago. My sons grew up eating these cookies. They loved them then and still do. My recipe calls for 1 tsp. of warm water and the sugars are 3/4 c each. I do use the cinnamon in my Oatmeal but not the Chocolate Chip and we like raisins in our Oatmeal Cookies. I just soak them in hot water while I am mixing up the cookies. I do think the pumpkin chips would be very good in either recipe. I am going to try your recipe, thank you for sharing!
Olivia says
Thanks for the tips Char! Let me know how you like this recipe! 🙂
Melissa says
I don’t have an electric mixer. Can I still make this without one?
Olivia says
Hi Melissa! For sure you can! You just need to beat the butter and sugar and mix everything by hand. A little more work, but totally doable!
Cindy says
Made these today with one change, Used 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup applesauce. They are excellent! I know I know people will say why cut fat they are cookies but due to health issues I need to cut the fat (sugar too but thats for next time) but I love to bake…relaxes me. Thank you for these delicious cookies.
Olivia says
Hi Cindy! Applesauce is a great substitute for butter! And it’s always good to cut a little fat here and there :). I’m so glad you liked these!
Cindy says
Excellent recipe. I’ve made them twice already. Today’s batch I added chia seeds, flax, and hemp hearts. The kids haven’t noticed the healthy extras!
Olivia says
Love the additions! Great idea. Thanks Cindy! 😀
Jessica says
Im going to make these for snack time with my 2 years old daughter! She is going to love them with the oatmeal. Thank you for sharing.😃
Olivia says
Thanks Jessica! Let me know how you guys like them 🙂
Amita says
Can the batter be made the day before and baked the next day? Also can you freeze the batter?
Olivia says
Hi Amita! Yes, you can make this the day before and chill in the fridge overnight. The batter can also be frozen. I recommend portioning it into cookie balls before freezing.
Mary says
Hi Olivia,
After shaping the cookies into balls for freezing – how do you freeze them? Can I put them in a Tupperwear and just stack them inside one on top of the other? Have not froze cookies before. They get eaten too quickly!
Olivia says
Hi Mary! Haha, I understand that 😉 I typically freeze them on a baking sheet and then place them in an airtight container once they are frozen.
Imane says
I just did the first ones and I already ate one!!! Amazing, tender, crunchy on the borders, the kind of cookie I love!! Thank you very much for your recipes, it’s the first one I tried and it’s a success! I can’t wait to try your other recipes, thank you very much again 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Imane! I’m so glad you like them! I’m really going to have to make these again soon, it’s been too long. Enjoy the cookies!
Terry H says
Just made these, with dark chocolate chips. They are wonderful. I did make them larger, with a bigger cookie scoop, so I had to bake them for 14 minutes, but they came out looking just like your pics. I love thick, chewy cookies. I will make these again and again. Thank you
Olivia says
Hi Terry! Thanks for the feedback, I’m so glad you liked them! I will definitely try them with dark chocolate chips next time.
Sindhu says
Just made them this weekend. I used 1/2 quinoa flour and 1/2 self raising. I was a bit scared of how they would turn out but they were delicious!
Olivia says
Wooohooo! Glad to hear it! 😀
Jade says
Just made these tonight!! They are so yummy… I am trying to not eat them all in one sitting 😉 I love that they don’t just turn into flat little pancakes like most cookies and are chewy on the inside. Great recipe thank you!
Olivia says
Ahh thank you!! I’m so glad you liked them Jade. I love that they stay puffy too, it’s my favourite part!
shanyia says
i made them with my class and we all loved them
Olivia says
Hi Shanyia! Glad you hear you liked them :).
Mari says
Amazing, tks for sharing. I will make soon
Olivia says
Let me know how they turn out! 😀