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
Natalie says
These look so yummy! Trying to make for today but only have 2 cups of rolled oats once I measured them out! Dang – do you think it will be ok with less or should I add in extra flour? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Natalie! You can try it with just 2 cups of oats and see, they will likely spread a bit more, but *should* still work. Let me know what you end up trying, I’m curious!
Ashley says
Thank you for this recipe! I rarely bake because nothing ever turns out for me. Your recipe had tips, I had never heard of, that I believe made all the difference! I have always dumped everything together at whatever temperature and plopped the dough in the oven as soon as it was mixed. Thanks for the detailed instructions, I finally made a great batch of cookies!
Olivia says
Yay! Thanks Ashley! I’m so glad you liked these and that they worked out for you :).
Lindsey Lambden says
So I just sat down after putting the cookies in the oven to bake, and THEN I noticed you said to chill the dough for an hour. Whoops…. what will that do?
Olivia says
Hi Lindsey! You’ll be totally fine. Putting the cookie dough in the fridge helps reduce the amount that they will spread. So it’s possible you’ll have slightly flatter cookies than I did. That being said, this is a pretty stiff dough, so I don’t think it will be too much of an issue :). I hope you like them!!
Lindsey Lambden says
I actually like them not too fluffy, so I flattened them a bit with a fork when they were half done. They were honestly amazzzing! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Olivia says
Yay! I’m so glad you liked them :).
Elle says
These look amazing! Think I’ll half the sugar though and maybe add some nuts! 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Jennifer says
I do not see instructions. Can you help me.
Olivia says
Hi Jennifer! Are you on mobile? If so you might need to click on Read More to see the whole post.
Julie says
Perfection! I make these all the time! Everyone I’ve ever shared them with is blown away. So simple yet to die for. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!!
Olivia says
Hi Julie! I’m so glad you like these!!
Alexia says
These cookies are a-mazingggggg!!!!
Soft and chewy on the inside but firm on the outside, they can’t be any better. I followed the exact recipe but baked my cookies for 15 minutes and yielded 44 small cookies. Thank you so much! Will definitely be making these again, very-very soon lol
Olivia says
Thanks so much Alexia! I’m so glad you liked them :D.
Ginny says
These cookies are amazing! I did everything you said to do. I love the cinnamon too! Unfortunately I didn’t have any brown sugar so I googled how to make brown sugar. It is 1 cup white sugar and 1 tablespoon of molasses and incorporate two together using a fork! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Olivia says
I’m so glad you liked them Ginny!! Good tip on making your own brown sugar, I’ll have to try that someday 🙂
Michelle says
I’ve been looking for a recipe that is just like my favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookie that I buy at a deli and I finally found it! Other ones I’ve tried are too dry and cakey, but this one is moist and perfectly chewy. Thanks so much for sharing!
Olivia says
Yay! I’m so glad you liked this recipe! It’s one of my faves :).
Nina says
I don’t care for raisins either (for flavor mostly), but I think craisins are very good in this type of recipe. I’m adding chopped walnuts as well.
Olivia says
Hi Nina! I actually made these cookies with craisins and pecans (I have the recipe on my blog) — they were much better than the raisins ;).
Megan says
I am obsessed with these cookies! Third batch made. However, I only use brown sugar and omit cinnamon.
Also, I am Brewers yeast and they are the BEST lactation cookies. My 3 month old and I thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Megan! I’m so happy to hear that you like these! I skip the cinnamon too ;).
Marina says
Best oatmeal chocolate chips I’ve ever made!
I love the addition of the cinnamon and sea salt. They give the cookies a twist from regular oatmeal chocolate chips. I will definitely be making these again in the near future.
Olivia says
Hi Marina! I’m so glad you liked them! 🙂
Megan says
Do you use unsalted or salted butter for your recipe?
Olivia says
Hi Megan, I always use unsalted.
Maryse says
Best cookies ever. Made these for an SPCA fund raising. It was a success. 🙂
Olivia says
Thanks Maryse! So glad you liked them 🙂
Jen says
Thanks so much for the delicious recipe! My husband and I are buying a house and I baked them as for the person who’s currently renting the house, as kind of a “Sorry the owners are selling this and you need to get a new place, but I hope this softens the blow and you leave things nice and clean when you leave.” 🙂
Olivia says
Ahh I hope the cookies helped take the sting of the move away for them 😊. Glad you liked them!!
Sarah says
Excited to make these with my math class tomorrow! Well, we’ll be making the dough, then I’ll be baking them at home. I am doing a different cookie, too, so if I get tired of scooping, would these work as cookie bars so I could just spread it all in a pan?? IF so, what size would you suggest? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! You can totally spread it in a pan and bake it. I’m honestly not too sure what size would work best as I can’t picture the volume of batter right now. I wanna say an 8×8 or 9×9 should work, but you don’t want them to be too thick either. I would start with one of those and if you have too much batter then scoop the rest? 😉 Also, be sure to adjust the baking time if you’re putting them into a pan. It will need a bit longer, maybe 2omins or so. Let me know how it turns out!
Julie says
Love love love these cookies!!! To die for! Just curious….why must the dough go in the fridge for 1 hr? What would happen if I didn’t do that? Thanks.
Olivia says
Hi Julie! I’m so glad you like these! Chilling the dough is not critical, but the cookies will spread more if you bake them up right away. Some might prefer that :).
Brittanie A Roberts says
I have made these cookies 3 times in the last week. Each time I make them, I tell myself I am going to share with my neighbors and friends, but my son and my husband and I always eat them all!!! They are so incredibly the most delicious oatmeal cookies we have ever had. I think what I like best is I cut the cinnamon in half (I also do not like too strong of a cinnamon taste in my cookies) and I used sea salt flakes by chance the first time (it was the only sea salt I had) and they were fantastic. The sea salt flakes make just enough of a distinction, especially with the semi-sweet chocolate chips, that the cookies are simply perfect. Thank you so much for this recipe!!!
Olivia says
Hi Brittanie!! Thanks so much for your comment, I’m so glad you guys like the recipe! And I know what you mean about them being hard to give away… at least you had good intentions ;). I need to get my hands on some sea salt flakes now!
Leslie Berge says
Great recipe, so glad I found it and enjoyed reading about your background. Will share your blog with others. My hubby is a trained cook and I usually don’t cook but gave these a try to share with my son who is home from spring break and his dad will only make him regular chocolate chip cookies. He loves them.
Thanks you!
Leslie
Olivia says
Thanks so much Leslie! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed them 🙂
Rachel says
Hi! Any adjustments for high altitude baking?
Rigina says
Just made these. So yummy, everyone loves them.
Olivia says
Yay! So glad to hear that, thanks Rigina!