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
Erin C says
These just won my daughter first place in a children’s baking competition!! She’s 9. We picked your recipe simply because her name is Olivia 🙂 Thanks for the great recipe!!
Olivia says
Hi Erin! Yay! So happy to hear that 🙂 These are my fave cookies for sure.
Mark says
I made these today and they are wonderful. Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Mark! So happy to hear that you liked these 🙂
Vanessa Adam says
These cookies are AHHHHMAZING, thank you! I made them when I was visiting back East a few times. We live in CO. at almost 9,000 ft. Any tips for high altitude? I tried to make them and they didn’t turn out nearly as perfect or delicious as when I was at sea level! Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Vanessa! So glad you liked them! I’m curious, how were they different at high altitude? I’ve never baked in high altitude myself, but here are some tips I found! http://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html#cookies
Ann says
I put my oats and raisins in a blender and pulse a few times. I’ve had multiple people say they hate raisins in their oatmeal cookies and with these they can’t even tell they are in there. Gives great flavor and chewiness without the texture of biting into a raisin. I also use milk choc chips and semisweet chips and pecans. Today I plan on experimenting with some ghiradelli caramel chips I found.
Olivia says
This is a great tip! I agree that they do add a good flavour, it’s just a texture thing for me. I might have to try blending them up first 🙂
Ariana says
Will old fashioned oats work?
Olivia says
Hi Ariana! Yes, those are the ones I use 🙂
Kode says
All I can say is WOW! I make them exactly how the recipe is written and everyone loves them. Make sure you refrigerate the dough because it makes a world a difference. This is a great recipe and will be in my family for many a generations! Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Kode! So glad you liked these! Totally agree about refrigerating the dough too.
Stella Padula says
Hi so this morning I made them, let them rest in the fridge for 1 hour before I formed them and put them on the baking dish. So after the hour was up I baked them and they were amazing I absolutely love them. I used crisco shortening instead of butter and worked really good. Used 1/2 cup of mini white chocolate chips and 1/2 of mini chocolate chips.
Baked for exactly 10 mins and took them out of the oven and cooked crispy. I’ll make them again for sure this is my oatmeal cookie recipe 🙂
Thanks to everyone with their comments and likes on this tasty cookie!
Enjoy your day 🌹
Olivia says
Hi Stella! Thanks for your tips, I am so glad you liked these!
Kevin says
I made these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies this morning. These are the best I’ve ever had.
Olivia says
So glad to hear that, Kevin! They are my fave 🙂
Joy Sanchez-Taylor says
There is something wrong with this recipe. Three cups of oats is way too much–I thought the number sourced odd, so I put in two, but the cookies still were not able to spread and came out like balls of granola. I also found two cups of chocolate chips to be too much–1 or 1 1.5 cups would be better.
Olivia says
Hi Joy! I’m sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you. I’ve made these cookies multiple times (as have others) and they always turn out perfect. Perhaps something was off with your measurements?
Roberta Stewart says
Correct. These taste awful. Something is wrong with the measurements. They are not sweet – taste doughy., and I followed the recipe exactly as printed above
Olivia says
Hi Roberta! Sorry you didn’t love these. There is nothing wrong with the measurements and the cookies should be quite sweet.
shireen says
can i use baking powder instead of baking soda?
Olivia says
Hi Shireen! You’d need 2-3 times the amount of baking powder, so I recommend sticking with baking soda to ensure the cookies bake up correctly.
Jenny from Atlanta says
I cut the used 1/2 cup of coconut oil and a 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce instead of the cup of butter. I added in a tablespoon of flax and chia seeds. I refrigerated this for an hour like it called for, thats important. LASTLY, I used about 6 ounces of mini chocolate chips, not two cups. They were soft and fluffy and I will make this again and again 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Jenny! I’m going to have to try these now with your modifications. So glad you liked them! 🙂
Lizzie says
Thanks for a great recipe, sans raisins — which I believe are the work of the devil.
Olivia says
Lol! Glad I’m not alone 😉
Lizzie says
Made 45 roughly symmetrical bits of wonderfulness. Love that the oats-to-flour ratio is 2 to 1. Refrigerated the dough overnight, so super-easy to work with. Our local Fire Station is going to be visited this afternoon with a BIG batch of these!!
Olivia says
Yay! So glad to hear you liked them 🙂
Kelley says
delicious recipe! I didn’t chill the batter the entire time specified and they still turned out great! I also added walnuts and pecans (about 1/4 cup).
Olivia says
So glad you liked these Kelley! Love the addition of the nuts!
Kara says
If I use salted butter can I omit the salt in the recipe?
Olivia says
Hi Kara, yep, that should work fine.
Tanisha says
These have quickly become my new favourite cookie. I have had to make a few substitutions along the way but they are delicious either way!
I’m currently loving them with cranberries and dark chocolate chunks! And with dairy free margarine in place of butter since that’s what we need right now.
Thanks for the tasty recipe!
Olivia says
Hi Tanisha! I’m so glad you like these. I’ve actually made a cranberry pecan version of these, but I like your idea of dark chocolate chunks. I will have to try that!
Angie says
These are awesome cookies and I bake a lot! I will definitely make these again. Thank you for this recipe.
Olivia says
Thanks Angie! So glad you liked them 🙂
Karin says
The taste is awesome! I had to change the sea salt for regular salt and the rolled oats for quick oats. Not sure if my fridge cools things more than yours or if my oven is not as hot as it should be but I had to bake them for 20 minutes instead of the suggested 10. My kids loved them. I will make the recipe again and bake without putting the dough in the fridge and see if that makes a difference, they look different than yours once baked – I’m assuming because of the different type of oats?. Also I didn’t cream the butter first I just mixed it along with the sugar, not sure if I was supposed to? Anyway I will try it again and see if I get different results but the way they turned out my kids are still enjoying them 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Karin! Ideally you would cream the butter and sugar for a couple of minutes first, but there’s no need to cream the butter alone if its at room temperature. I’m so glad you liked these!
Alexandra says
I usually refrigerate all of my chocolate chips/add ins it helps to keep their shape while baking
Olivia says
Awesome, thanks for the tip!
Emily J. says
In a word: YES. I, too, loathe raisins, but I love oatmeal cookies, which often leaves me eating around and/or picking raisins out of an otherwise delicious oatmeal cookie. So when I saw this recipe and read the author’s disdain for raisins, I knew I HAD to try these. And they’re perfect! I took the time to chill the dough (which I never do), and I’m glad I did. Even my super finicky husband ate these, which is a huge deal. Thanks for sharing!!
Olivia says
Hello fellow raisin hater!! I am so happy that you liked these cookies. They are a favourite of mine 😀
Lawren says
Oh my this recipe sounds delish! Any idea how long or we’ll the dough keeps in the fridge or freezer? I’d prefer to make 1/2 and save 1/2 of the dough for later.
Olivia says
Hi Lawren! You can totally freeze the dough, it will last for up to 3 months that way. I recommend scooping the dough into balls first, freezing them, then storing them in an airtight freezer bag.