These oatmeal cookies are soft, chewy, buttery and so easy to make. They come together in one bowl and bake into perfect, golden cookies every time.
Fold in butterscotch chips for oatmeal butterscotch cookies or dried cranberries for oatmeal cranberry cookies.
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Key Takeaways: Easy Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
- One-bowl recipe: Everything comes together quickly in one bowl with simple pantry ingredients.
- Soft and chewy: Old-fashioned oats give the cookies a hearty, chewy texture with lightly crisp edges.
- No chilling needed: Scoop the dough and bake right away for warm oatmeal cookies in about 20 minutes.
- Easy to customize: Add up to 1 cup raisins or chocolate chips, or mix in ½ teaspoon cinnamon for extra flavor.
Why I Love This Recipe
These classic oatmeal cookies have everything I want in a homemade cookie: crisp edges, soft centers and plenty of buttery brown sugar flavor. They’re simple, dependable and always disappear quickly around here.
I also love how versatile the dough is. Keep them plain or turn the recipe into oatmeal raisin cookies or oatmeal chocolate chip cookies depending on what you’re craving.
Ingredient Notes
Find the full printable recipe instructions with measurements below.
- Butter: Unsalted works best so you can control the salt in the recipe. Make sure it’s softened for smooth creaming.
- Brown sugar: Packed light brown sugar gives that classic brown sugar oatmeal cookies flavor while adding chewy texture and warm caramel flavor.
- Granulated sugar: Balances the sweetness and helps the edges bake up lightly crisp.
- Eggs: Eggs bind the dough and keep the cookies soft.
- Vanilla extract: Adds flavor and rounds out the sweetness.
- All-purpose flour: Provides structure while keeping the cookies tender.
- Salt. Enhances all the flavors. Reduce the added salt if using salted butter (about 1/4 teaspoon or skip it).
- Baking soda and baking powder: Give the cookies lift and a tender texture.
- Old-fashioned oats: Rolled oats give the best chewy texture. You can use quick oats, but the cookies turn out softer and can dry out a little. A mix of both works too.
Fun Variations to Try
- Iced oatmeal cookies: Drizzle the cooled cookies with a simple powdered sugar icing for that classic crinkly-glazed finish.
- Oatmeal cream pies: Sandwich two cookies with marshmallow frosting for a homemade copycat of the lunchbox classic.
- Seasonal favorites: Make pumpkin oatmeal cookies for fall, or gingerbread oatmeal cookies for a cozy Christmas cookie tray.
- Skip scooping. Make these oatmeal cookie bars instead!
How to Make Easy Oatmeal Cookies
These come together fast in one bowl, no chilling required. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder (plus cinnamon if you’re using it) right into the same bowl. Stir just until combined, then mix in the oats. Don’t overmix, a few quick strokes keeps the cookies tender.
Scoop the dough with a medium cookie scoop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Because this recipe uses just the right amount of sugar, the dough holds its shape and bakes up thick instead of spreading thin.
Bake at 350°F until the edges are just light golden, about 8 minutes, the centers should still look a little underdone. Let them rest on the pan for 2 minutes, then move to a rack and enjoy warm.
Recipe Tips
- Use room temperature butter and eggs: They mix more smoothly into the dough and help the cookies bake evenly. To quickly warm eggs, place them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. Soften butter in short microwave bursts if needed.
- For softer or crispier cookies: Pull them from the oven when the centers look slightly underdone for a soft, chewy texture. Bake a minute or two longer if you prefer crispier edges.
- Prevent spreading: This recipe holds its shape well, but if your kitchen runs warm, chilling the dough 20–30 minutes keeps the cookies thick.
- Scoop for even baking: A cookie scoop keeps the cookies the same size, and lining the pan with parchment paper prevents sticking.
- Finishing touch: For a sweet-salty bite, sprinkle flaky sea salt on top before baking.
Easy Oatmeal Cookies FAQs
Old-fashioned rolled oats are best because they give the cookies their classic chewy texture. Quick oats will work, but the cookies may turn out a little softer and drier. I don’t recommend steel-cut oats for this recipe.
Make sure your butter is softened but not melted and measure the flour accurately. If your dough feels especially soft or your kitchen is warm, chill it for 20 to 30 minutes before baking. The dough should hold its shape when scooped.
Overbaking is usually the culprit. Remove the cookies when the edges are lightly golden but the centers still look slightly underdone. They’ll continue to set as they cool on the baking sheet.
Can I make oatmeal cookie dough ahead of time?
Yes. Cover the dough and refrigerate it for up to a couple of days, then let it sit at room temperature briefly if it’s too firm to scoop. You can also freeze scooped cookie dough balls and bake them straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the baking time.
More cookie recipes to try include no-bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies, oatmeal M&M cookies or oatmeal coconut chocolate chip cookies.
More Oatmeal Cookie Recipes
Easy Oatmeal Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup (215 grams) light brown sugar , packed
- ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ⅓ cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon , optional
- 2 cups (200 grams) old-fashioned oats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Cream 1 cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla then mix until combined.
- Add 2 1/3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (and cinnamon if desired). Stir just until combined. Then mix in 2 cups oats.
- Use a medium cookie scoop and scoop onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8 minutes, or until the edges are just light golden brown (the centers should look a little underdone). Take them out a little early for softer cookies and bake them a little longer for crispier cookies.
- Let cookies rest on the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.
Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Mike Frederickson
I had always hoped to make cookies like this. Now you made that happen. I started making ice cream lately and used Alluose instead of sugar. Can I substitute that for the sugar in this recipe? And how would you create sugar free brown sugar? Maybe it can’t be done but I have stopped baking cookies to keep the A1C number down.
Anyway, thanks for this recipe
Sarah @IHeartNaptime
Hi Mike, unfortunately we haven’t tested these with anything except regular sugar. Let us know if you try!
Symantha Bonham
This recipe looks amazing! Can I add nuts like walnuts? If so, how much? Anything else I should know? Oh, what about cranberries too? Fresh, dried or what? Thank you!
Sarah @IHeartNaptime
Hi, you could add nuts and dried cranberries. I would keep mix-ins to 1/2 cup total. You may also love this cranberry oatmeal cookies recipe!
Symantha Bonham
This recipe looks amazing! Can I add nuts like walnuts? If so, how much? Anything else I should know?
Claire Negley
I am trying cookies except 😋 soon thankyou save a recipe.