These are truly the best classic oatmeal cookies you can make! They're made with everyday pantry ingredients, are soft and chewy, and require no chilling of the dough before baking.
Why You'll Love These Cookies
- The best flavor. They have a rich buttery flavor with a hint of cinnamon.
- No fancy ingredients. Just simple and straight-forward pantry ingredients are used.
- Soft and chewy texture. Just like with my chewy pumpkin oatmeal cookies, the cookies are chewy, soft, and have a slight crunchy texture on the outside.
- Quick and easy recipe. The cookie dough is easy to put together using just two mixing bowls, and in under 30 minutes you'll have freshly baked oatmeal cookies.
Classics are called classics for a reason, which is also why I enjoy these classic chewy chocolate chip cookies, soft snickerdoodle cookies, and chocolate crinkle cookies recipe.
Jump to:
As a home baker, I have tried dozens of oatmeal cookies and they've only ever been just ok. I literally can't stop eating these. One baker said this: "Best moist oatmeal cookies I've ever tasted!"
Baking with oats is so easy, which is also why I enjoy these easy oatmeal coconut cookies and easy pumpkin oatmeal muffins.
Ingredients for Classic Oatmeal Cookies
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour.
- Oats: Use old-fashioned oats (also called rolled oats). Do not substitute them for quick oats.
- Ground cinnamon: This gives the cookies a warm flavor. Truly hard to resist!
- Butter: I used unsalted butter. Using melted butter helps to create a chewy cookie..
- Large eggs: 2 large eggs help to bind all of the ingredients together while making the cookies soft and chewy.
See the recipe card for the full ingredients list and the exact amounts.
Recipe Variations
Oatmeal cookies are very versatile and pairs well with a variety of add-ins.
- Chocolate chips. You can add ¾ cup of your favorite chocolate, like semi-sweet, white chocolate, or even dark chocolate chips.
- M&Ms: I like to use mini m&ms (like in these m&m chocolate chip cookies). Use ¾ cup.
- Raisins: Another classic combination for an oatmeal cookie are raisins, so if you love raisins go ahead and add ¾ cup as well.
How to Make The Best Oatmeal Cookies
Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, corn starch, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
Step 2: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and sugar.
Step 3: Then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until combined.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients and gently mix together using a rubber spatula until everything is combined.
Step 5: Use a medium-sized cookie scoop (I used my #24) to scoop out the dough. Place 9 cookie dough balls on each prepared baking pan.
Bake for 11-14 minutes.
Storing & Freezing
Keep any leftover cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 7 days.
To freeze, place the cooled cookies onto a baking pan and freeze until solid. Then place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. They can stay frozen for up to 2 months.
Expert Baking Tips
- Measuring Flour: To help ensure you don’t add extra flour, follow these three simple steps: 1) Fluff up the flour using a fork. 2) Spoon the flour into your measuring cup. 3) Scrape a knife across the top of the measuring cup to level out the flour.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: The unsalted butter and eggs need to be at room temperature before baking. I recommend removing these ingredients from the refrigerator 1 hour before you want to bake.
- Cookie Dough: Use a cookie scoop to scoop out the cookie dough and roll it into a ball with your hands. Check out my best baking tools for beginners for more resources.
- Perfectly Shaped Cookies: The trick to getting more circular cookies is to use a round cookie cutter to essentially "rotate or spin" around each cookie immediately when they come out of the oven. Since they're really hot, the cookies will easily mold to that circular shape as you move around them.
Recipe FAQs
No, you cannot substitute quick oats in this recipe. The cookies will not have their chewy texture or the flavor we're looking for. Stay away from quick oats.
It depends on the recipe. This recipe has a good amount of butter and sugar, so these cookies would not be considered healthy.
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below. I love hearing from you! Also, please tag me on Instagram and check out my Pinterest for even more recipe ideas.
It brings me so much joy to see you make my recipes. 🙂
Happy Baking!
📖 Recipe
Best Classic Oatmeal Cookies
Equipment
- Baking Sheets
- Parchment paper
- Mixing Bowls
- Cookie Scoop (I used #24 cookie scoop)
Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, corn starch, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a microwaveable-safe bowl, melt the butter and let it cool on the counter for just a few minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and sugar until combined. Then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Add the oat mixture and use a rubber spatula to fold everything together until combined.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (I used my #24, which is 2.7 tablespoons) to scoop out the cookie dough onto the prepared baking pans. I recommend placing 9 cookie dough balls on each baking sheet. Bake for 11-14 minutes, or just until the edges of the cookies start to turn light brown in color.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them over to a wire rack to finish cooling.
So tasty! A really easy base with its own great flavor to add whatever mixins - I made them with chocolate chips which was delicious, and they came together fast so perfect for a weeknight/when you're low on time. Definitely a big recommendation from me!
Awesome, Natalie! I love hearing how you added chocolate chips to it. 🙂
My 8 year old daughter wanted to make cookies by herself this morning. Easy recipe to follow. Except- she didn’t want me to help at all and when she was about to start scooping, noticed she had the oats leftover on the counter. It doesn’t say in the recipe when to add the oats. I know to fold them in at the end, but she’s new! Maybe adjust your recipe to instruct when to add in the oats!
Thank you for pointing this out! I edited the recipe card to make sure it says when to add the oats.