Oatmeal Cookies

5 from 61 votes

Posted: 04/27/20

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Perfectly soft and chewy Oatmeal Cookies that are the perfect base for all your favorite add-ins like nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, dried cranberries and more! There’s no chilling required making them fast to make. Fill up the cookie jar with these, plus these freeze great!

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Looking for the perfect simple oatmeal cookie that’s soft and chewy? We love these chewy Monster Cookies with oatmeal, but here’s the perfect base oatmeal cookie recipe for adding in your favorite mix-ins! This is it! This easy recipe requires no chilling and is perfect for stocking your freezer and cookie jar with.

They are chewy, buttery and comforting, there’s nothing fancy about these cookies, but they are perfect because you can’t go wrong with them. I bet you have all the ingredients you need to make these right in your pantry.

That’s the best part. You don’t need to buy any special ingredients that won’t get used again, plus you can mix them up with adding in whatever you have in the pantry!

Contents show

Ingredients for Oatmeal Cookies

Butter – We used salted. Be careful to only soften it, if it’s melted the cookies will spread out more.
Sugars – You will need both brown sugar and granulated sugar to get a soft chewy cookie with a slight carmel flavor.
Eggs
Vanilla Extract – Pure Vanilla Extract not imitation will give you the best flavor.
All-Purpose Flour – Bleached or unbleached will work.
Baking Soda
Salt
Spices – Cinnamon and Nutmeg
Oats – We prefer old fashioned which give the cookies a chewier cookie. You can use quick or instant oats, but they will result in a denser, less chewy cookies.

Add-In Ideas!

You can totally enjoy these oatmeal cookies on their own, but if you want to mix it up these are some great ideas to add to them. If you choose to add any of these into the cookies you will add it when you mix in the oats. We recommend 1/2 – 1 c. of the add-in you choose, but it can vary according to your preference.

Raisins – Who hasn’t had a classic oatmeal cookie with raisins? Raisins offset this sweet cookie with a zingy flavor.
Chocolate Chips – This is my personal favorite- add in chocolate and never look back. I prefer to use milk chocolate, but you can use semi-sweet or even dark chocolate. You may even like to try sprinkling a little flaky sea salt on the cookie before it’s placed in the oven to off-set some of the sweetness and add another dimension of flavor.
Dried Cranberries – This delicious combination goes perfectly with these oatmeal cookies. We recommend about 1 cup dried cranberries. A great addition to the dried cranberries is ½ cup of coconut or white chocolate chips.
Chopped Walnuts or Pecans – Even though the outside of these cookies has a nice crunch, nuts are a great addition for texture and flavor. You can choose to add in only nuts or add them in addition to raisins or chocolate chips. If you are adding nuts into the mix in combination with another ingredient, only add in ½ to ¾ cup of nuts. If you are only adding nuts, use 1 cup chopped nuts.

5 Steps to Make Prepare

Prep – Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place parchment paper on baking sheets and set aside.
Cream Ingredients – In a mixing bowl cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Mix – Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Add in flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix until combined. Fold in oats and any mix-ins like chocolate chips, raisins etc. if you are using them.
Bake – Roll into 2-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheet. Gently press the cookie down just slightly with palm of your hand. Bake for 8-10 minutes in preheated oven at 350 degrees F or until edges are golden brown.
Cool – Remove and let cookies sit on pan 2 minutes and then remove to cookie rack to cool completely.

Expert Tips!

Don’t over mix your cookie dough or you will end up with a dense cookie.
You can tell the cookies are done when they are golden brown along the edges.
They will continue to cook while they cool on the pan, so if the middle looks a little under baked that’s fine.
The cookies get firmer as they cool off, but stay soft and chewy.
If you find your cookies are spreading more than you like simply put the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes before you bake the cookies.
You can store these at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.
Stick a piece of bread in the container to keep them soft. The cookies will absorb the moisture from the bread. White bread is best because it doesn’t transfer the taste to the cookies.
They are also freezer friendly and can be froze for up to 3 months in an air tight container perfect for whenever you are craving a cookie.

More Easy Cookie Recipes!

Love soft, chewy oatmeal cookies then make these Monster Cookies next!
The easiest Sugar Cookies that are super soft and don’t require rolling out.
There’s nothing like a classic White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie that’s soft and chewy.
Love the flavors of a homemade S’more? Make these S’mores Cookies!

Try it and love it? Rate it, please!!!? Seriously though a five-star rating below will make my day! If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!!

Meet Julie Evink

I'm here to help you win in the kitchen again! Life is Busy, Life is Crazy, but that doesn't mean you can't make your family dinner! Julie's goal is to provide you with easy, family, friendly recipes that use pantry staples. Dinnertime will be stress free again!