The best oatmeal cookie recipe! It yields soft and chewy oatmeal cookies that are perfectly spiced with cinnamon. Add raisins or chocolate chips!
This oatmeal cookie recipe makes perfect soft and chewy oatmeal cookies! They’re warmly spiced with cinnamon and filled with rich flavor from butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. And though I often make this recipe with raisins, it works well with a variety of mix-ins. Fold in walnuts, dried cranberries, or chocolate chips!
Another reason to love this oatmeal cookie recipe? You don’t need a mixer to make it. The dough is easy to mix up with a spatula and basic pantry ingredients whenever a cookie craving strikes.
This recipe was originally published in Sarah Copeland’s cookbook Every Day Is Saturday, and I first shared it in 2019. I’ve made it countless times since. Our readers have too—it now has over 500 5-star reviews! Try it the next time you’re craving soft and chewy oatmeal cookies. I think you’ll love it!
Oatmeal Cookie Recipe Ingredients
This recipe has simple ingredients. You likely have them in your pantry already! Here’s what you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour and whole rolled oats – They make up the base of the dough. Spoon and level your flour to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
- Baking powder and baking soda – They help the cookies rise.
- Brown sugar – It adds the perfect caramelized sweetness. Light brown sugar and dark brown sugar both work well.
- Sea salt – It balances the sweet sugar and raisins.
- Cinnamon and vanilla extract – For warm, spiced depth of flavor.
- Melted butter – For moisture, richness, and buttery flavor. To make these cookies dairy-free, use melted coconut oil instead.
- 1 large egg + an extra egg yolk – The extra egg yolk makes these cookies especially moist and chewy.
- Raisins or chocolate chips – For pops of sweetness.
- And walnuts – For crunch!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Can I use quick oats in oatmeal cookies?
Yes, you can use quick oats in this oatmeal cookie recipe. After testing it both ways, I recommend old fashioned oats for the best chewy texture, but in a pinch, quick oats work too!
How to Make Oatmeal Cookies
Making this oatmeal cookie recipe couldn’t be easier. Here’s what you need to do:
First, make the dough. Whisk together the wet ingredients in one mixing bowl and the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in another.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Then, fold in the walnuts, oats, and raisins. The mixture will be thick!
Next, let the dough rest for 20 minutes. This gives the wet ingredients a chance to hydrate the flour and oats, making it easier to work with the dough. The cookies come out chewier, too!
Then, shape and bake the cookies. Roll the dough into balls and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets. Press down lightly on the tops to flatten them slightly. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 11 minutes, or until golden brown.
Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy!
Oatmeal Cookie Recipe Tips
- Use brown sugar. I’ve tested this recipe with a mix of granulated sugar and brown sugar. I didn’t find that the white sugar improved it. Use 100% brown sugar for the best oatmeal cookies. They have a richer molasses flavor.
- Let the dough rest for 20 minutes before baking. Those 20 minutes will make your dough easier to roll into balls, so the cookies will keep their shape and develop a yummy chewy texture in the oven.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely for the best texture and flavor. It may be agony, but letting these oatmeal cookies cool completely only makes them better. They’ll be chewier and fully infused with brown sugar flavor. Sarah likes these best a few hours to 1 day after baking. (Though I can attest that they’re still good if you can’t wait that long.)
Oatmeal Cookies Variations
- Use raisins to make oatmeal raisin cookies. Or swap the raisins for dried cherries or cranberries.
- Add chocolate chips to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. White chocolate chips are a fun option too.
- Use pecans instead of walnuts.
- Add a dash of cardamom or ginger to the dough.
- Add butterscotch chips to give the cookies an extra-buttery taste.
How do you like to make oatmeal cookies? Let me know in the comments!
How to Store Oatmeal Cookies
To keep these oatmeal cookies soft and chewy, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. They also freeze well for up to 3 months.
Make-Ahead Oatmeal Cookies
If you’re someone who likes to keep cookie dough on hand in the fridge or freezer, this oatmeal cookie recipe is for you. You can store the cookie dough in the fridge for 7 to 10 days or freeze it for up to a month.
To store the dough, roll it into balls and freeze them briefly. Then, transfer the cookie dough balls to airtight containers or Ziploc bags and refrigerate or freeze. You can also roll the dough into a log, using an 8×12-inch piece of parchment paper as a guide. Wrap the log tightly in parchment to refrigerate or freeze, and slice the cookies into rounds before baking.
Bake your cookie dough straight from the fridge. If it’s frozen, allow it to rest for 15 minutes at room temperature before putting it in the oven.
More Favorite Cookie Recipes
If you love these easy oatmeal cookies, try one of these yummy cookie recipes next:
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Easy Sugar Cookies
- Best Peanut Butter Cookies
- No Bake Cookies
- Chewy Molasses Cookies
- Homemade Brownies (not a cookie, but still delicious…)
- Or any of these 17 Easy Cookie Recipes!
Perfect Oatmeal Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie Scoop (I use this one)
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled*
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted**
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups whole rolled oats
- ¾ cup raisins or chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, whisking vigorously.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir in the oats, raisins, and walnuts, if using, folding into a tight batter. Set the dough aside for 20 minutes while the oven preheats. (Note: If your dough seems too wet to become scoop-able, chill it in the fridge for this 20 minutes and it'll firm up. If your dough is too crumbly, stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons water.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough, heaping your scoops slightly to get 20 to 22 balls of dough. Roll lightly in barely damp hands to make them round. Spread out onto the prepared baking sheets and press down lightly on the tops of the dough balls.
- Bake until puffed, golden, and a touch underbaked-looking, 10 to 11 minutes. Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
I followed the recipe exactly and they came out so dry and crumbly and didn’t flatten in the oven! Is something wrong with instructions or is it my ingredients?
Hi Phoebe, did you change anything about the recipe?
Exact same thing happened to me 🙁 After 11 mins in the oven, they came out still in ball form. I followed the recipe exactly.
I don’t know what I am doing wrong. I followed the directions and used coconut oil instead of butter. I melted the oil before adding it. The dough was a crumbly mess. I added more oil and it came together enough to bake. I tried again using quick oats instead of old fashioned oats and got the same result, very crumbly. I had to add a lot more oil and the dough is still dry and crumbly. I got enough together to make some cookies and they taste good but fall apart.
I followed it exactly as well. I used the 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter. The dough turned out exactly as they said it would but after they completely cooled they were a little fragile when handled. What would make them less fragile?
Hi, did the dough feel dry or crumbly at all? You may need to use a little less flour. If you’re not already, try spooning and leveling it for a lighter cup, or weighing it—we consider 125g of flour to be 1 cup. You could also use the full second egg (instead of just the egg yolk) for more cohesive cookies.
I followed the recipe to a T and they ran flat. Do you have any suggestions so this doesn’t happen next time?
Hands down the best oatmeal rasin cookie recipe ever! Thank you for sharing it with us. I have made it too many times. I brown my butter over the stove top before mixing it in the brown sugar and let it cool a little before mixing the eggs. So bomb.
These cookies were amazing! Perfectly chewy and not too sweet. My husband loved them. This is my new “go to” recipe for oatmeal cookies! Thank you!
I’m glad you both enjoyed them!
Making for the first time. How many cookies should I expect to get from this recipe? It says serves 20 . Does that mean just 20 cookies?
Yep, that means 20 cookies.
Could I substitute steel cut oats for rolled oats?
Hi Jude, I’m not sure they’d work the same way.
I have to say a huge thanks for this amazing recipe…I’ve made it in every possible combination even gluten free..it’s always a success…love your recipes!!!!
I’m so glad you loved them! Can you let me know what GF flour you had success with?
I subbed dried cranberries and mini chocolate chips and they turned out fabulous! I was nervous about two teaspoons of vanilla, but it wasn’t overbearing. This recipe is a keeper!
So glad you loved the cookies, Christine!
Wow, these turned out amazing! So chewy and flavorful. This was my first time making cookies, and it’s a total success! The sweetness is great for coffee. I find it’s a bit too sweet to me if just eat it on its own. I will reduce the sugar next time. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
I’m so glad you loved the cookies, Ruby!
This was delicious! Absolutely a keeper. I used what I had on hand (vanilla bean, strawberries, chocolate chips, instead of vanilla extract and raisins), and it was wonderful! Only thing, don’t use many chocolate chips at all if you want to use strawberries, and macerate the strawberries in the brown sugar first! You’ll also need about half a cup extra of flour if you use fresh strawberries like I did. But the plain batter is such a great flavor! I will very much make these again!
I’m so glad you loved the recipe, Alana! Thanks for sharing your tips.
I have made these twice now since we really loved them the first time. I did use craisins and 3/4 tsp vietnamese cinnamon. I also added a tsp of orange extract this time as well as the 2 tsp vanilla. Hubby is hovering as they bake!
So glad you loved the recipe, Gabriella!
Tasted amazing but the consistency was way too crumbly, even after adding 2-3 tablespoons of water. The only thing I substituted was kosher salt for the sea salt.
Hi Anon, it sounds like you may have used a heavier cup of flour than we do, which could account for the drier texture. We use the spoon and level method for measuring flour, which yields a lighter cup than scooping it up directly.
That might be it..I’m trying this again!
Sure would be great to get weights instead of cup measurements, for axcuracy!
Just made these for the first time and followed the recipe exactly. Overall it’s a pretty good cookie. Next time I’ll let them bake a bit longer to get more exterior browning/crunch, use more cinnamon, and pare back the sugar a bit. Very promising, though!
Glad you enjoyed the cookies, David!
Best oatmeal cookies I have baked. I did soak raisins in Amaretto for 15 minutes which really is a game changer. Delicious1
Great suggestion, Mary! So glad you enjoyed the cookies.
I have to say first off I never comment good or bad on recipes but this is the exception! These cookies were excellent! Thankyou for sharing.
Hi Tracy, aww thanks for your comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies.
These are the best oatmeal raisin cookies I have ever eaten. I have made so many different recipes that say they are chewy, but they are not. I am so happy that my quest for the perfect cookie is over. The only thing I did differently is add more cinnamon.
Hi Eileen, I’m so glad you love the cookies!
Did you use coconut oil or butter?
I don’t have unsalted butter. Can I use salted and leave out the 1/2 tsp of sea salt? Thanks.
Hi Sharon, I’m getting to this late, but yes! That would work.
These look delicious but I have to be careful with my cholesterol so could I use 1/2 butter and 1/2 olive oil?
Hi, i too have a cholesterol issue and use canola oil instead of butter and they turn out great! I am sure you could also do this with olive oil.
These are the best cookies I#ve ever had!! And I don’t exaggerate, they are perfect. Next time I would add less sugar, but still, they tasted soooo good