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These are seriously the best Easy Oatmeal Cookies — soft, chewy, delicious, possibly addictive cookies that are ready in just 30 minutes and perfect for any occasion!
👩🍳 This is a great and solid oatmeal cookie recipe that turns out every single time. They’re some of my husband’s absolute favorites because they’re simple and sweet, without being too much!
Table of Contents
🩷 Melissa
Long live all the staple recipes that you can make again and again! This recipe has been around the blog (and my home) for years because it’s a classic oatmeal cookie that’s delicious just as it is.
I love a simple, plain cookie because it’s a great go-to for celebrations or just a regular Tuesday.
Plus, the texture is everything and more you could want in a cookie — soft and chewy with just a bit of crisp on the outside. Pure perfection!
(And they are perfect for making these Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies, too!)
Easy Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter, 1 1/2 sticks, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add the butter and the brown sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer and beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, around 5 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat for another minute.
- Add the flour, sprinkle in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined. Add the oats and combine.
- Fold in the dried cherries, chocolate, chopped pecans, or other mix-ins if desired.
- The mixture will be a little tacky, but you should be able to roll it into a ball in your hands without making a total mess. If it is too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until the mixture can be handled.
- Roll the dough into 1 to 1.5 inch balls (about 1 large tablespoon of dough), using your hands and place the balls on the prepared cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 14 minutes until the edges begin to brown and the centers are set.
- Transfer to a wire rack and let them cool completely.
Notes
- Chocolate chips
- Peanut butter chips
- Nuts
- Cinnamon
- Cinnamon chips
- Chopped candy bars
- M&M’s
- Raisins.
- You could also put a layer of icing, ice cream, or peanut butter in between two baked and cooled cookies to make a sandwich cookie. The possibilities are endless!
Nutrition
How to Make Easy Oatmeal Cookies
Step 1: Preheat the oven and line your baking sheets.
Step 2: In the bowl of your mixer, cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and vanilla, then stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the oats and any other mix-ins.
Step 3: Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and arrange on baking sheet.
Step 4: Bake until edges brown and center is set. Move to a cooling rack to cool.
How to Freeze Cookies and Cookie Dough
To freeze baked cookies, allow the cookies to cool completely, store them in an airtight container, and keep them in the freezer for up to 2 months. Pull them out about an hour before serving to let them thaw to room temperature.
To freeze the dough, form the dough into balls, and freeze them for a few hours on a cookie tray. After they’ve frozen through, add them to an airtight container or sealable bags, and stick them back in the freezer. When you’re ready to bake them, preheat your oven, place the frozen dough balls on a baking sheet, and add 2 to 4 minutes of baking time to the suggested bake time. No need to thaw!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can substitute quick oats, but the texture will be slightly different. Old-fashioned oats provide that classic chewy texture and rustic appearance that makes oatmeal cookies special. Quick oats will create a softer, less textured cookie.
You can keep the cookies soft after baking them by storing them in a container or sealable bag with a piece of bread. The bread will lend its moisture to the cookies, keeping them soft for longer. Using white bread is preferable, so it doesn’t give off any flavor to the cookies.
This usually happens when the butter is too warm or the dough is too soft. Make sure your butter is at room temperature (not melted), and if the dough feels too sticky, add flour one tablespoon at a time until it’s manageable.
Expert Tips
- These cookies are just begging for you to add your own touches. Add between 1 and 1 1/2 cups (total) of just about anything you’d like. Try adding chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, nuts, cinnamon, cinnamon chips, chopped candy bars, M&M’s, or raisins. You could also put a layer of icing, ice cream, or peanut butter in between two baked and cooled cookies to make a sandwich cookie. The possibilities are endless!
- If you like a simple spiced oatmeal cookie, try adding 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and a 1/4 teaspoon of cloves and nutmeg. So good while keeping them simple.
- I always bake these on parchment paper or baking mats. Do you have baking mats yet? Such a great investment.
More Oatmeal Cookie Recipes to Consider
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Easy Monster Cookie Bars
Recipe Collections
Zucchini Recipes
Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal Coconut Cookies With Dark Chocolate Chunks
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Love this recipe….easy and delicious!
Quick question – should the brown sugar be packed, or loose? Can effect be sweetness…..
I pack it, but I bet you can get away with loose if you want a less sweet cookie.
Did I do something wrong my cookies came out in the flatter side?!
It’s probably just a measuring thing or your butter was a little on the warm side. So melty butter that isn’t creamed into the sugar long enough and/or not enough flour will lend to a flatter cookie. You could also try chilling the dough before baking. Let me know how it turns out, I hope they tasted great!
I just made half a batch of these, adding a few crumbled wafer praline “cigars” In there and subbing applesauce for half the butter to make up for the wafers. They are delicious! You saved the next few days’ breakfast. I can’t wait for my preschooler and husband to try these tomorrow. Will definitely be making them again as well, with different, and healthier, add-ins. I love versatile recipes so much!
Ooohhh fun idea! I have an applesauce cookie on my site that you might love too!
Yes, I am an applesauce newbie and I love it! I have been making it for my 8-month-old’s meals but there are so many recipes to make with it, plus you can sub it for butter. Plus, you can just eat some straight out of the jar when the need for dessert hits!
Oh, and the cookies only lasted 2 days. 20 of them. HUGE hit over here.
97 calories*
I’m sorry
That’s what the calorie counter that I use says. Feel free to plug it into something like MyFitnessPal once you know how many cookies your batch made and see what you get.
is it true that it’s only 19 calories per portion? and what do you consider a portion?
Sincerely, Juliette van der Wal
Will be trying this recipe today …Thank you
Is it salted or unsalted butter?
I’ve used both with great success and don’t think it makes a huge difference either way for this recipe. Unsalted is more traditional for baking though.
Hello. I’m a teenager and I tried these out excitedly, because the recipe looked inviting. Well, the cookies stuck to the baking tray and wouldn’t dislodge, and once they did, they all broke up into crumbs. I was so disappointed….. ?
Sorry you didn’t find success. The recipe indicated that you need to use parchment paper on your pan which stops the cookies from sticking. Alternatives to parchment is to grease the cookie sheet or to use baking mats, all of which will fix the issues.
I would like to know how to use this recipe with grams instead of cups.
Just finished makeing these cookies. They are delicious. I added walnuts and they taste amazing!
One of my favorite additions! Did you add a little cinnamon to go with your walnuts? That’s so good too, just a 1/2 teaspoon!