Easy Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
on Aug 12, 2013, Updated Oct 12, 2024
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This Easy Oatmeal Cookie Recipe turns out perfectly every time! No raisins or chocolate, just simple butter and oatmeal cookies that you can add (or not) what you like to!
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 alike.
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. 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 these Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies, too.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You can customize it by adding chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, and more.
- They have that perfect soft and chewy texture.
- They freeze well so you can enjoy some now and some later.
Ingredients
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Old Fashioned Oats
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make Easy Oatmeal Cookies
Step #1. Preheat the oven and line your baking sheets.
Step #3. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and arrange on baking sheet.
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 #4. Bake until edges brown and center is set. Move to a cooling rack to cool.
Recipe FAQs
I recommend using old-fashioned oats in this recipe because they help to make the cookies chewy and give them that classic oatmeal texture. You can use quick oats, but it’ll just have a bit of a different texture.
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.
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.
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!
More Cookie Recipes to Consider
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
The Best Simple Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
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 degrees 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
- 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!
- I recommend using old-fashioned oats in this recipe because they help to make the cookies chewy and give them that classic oatmeal texture. You can use quick oats, but it’ll just have a bit of a different texture.
- You can keep the cookies soft after baking them by storing them in a container or sealable bag with a piece of bread.
- This recipe was tested with salted butter but can be made with unsalted as well.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in April 2013 and has been updated, rephotographed, and improved with reader feedback.
Going to try these tomorrow at husbands request hope they turn out wonderful it’s what he wants for Christmas and is the only thing he asked for some gooey oatmeal cookies lol I’ll come back and comment after I bake them thank you for sharing
My kids loved them soooo much. I just have one question. They ended up too thin… am I doing something wrong? I followed the recipe, the only thing different is that I did it manually with a fork. I don’t have a stand mixer or batter. What can I do so the cookies turn out thicker?
It could have just been a measuring thing, if you measured your flour a little light they would have spread some. If using the fork just make sure it’s really well beaten.
I’ve read all the comments below, but still hope you can respond to my previous inquiry before I make these cookies next week!
I am trying to find the most simple oatmeal cookie recipe as I’m not the most talented baker, but I do pretty good with cookies usually, lol!
I was given 2 lg. bags of dried plums (prunes). They are quite tasty just to eat plain. I’ve searched many oatmeal cookie recipes and believe this one is good for the plums to be chopped and added. What do you think?
I think they would be so good with dried plums in them! I’d probably add a little cinnamon too!
This was a great recipe, my entire family was stunned with how great it tasted! Although, I left them in the oven for an extra minute or two to make them perfect! I seriously recommend this recipe for every other oat lover like me!
How are you suppose to even read the recipe? Your website is a MESS. The recipe is squashed way over on the side. What a waste.
Hey, I work super super hard to have a really user-friendly and fast website and keep a less aggressive ad strategy to match that. I’m wondering what you were looking at my site on, it sounds like an error on my end. If I had some more information I could troubleshoot!
The creator happened to write this website perfectly to correct expectations. I have recently taken cooking classes and we have gone over the design in which to write a clear recipe. Melissa, you did nothing wrong and you’re skill in writing and making cooking/baking websites is amazing! Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe with us! 5 Stars! <3
Thank you! I’ve taken classed on how to write recipes too and it’s been so helpful. I’m so glad you find my work useful!
Best cookies ever 😍😍😍 and a little bit of peanut butter and there amazing that way too
supper easy and delicious!!
I made these for a friend who had a baby this morning and had only 1.5 hours and they were made and cooled enough to transport in that time!
Made these today – delicious! I added some chopped white chocolate bits and some dark choc chips. Soooo good. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
That sounds wonderful!!