The Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies — Soft, chewy, loaded with chocolate, and they turn out perfectly every time! Totally irresistible!!
Table of Contents
- The BEST Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients
- Can Raisins Be Added?
- Can I Add Other Mix-Ins?
- How to Make Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Do I Have to Chill the Cookie Dough?
- What’s the Best Type of Oatmeal for Oatmeal Cookies?
- Why Didn’t My Cookies Spread in the Oven?
- Do I Really Have to Add 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla?
- Storage Instructions
- Recipe Variations to Try
- The Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
- More Oatmeal Cookie Recipes:
The BEST Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
I have so many oatmeal cookie recipes. And chocolate chip cookie recipes.
But didn’t have ‘my perfect’ good old-fashioned oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe until now.
These are the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I’ve had, and I’m super picky about oatmeal cookies.
Oatmeal cookies, when done right — and by that I mean soft, chewy, and not over-baked — are some of my favorites. The chewiness, the perfectly hearty texture, the nuttiness of the oats, and all the chocolate made these a new favorite twist on a classic.
I adapted my Oatmeal Scotchies recipe and used chocolate chips instead of butterscotch.
I like that the recipe only makes 11-12 medium/large cookies, perfect if you don’t need too much of a good thing laying around. Double it if you have a big family or an amazing metabolism.
I love this base because the cookies are soft, chewy, and hearty without feeling like I need to take them on a mountain hike. Sometimes oatmeal cookies get a little too oaty and hearty. I want a cookie, not a granola bar.
But if there aren’t enough oats used, I find myself wanting more texture and chewiness.
The cookies are thick enough, but not too thick. Overly thick thick oatmeal cookies can turn dry or cakey, a total deal-breaker. Conversely, they’re not too thin, which is good because there’s nothing more unsatisfying than biting into a paper thin cookie.
I dare you to try to keep your hands out of the cookie jar.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients
To make these chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, all you’ll need is:
- Egg
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Old-fashioned oats
- All-purpose flour
- Cinnamon
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
Can Raisins Be Added?
If you like raisins or nuts in your oatmeal cookies, feel free to add a handful of either. But for anyone who dislikes oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies, your wishes have been granted. Just loads of melty chocolate in these babies.
Can I Add Other Mix-Ins?
Absolutely! I’ve provided some mix-in options just above the recipe card (scroll to the bottom of this post to see). M&M’s, chopped nuts, raisins, etc. would all work.
How to Make Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is such a simple chocolate chip oatmeal cookies recipe. I saw no reason to complicate a classic!
Here are the basic steps to making truly the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies:
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. This will take about 4 minutes.
- Then, add in the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips last.
- Use a 1/4 cup measure (or a large cookie scoop) to scoop the dough into balls.
- Place the cookie dough balls on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Once the cookie dough has had time to chill, bake until the edges have set and the tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center. You do NOT want to over bake these cookies!
Do I Have to Chill the Cookie Dough?
Yes! You can NOT bake with unchilled dough. The cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
What’s the Best Type of Oatmeal for Oatmeal Cookies?
To make perfectly chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, I recommend using old-fashioned oats (sometimes called rolled oats).
Instant oats are more finely ground and can act like a flour, which results in drier cookies. And steel cut oats
Why Didn’t My Cookies Spread in the Oven?
When cookies don’t spread it’s usually a result of an over-floured dough. If you used a heavier hand when measuring the oats, flour, or both, your cookies may not spread properly.
When measuring out the flour, scoop it out of the bag with a spoon rather than dip the entire measuring cup into it.
Do I Really Have to Add 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla?
Yes, you need to add 1 TABLESPOON of vanilla extract to the dough, not 1 teaspoon. I always add more vanilla to my baked goods because I really want the flavor to pop!
Storage Instructions
You can prepare the cookie dough up to five days in advance. As long as it’s stored in an airtight container or is tightly covered in plastic wrap, you can leave it in the fridge.
After five days, the cookie dough needs to be frozen. You can bake the dough straight from the freezer, just add a minute or two to the bake time.
Note that the baked cookies can also be frozen for up to three months.
Recipe Variations to Try
I think this recipe makes the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies as written, but there are a couple variations you can try if desired.
- Add cinnamon: Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the dough.
- Add raisins: You can add up to 1/2 cup raisins to the recipe as written.
- Add nuts: Chopped nuts of any kind will work. You can add up to 1/2 cup.
- Add M&M’s: Use a mixture of M&M’s and chocolate chips in the dough.
- Use mini chocolate chips: Use 1 cup. Just note that the chocolate distribution will differ from what you see in the photos above.
Note that you can add up to 1 1/2 cups mix-ins TOTAL to the oatmeal cookie dough. So if you want to add raisins and / or nuts, you can only add 1/2 cup total to the 1 cup of chocolate chips in the dough.
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The Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temp (1 stick)
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups old-fashioned whole rolled oats, not instant or quick cook
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ to 1 teaspoon cinnamon, added to taste
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 heaping cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup raisins or nuts, optional and to taste
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the egg, butter, sugars, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the chocolate chips, optional raisins or nuts, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
- Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 11 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly. Tip – Strategically place a few chocolate chips on top of each mound of dough by taking chips from the underside and adding them on top.
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet).
- Bake for about 11 minutes (for super soft cookies, longer for more well-done cookies), or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
More Oatmeal Cookie Recipes:
I have many oatmeal cookie dough bases, as well as countless other cookie recipes that use oatmeal, but my favorites are below.
Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies — No butter and no mixer used in these easy cookies dripping with chocolate!
Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Scotchies Cookies — My favorite classic oatmeal cookie base loaded with sweet butterscotch chips! A classic cookie that you’ve just got to try!
Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Brown Sugar Cookies {Anzac Biscuits} — Soft, chewy, easy, no-mixer, no-egg cookies!
Originally published November 6, 2014 and Republished with updated text May 19, 2021.
I made these ‘Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies’ today. I used chocolate chips and chopped walnuts since I had no raisins. I followed the recipe exactly & they came out perfect. They looked just like your pictures! At 11 minutes I thought they were WAY too undercooked, but my husband followed the recipe, took them out & let them cool on the pan we baked them on; I’m glad he did because they ended up perfect. These are the first oatmeal cookies I’ve ever made. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe.
Glad you trusted the recipe and pulled them at 11 mins because yes, they do firm up lots as they cool! Glad you’re enjoying them!
These turned out perfectly when I made them. Love the recipe! Instead of refrigerating for 2 to 5 hours, I oiled my baking pan, flattened the dough balls to about 1/3 of an inch thick, covered them with foil, and placed them into the freezer for about ten minutes until the dough was firm and chilled. I baked them for the 11 minutes and they were absolutely perfect. So delicious and some of the best I’ve had. Thanks for the great recipe!
Glad you loved them and that they’re some of the best you’ve had!
I want to start by saying these were amazing but once they cooled they turned crumbly and kind of dry. Just trying to figure out where i went wrong, any suggestions?
Thanks!
Sounds like you over-baked them. As cookies cool, they still continue to bake. I think if you bake by 1-2 mins less, even though they may seem under-done in the moment, upon cooling I think you will be very happy.
Best cookies ever! My addition/changes: I did not have chocolate chips, so I chopped up Hershey bars; better to have the small pieces spread throughout the cookies. Finale: I sprinkled a little Kosher salt over baked cookies while they cooled!
Glad they’re your best cookies ever! And chopped chocolate always works – glad you used what you had on hand!
I discovered this recipe on Christmas Eve when I was looking to ‘throw something together’ for my adult kids for dessert on Christmas Day. I have made this recipe 3 times now, doubling the recipe each time and cannot keep them in the box! This is BY FAR the BEST oatmeal cookie recipe I have ever made. I made the first batch with chocolate chips, (my favorite), the next with raisins and the last with raisins and walnuts. Each batch turned out perfectly, thick, chewy and absolutely wonderful. Everyone is asking me for the recipe and when my kids brought some to their father for Christmas, he texted me to tell me that they were the best oatmeal cookies that I had ever made, and we were married for almost 2o years! So 20 years of making oatmeal cookies and now I make the best ones ever, LOL. I looked for a Peanut Butter Cookie recipe, I hope you publish one soon.
Glad you love these and that they’re the best ever for you!
I wrote an ENTIRE COOKBOOK dedicated to peanut butter recipes! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1620876213/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1620876213&linkCode=as2&tag=lovvegyogruna-20
Also here are 24 different PB cookie recipes on my site https://www.averiecooks.com/tag/peanut-butter-cookies Enjoy!
Hi! Thank you for the recipe…my tried and true oatmeal chocolate chip cookie handwritten on a scrap envelope went missing during our last move. I made these last night for my husband to take to work and we both agree they are SO GOOD! Directions as written are perfect as was the helpful hint about the chocolate chips on top. I did double the recipe and used a smaller scoop so by the third round of placing cookies in the oven the dough had become a bit too warm, so I packed up the rest and put in the fridge so I can bake the rest today. Great recipe, happy holidays!
Glad they worked out great for you, including doubling the recipe and making the cookies smaller. Glad these are a perfect stand-in for your recipe that went missing!
I made the “best” oatmeal choc chip cookies tonight and they were totally amazing!!! They have the perfect crunch to chew ratio!! Now they are my families favorite cookie!! Thanks!!!
Glad they’re your family’s new favorite cookie! That’s great!
I just made these at 5:30 this morning so it was still warm when I delivered them 30 miles down the road as a thank you to my vet for taking care of my pup after a dog attack resulted in emergency surgery that needed follow up that he didn’t charge me for. However, they are so big that only 6 fit in the container that I brought of the 10 that were made so I got to have one. :)
I’ve got my mom’s old butterscotch oatmeal cookie recipe but these are so much better as a base from which to expand.
One note, I live at over 6,000 feet in elevation. If you live this high up like I do, add an extra half to a full tsp of baking soda to give it enough lift and body.
Thanks so much!
Glad you love these (and to say it beats your mom’s recipe is saying something….those are hard to beat :))
Sorry about your dog!! That is so scary and hopefully the cookies gave you a little comfort. Great altitude tip too!
So i dint have a mixer with a paddle :-( can i mix by hand?
Then can i make granulated sugar with normal sugar?
They look so delicious really wanna try these
Granulated sugar is white sugar, what you call ‘normal’ sugar. I haven’t made this recipe by hand but with enough elbow grease I’m sure it’s possible.
I tried adding cinnamon powder, and my dough turned red. It looks like red velvet instead. May i ask if its normal or i got the wrong thing?
Thanks! :D
The small amount of ground cinnamon in this recipe should not cause your dough to turn red. I use McCormick, Trader Joe’s, grocery store brand – no cinnamon I’ve ever used has given that result. I would switch brands of cinnamon if I were you!
I’m very much a beginner when it comes to cookies but I am baking 6 different cookies this weekend for my son’s baptism after party including this recipe. I plan on following this recipe exactly but when other cookie recipes call for oil instead of butter, how does that change the taste, texture, appearance versus butter?
I could write a book about it but if a recipe calls for butter, use it. If it calls for oil, use it. Don’t try to interchange them (sometimes you can get away with this in cakes or muffins) but it’s very iffy with cookies unless you know what you’re doing to make alterations with other ingredients. Oil can make cookies super soft, and often it’s used in things like whoopie pies or more ‘cakey’ cookies; most traditional cookie recipes call for butter, i.e. choc chip, PB, M&M, Oatmeal, etc.
just made these on a whim, super fast, simple, small batch, and they’re incredible!! awesome recipe Averie, thanks :) the cinnamon’s a nice touch rather than just oats and chocolate
Thanks for trying them and glad they came out great for you! Love those kind of on a whim projects!
i can’t wait to try these! Will it make a huge difference if I use instant oatmeal though? I don’t want to ruin the recipe but it’s all I have…
Yes it will because quick/instant oats act more like flour than whole-rolled oats because they’re smaller and more finely ground. It would be smart to hold off on making these until you get the right kind of oats so the recipe works for you.
Without having officially tried these, I think I have to agree: they’re the best. You have such a great oatmeal and chocolate chip ratio here. Some oatmeal CC cookies almost look like pucks – they’re packed with so many oats that it becomes unappetizing. And others don’t have enough chocolate chips, making them more bland and oatmeal-y. This is the perfect, heavenly balance of the two. Bravo!
Thanks for all the comments today…you are awesome :) And yes, I loved these cookies for the reasons you said, the dough/chip ratio worked out great :)
These cookies look fabulous!! My tummy is grumbling for them now. ;) Yum!
These look amazing. I was just looking for that perfect oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe and I’ll definitely be trying these! I love that you use choc chips, I would choose chocolate over raisins any time!