Oatmeal Cookies are the recipe that Maria has been making every Christmas for more years than she can count and the recipe that disappears from the cookie tin before any other, before the decorated sugar cookies and before the gingerbread and before the chocolate chip, because there is something about a genuinely perfect oatmeal cookie that speaks to a deeper and more completely satisfying part of the appetite than any more elaborate cookie can reach.
The blend of brown and white sugar produces the most rich caramel depth combined with the correct amount of spread. The cornstarch is the secret ingredient that makes these cookies softer and chewier than any oatmeal cookie she had made before discovering it. And the 30-minute refrigerator chill produces a cookie that is noticeably thicker and more dramatically chewy than one baked immediately from room-temperature dough.
Oatmeal Cookies are the most perfectly soft and chewy bakery-style classic cookie made with a carefully developed combination of brown and white sugar, cornstarch for extraordinary softness, cinnamon for warmth, vanilla for depth, and old-fashioned oats for the most satisfying and hearty chewy texture. Chilled briefly before baking for the most thick and professional result. Come follow us on Pinterest where we share beautiful classic cookie recipes and easy baking favorites from our kitchen every single week.
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Why You Will Love This Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
This Oatmeal Cookies recipe is the classic cookie that earns hundreds of five-star reviews not for novelty or for a clever twist but for the most completely perfected version of what an oatmeal cookie is supposed to be. Soft. Chewy. Hearty from the oats. Rich with brown sugar and vanilla. Warmly spiced with cinnamon. Deeply satisfying in the most completely fundamental and timeless way.
The cornstarch is the secret ingredient that most conventional oatmeal cookie recipes omit and that makes a genuinely significant and immediately noticeable difference in the finished texture. Cornstarch is a starch without protein and therefore without gluten. Added to the flour mixture it reduces the overall protein content of the dry ingredients and produces a more tender and softer finished cookie that stays softer for significantly longer during storage than a pure flour dough would. Our Best Oatmeal Cookies make a beautifully complementary and equally oat-forward companion for a complete and wonderful classic oatmeal cookie collection spread.
Ingredients Needed for This Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
- 1 cup (226g) Unsalted Butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) Light Brown Sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup (100g) Granulated Sugar
- 2 large Eggs, room temperature preferred
- 1½ tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1¾ cup (215g) All-Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ¾ tsp Salt
- ¾ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 3 cups (285g) Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
- 1½ cups Chocolate Chips, Chopped Nuts, or Raisins (optional)
How to Make This Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
In the bowl of a stand mixer or using an electric hand mixer, beat the softened butter for approximately 30 seconds until smooth. Add the packed brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, pausing to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. The mixture should appear noticeably lighter in color and increased in volume after proper creaming.
Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, beating until combined between each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon until evenly combined. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring until completely combined and scraping the sides and bottom to ensure everything is evenly mixed.
Gradually stir in the old-fashioned rolled oats until completely combined throughout the dough. If using raisins, chocolate chips, or chopped nuts as optional add-ins, stir them in at this point. Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days. The chilling step is strongly recommended, cara mia. Chilled dough produces noticeably thicker and more dramatically chewy cookies than unchilled dough because the cold fat spreads more slowly in the oven.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop the chilled dough in rounded 2-tablespoon-sized balls onto the parchment, spacing at least 2 inches apart. If desired, roll the dough balls between your palms to make smoother and more uniform rounds before placing on the sheet.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are slightly browned and the centers may still appear slightly underdone. They will bake completely as they cool. Allow to cool completely on the cookie sheet before serving.
How to Serve This Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Serve at room temperature or very slightly warm for the most satisfying eating experience. The hearty oat texture and the rich brown sugar and cinnamon flavor are most vibrant at room temperature. Stack on a white platter or serve in a cloth-lined basket for the most warm and inviting presentation.
These oatmeal cookies also make an extraordinary ice cream sandwich filled with vanilla ice cream pressed between two completely cooled cookies for the most indulgent and completely satisfying combination of textures. Our Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies make a beautifully festive and equally oat-forward companion for a complete and varied classic oatmeal cookie collection spread.
How to Store This Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. The chilled and baked dough can also be frozen in portions for up to 3 days before baking. The baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months in a sealed freezer-safe container.
Tips to Make This Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Cream the butter and sugars thoroughly and with genuine attention. Creaming for the correct length of time until the mixture is genuinely light in color and noticeably increased in volume incorporates the air that produces the soft and fluffy finished cookie texture. Simply stirring the butter and sugars together until just combined without proper creaming produces a denser and less tender finished cookie.
Weigh ingredients using a kitchen scale if possible, especially the flour. Using more flour than the recipe requires is the most common cause of dry and dense oatmeal cookies. A kitchen scale eliminates all measuring uncertainty and produces the most consistent and reliable result every time.
Helpful Notes for This Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Softened butter should be at approximately 65°F for the most ideal creaming result. Butter at this temperature is slightly cooler than room temperature, feels cool to the touch, and yields gently when pressed but does not feel greasy or soft. Butter that is too warm produces flat cookies. Butter that is too cold cannot be creamed into a light and fluffy mixture.
Dark brown sugar can be substituted for light brown sugar for an even more moist and deeply chewy oatmeal cookie with a stronger and more prominent molasses flavor. Both produce excellent cookies with only a slight difference in finished flavor depth and chewiness.
Variation of This Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Maria made a version adding a cup of raisins and half a teaspoon of fresh orange zest to the dough for a classic oatmeal raisin cookie with the most beautiful citrus note that complemented the warm cinnamon perfectly. Teresa tried a coconut version by replacing half a cup of the oats with unsweetened shredded coconut for a fragrant and slightly tropical oatmeal cookie that was completely extraordinary and deeply beloved.
For a loaded oatmeal cookie version, add a cup of chocolate chips alongside a cup of chopped pecans and a cup of raisins for the most generously studded and completely indulgent classic oatmeal cookie that has every beloved addition in every single bite. Our Best Oatmeal Cookies make a beautifully classic and equally reliable companion for a complete and wonderful everyday oatmeal cookie baking spread.
FAQs About This Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Can I use quick oats instead of old-fashioned rolled oats?
Yes. An equal amount of instant oats can be substituted for the old-fashioned oats. The cookies will have a slightly less distinctively oat-textured crumb and a somewhat more uniform and finer texture throughout. Both versions are delicious with only a slight difference in the oat character of each bite.
How do I keep oatmeal cookies chewy for the full storage period?
Underbake the cookies slightly by removing them from the oven when the edges look just barely set and the centers still appear slightly underdone. Store in an airtight container to prevent air exposure. Adding a slice of bread to the container helps maintain moisture in the cookies throughout storage.
Is the 30-minute chilling step mandatory?
No but it is strongly recommended. Chilled dough produces noticeably thicker and chewier cookies because the cold fat spreads more slowly in the oven, giving the cookie structure more time to set before the spread becomes excessive. Unchilled dough still produces delicious cookies but they will be slightly thinner and less dramatically chewy than the chilled version.
Conclusion
These Oatmeal Cookies are the humble and completely extraordinary classic that outshines every more elaborate cookie on the tin every single time through the sheer force of the most perfectly executed combination of soft, chewy, hearty, warmly spiced, and deeply satisfying qualities in every single bite. We hope they bring the same quietly spectacular classic cookie joy and the same completely satisfied gathering to your kitchen that they have always brought to ours. Make them, share them, and come back to tell us all about it. With all our love, Maria, Lucia, and Teresa
Print
Oatmeal Cookies The Most Soft and Chewy Bakery Style Classic You Will Ever Bake
- Total Time: 1 hour including chilling
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The most soft and chewy bakery style Oatmeal Cookies made with unsalted butter brown and granulated sugar eggs vanilla old-fashioned oats cinnamon and the secret ingredient cornstarch for extraordinary softness chilled 30 minutes before baking until the edges are golden and the centers just set. A completely perfect and reliable classic oatmeal cookie recipe.
Ingredients
1 cup 226g Unsalted Butter softened
1 cup 200g Light Brown Sugar firmly packed
1/2 cup 100g Granulated Sugar
2 large Eggs room temperature
1 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 3/4 cup 215g All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp Cornstarch
1 tsp Baking Soda
3/4 tsp Salt
3/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
3 cups 285g Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 1/2 cups Chocolate Chips Chopped Nuts or Raisins optional
Instructions
1. Beat softened butter in stand mixer 30 seconds until smooth.
2. Add packed brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat until light fluffy and increased in volume. Scrape bowl.
3. Add eggs one at a time beating between each. Stir in vanilla.
4. Whisk flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in separate bowl.
5. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture. Stir until completely combined.
6. Gradually stir in oats until combined.
7. Stir in optional mix-ins if using.
8. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.
9. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment.
10. Drop rounded 2-tbsp balls 2 inches apart. Optionally roll smooth between palms.
11. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until edges slightly browned. Centers may look underdone.
12. Cool completely on cookie sheet before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 13g
- Sodium: 138mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 27g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 37mg
Keywords: oatmeal cookies, soft chewy oatmeal cookies recipe, bakery style oatmeal cookies with cornstarch, best classic oatmeal cookie recipe
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