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You might seem skeptical but trust me this the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe. I have a perfect recipe for you that is a cinch to throw together because it uses melted butter. You can use quick oats or old fashioned- whichever you have on hand so the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that rival your local bakery.
A lot of time, I hear that one of the main reasons you don’t bake from scratch is because you can’t seem to get the right texture and taste that is the same as your local bakery. So why bother, right? I don’t believe that you need a culinary degree or own a bakery to have perfect cookies. No way. So if you have attempted homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in the past to find that lackluster, I promise you these cookies will change your mind.
These oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are big, soft, and perfectly chewy on the inside. Basically everything you crave in an oatmeal cookie.
It took me several attempts to get the texture of these cookies just right. But after about 4 batches, I finally got that soft, chewy texture I was going for.
Why You Are Going To Fall In Love With This Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Best Texture – These are soft, chewy, and have those wonderfully crisp edges.
- To Chill Or Not Too Chill – I like to chill, but I’ve made these without chilling and they are still fantastic. So chill for 24 hours if you can wait…but if you can’t (and I feel you) then by all means bake. Them. Now.
- Melted Butter – That means no creaming. No mixers. Just a simple recipe that results in fantastic cookies.
Ingredients for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
I based this oatmeal cookie recipe from my Ultimate Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe – so yes a lot of the ingredients are the same, with one big change. I think you know which ingredient I’m talking about!
- All purpose flour – I used all purpose flour for these cookies. I have used different flours for my cookies in the past. Like bread flour and cake flour in the New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe, but for this one I kept it simple. Because I know you have all purpose flour in your cupboard. It has a great mid range protein content so you get great structure and texture. For more baking science, you can read all about the Types Of Flours here.
- Baking soda – Baking soda is what helps to give these cookies a bit of a lift. Baking powder is not the same thing so don’t use it interchangeably. You can read more about baking powder vs. baking soda here.
- Salt – Of course every recipe needs a little salt to balance out the sweetness. I used table salt.
- Butter – I used unsalted butter in this cookie recipe. Different brands of butter will use varying amounts of salt in their salted butter so it’s better to use unsalted so you can control the amount of salt in the dough. And it’s made with melted butter so the dough comes together quickly.
- Sugars – I love using a combination of brown sugar and white sugar in all my cookie recipes. And I always love using more brown sugar than white sugar, so you get great flavor from the molasses in the brown sugar and chewiness.
- Eggs – Of course you need a couple large eggs to bring this dough together. Make sure that they are room temperature. Bring them to room temperature quickly by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes.
- Vanilla extract– Vanilla is always wonderful for flavor. Pure is best, but if all you have is imitation then by all means use it.
- Oats – You can use old fashioned or quick oats. I’ve used both. And both made GREAT cookies.
- Chocolate Chips – I like to use a combination of semi-sweet chocolate. Chunks, chips (both regular and small), chopped – it all works. But by combining some of these different types you really do get chocolate throughout the entire cookie. No bite is lacking. So use what you have, but mix it up if you got it!
How do you make these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies?
1. Combine dry ingredients.
2. Combine wet ingredients.
3. Combine wet and dry.
4. Add oats and chocolate chips.
5. Chill Your Dough.
Listen, if you want to bake them now I get it. But chilling your dough (even if it’s for 1 hour will help with less spreading and better flavor). I prefer to chill my dough for 24 hours.
Just simply cover your mixing bowl with plastic wrap or foil and pop in the fridge. The next day you may need to let it soften for 20-30 minutes before you can scoop it.
6. Scoop And Bake The Cookies.
7. Cool Your Cookies
I know the hardest part. Well maybe the chilling was if you did that step. But after a couple minutes, I move my cookies over to a cooling rack to continue to cool.
Then. Simply. Eat. Enjoy. Repeat.
Tips for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Measure your flour correctly. Be sure to measure your flour correctly, so the texture comes out right. If you over measure your flour, it can result in a cakier cookie. So it’s super important to be accurate during this step. Now, simply whisk your dry ingredients together and set aside!
- Chill the dough. This dough gets chilled for at least 24 hours (even up to 72 hours if you need to). Chilling the dough results in a nice thick and tall cookie that spreads less in the oven. Basically? Perfection. I actually tested a cookie straight from the bowl to see if it made a difference. The cookies that were chilled definitely spread less, but to be honest, even NOT chilled these were still THE BEST. Chilling my cookie is one way to keep my cookies from spreading too much.
- Use a large 2-inch cookie scoop and scoop giant balls of cookie dough. Why? Because bigger cookies are better than small ones? Ok, well yes they are. But, there is actually science behind it too. The larger cookie helps to give those perfect crispy edges and soft ooey, gooey, middle we all want. You could also measure out your cookie dough into 3 1/2 ounce balls of dough to ensure they are all the same perfect size. Who would be such a nerd and do such a thing? Oh wait, I did. Moving on…
For more cookie tips, read my 6 tips to bake perfect cookies
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe FAQ’s
Do I need to use chocolate chips?
Absolutely not! You can use substitute raisins for the chocolate chips or simply omit them altogether. Or get creative try using dried cranberries, or white chocolate chips.
Why did my cookies spread so much?
Cookie spreading is a bummer. There 8 reasons that I can think of why your cookies may have spread. If your cookies do spread in the oven, you can try this little trick I picked up from Sally’s Baking Addiction, which is to take them out of the oven and take a spoon and press the edges of the cookie inward.
Can I freeze these cookies?
Yes and you should. You can freeze them baked or unbaked.
To freeze unbaked: Scoop the cookies onto a cookie sheet, and freeze solid. Then place into a sealable plastic bag. You can bake frozen, without thawing, but add on a few extra minutes of baking time.
To freeze baked: Allow the cookies to cool completely. Then when ready to eat, allow to thaw. I like to pop them into the microwave for about 20 seconds to bring them back to ooey gooey life.
Here is a complete tutorial on How To Freeze Cookie Dough
Why do my cookies get hard?
This could be because you overbaked the cookies. If the dough is too warm (remember that chilling time!) then it could cause them too spread too much resulting in a cookie that gets too thin and gets too crispy and hard.
Your oven temperature may also be too high. I recommend using an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is running at the correct temperature. Be sure to give my Baking 101: Getting to know your oven post a read!
Do I need to chill my cookie dough?
You don’t necessarily need to. Your cookies will spread more if you don’t. You can see what happens if you don’t chill the dough in the picture below.
Chilling allows the butter to firm up, so they will spread less and intensifies the flavors of everything. It’s a game changer. I chilled my cookies for 24 hours for the perfect cookie.
The cookie on the left: No chilling
The cookie on the right: Chilled 24 hours
More cookie recipes:
- Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies
- Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
- Chocolate Rolo Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Salted Brown Butter Cookies
- Brown Butter Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- Double Chocolate Cookies
- Nutella Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies
- Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies
- No Chill Sugar Cookies
- Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies
To make these Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies you will need:
- Quality Cookies Sheets Like These Ones That Won’t Warp or Burn Your Cookies
- Oven Thermometer
- Silicone baking mat (or parchment paper)
- cooling rack
- cookie spatula
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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks, 226 g) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup (213 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (99 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (198 g) oats old fashioned or quick
- 2 cups (340 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine your flour, baking soda, and salt.. Whisk and set aside.
- Whisk together the melted butter and sugar until well combined. Add in your eggs and vanilla. Mix to combine.
- Combine wet and dry. Add in your dry ingredients, and mix to combine. Be careful to not overmix.
- Add oats and chocolate chips. Stir with a rubber spatula.
- Scoop and refrigerate dough. (Again this step is optional, but I prefer the texture better). Cover bowl and refrigerate for 24 hours (up to 72 hours). When ready to scoop, you may need to let the dough sit out for 20-30 minutes to soften before you can scoop.
- Bake. When ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place 6-8 large cookies (large cookie scoop- about 3 ounces or 1/4-cup), or 12 smaller cookies (small scoop, about 2 Tbs.) on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake on the middle rack for 18-20 minutes for large cookies, or 10-12 minutes for smaller cookies.
- Cool cookies. Allow cookies to cool 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring the cookies to cool on a cooling rack.
Notes
- Tools: Cookies Sheets | Oven Thermometer |Kitchen-Aid Mixer |Cookie Scoop | silicon baking mat | spatula | cooling rack | cookie spatula
- Make Ahead: Dough can be made and refrigerated for up to 72 hours. Just cover the bowl well, and when ready to bake allow the dough to sit out for a few minutes to soften so you can scoop.
- Freezing: You can also freeze the dough. Scoop the dough and freeze solid then transfer the cookie dough to a plastic bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, do not thaw, just bake as normal but add a few extra minutes of baking time.
- Measure your flour correctly. Be sure to measure your flour correctly, so the texture comes out right. If you over measure your flour, it can result in a cakier cookie. So it's super important to be accurate during this step. Now, simply whisk your dry ingredients together and set aside!
- Chill the dough. This dough gets chilled for at least 24 hours up to 72 hours. Chilling the dough results in a nice thick and tall cookie that spreads less in the oven. Basically? Perfection. I actually tested a cookie straight from the bowl to see if it made a difference. The cookies that were chilled definitely spread less, but to be honest, even NOT chilled these were still THE BEST. Do yourself a favor, and scoop the cookie dough first before refrigerating. Unless you have Herculian arms, you will have a heck of a time trying to scoop the dough after if it’s been chilled. Scoop, then chill. Chilling my cookie is one way to keep my cookies from spreading too much.
- Use a large 2-inch cookie scoop and scoop giant balls of cookie dough. Why? Because bigger cookies are better than small ones? Ok, well yes they are. But, there is actually science behind it too. The larger cookie helps to give those perfect crispy edges and soft ooey, gooey, middle we all want. You could also measure out your cookie dough into 3 1/2 ounce balls of dough to ensure they are all the same perfect size.
Emily Leishman says
So good! Perfectly chewy, and so much chocolate! A simple and iconic oatmeal chocolate chip cookie!
hperine@gmail.com says
Aw so glad you liked them Emily!
Ruth says
These cookies were so easy and delicious! I didn’t have chocolate chips on hand so I swapped in the same amount of raisins (soaked briefly in water and patted dry before using). They turned out wonderfully! The perfect amount of mix-ins and exactly the texture I look for in an oatmeal cookie. I’ll definitely be making these again and trying out the chocolate version, too!
hperine@gmail.com says
Aw I’m so glad you loved the cookies Ruth! Great tip on soaking the raisins first 🙂
Alex says
Fantastic recipe! I’m not a huge chocolate fan so I reduced the amount of chips by half and cooked for about 15 minutes, but they came out wonderfully.
hperine@gmail.com says
Aw I’m so glad you loved these Alex! Yes you can definitely use less chips (or raisins or whatever you want!) I love cranberries and white chocolate too!