The only oatmeal cookie recipe you will ever need! Soft and chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies loaded with oats and chocolate chips!
I’ll admit that oatmeal cookies are not usually high on my list of cookies. I usually prefer the traditional chocolate chip cookie, or peanut butter chocolate chip, or Nutella chocolate chip.
Do you see a pattern here?? I think we can agree chocolate chips make everything better.
But, the reason I generally stay away from oatmeal is the dreaded raisin.
You know what I’m talking about. You think you’re biting into a perfectly chewy and delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookie and then you bit into a raisin.
It’s the worst. WORST.
Clearly I am not a raisin fan, never have been, likely never will be. I don’t mind the flavor so much as the texture. Why ruin a perfectly good cookie with chewy, gummy raisins??
I know some of you will vehemently disagree with my raisin aversion and insist that it’s not a true oatmeal cookie without the chewy suckers, but that’s ok.
Thankfully these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies can be made with either raisins or chocolate chips and be just as delicious. Heck go crazy and add some nuts while you’re at it!
I’ve remixed these cookies a few times already with pecans and dried cranberries (NOT the same as raisins), caramelized apples, and turned them into cookie cups.
The Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
These oatmeal chocolate chip cookies here though… they’re delicious.
Like, SO. GOOD. Perfectly soft and chewy, just the right amount of oats (they are quite loaded with oats, but that’s how I like them) and chocolate with some sea salt thrown in for good measure.
Using sea salt in cookies is my favorite thing to do!! Just swap out regular salt in your cookie recipe for flakey sea salt and prepare to be amazed.
It adds such a delicious kick to cookies and those salty bites only help to enhance the sweetness.
If you like really soft and chewy cookies, make sure not to over-bake them!
They’re done when the edges are lightly browned and the center still looks very unset. They will continue to cook and firm up once you take them out of the oven.
I can’t go through this post and not talk about the bloom on my chocolate chips. It has been HOT and HUMID here and in a west-facing, no a/c apartment, it’s practically unavoidable.
You’ve likely noticed this on chocolate at some point in your life. White streaks of either fat or sugar caused by heat and/or moisture. If you were to eat a piece of chocolate like this, you’d notice it had more of a grainy texture to it.
Not ideal and definitely not aesthetically pleasing, but thankfully the bloom has no effect on the flavor or texture of the chocolate chips once baked.
They are perfectly ok to use!
How can I adapt these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Next time I make these oatmeal cookies I think I’ll pass on the cinnamon. I’ve discovered that I don’t particularly like the combo of chocolate and cinnamon so I’d skip it and maybe add some walnuts or pecans for more flavor/texture.
If you prefer raisins in your oatmeal cookies, feel free to swap out the chocolate chips. You may want to start with 1 cup of raisins though, or if you’re a raisin fiend, go for the full 2 cups!
If you’re looking for a go-to oatmeal cookie recipe, this one is for you!
Notes & tips for the perfect chewy oatmeal cookies:
- I used a small (2 tsp) cookie scoop for these.
- If you like really soft and chewy cookies, make sure not to over bake them! They’re done when the edges are lightly browned and the center still looks very unset.
- If you prefer raisins, feel free to swap out the chocolate chips — you may want to start with 1 cup of raisins though, and adjust to your liking.
- I use sea salt in all my cookies. It’s a great contrast with the sweetness of the cookie. Feel free to use regular salt if you don’t have sea salt handy.
- Chopped nuts can be added as well if you like. Customize to your heart’s content!
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon optional
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx. 3 minutes).
- Add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition, and beat on high for 1 minute. Add vanilla.
- Turn mixer to low and add flour mixture, mix until combined.
- Add oats and chocolate chips. Mix until just combined.
- Chill dough in the fridge for an hour (optional, but yields better results).
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat.
- Using a small cookie scoop, place cookies on baking sheet 2″ apart. I did 11 cookies per sheet.
- Bake for 10mins or until edges are lightly browned but center is still soft and unset.
- Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Originally published March 2016
melissa gruenhagen says
can you add nuts?
Olivia says
Hi Melissa! Yes, that should be fine. Just fold them in at the end.
Candace says
HI! Do you think this will be too dense with whole wheat AP flour? It’s all I have! Yikes
Olivia says
Hi Candace! I can’t say for sure as I’ve never tried it. I think for cookies they might be ok.
Miranda says
Hands down, the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. I’ve been using your recipe for years! I have tried other recipes and nothing compares!
Olivia says
Hi Miranda! Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback. I’m so happy you love these as much as I do 🙂
Niella says
My sons girlfriend is allergic to cinnamon and loves lots of oats this was perfect and came out delicious thanks for a great recipe!
Olivia says
So glad you liked them, Niella!
Diane says
These cookies turned out perfectly!! Opted for no raises, but used dark. Brown sugar instead of light brown. The BEST oatmeal cookies ever!! Thanks for a great recipe, and smart tips. If your cake recipes are as yummiest as these cookies I am subscribing!!
Olivia says
I am so happy you loved these, Diane!
Sharon says
I’m making another batch now. I took some in last week to my physical therapy appointment and three of the therapists came in back and told me y they were the best cookies they have ever had.
I’m going to add a few cranberries soaked in Grand Marier to a few of the cookies to try out.
Olivia says
Hi Sharon! So glad you liked these. I have a recipe for a cranberry version too! The grand marnier is a good call though!
Dany says
These are THE BEST ever oatmeal chocolate cookies I ever had (made).. making them today the second time and these will be “my secret” .. will make the peanut butter next..
Olivia says
Hi Dany! So glad you loved them 🙂
Gwen Baldwin says
Excellent recipe! I substituted the 2 cups of chocolate chips with:
1/2 c chocolate chips
1/2 c sweetened coconut flakes
1/2c caramel bits
1/2 c chopped walnuts
What great texture and taste. Thank you for sharing!
Olivia says
Hi Gwen! I’m so glad you loved it. I will have to try your combo as it sounds delish!
Trish says
Well…. My new favorite! So delicious 🍪
Olivia says
Glad to hear you loved them, Trish! 🙂
Michelle Foster says
I don’t usually comment on recipes, but this one is amazing!
I am with you 100% on the raisin aversion, hot raisins in an otherwise perfect cookie? Gross!!
I made these today and also left out the cinnamon. I added chopped macadamia nuts, dark chocolate chunks, milk chocolate chips and white chocolate chips! Perfection!
My new favorite cookie recipe!! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us!
Olivia says
Hi Michelle! Your version sounds SO delish. I’m going to have to try that combo. So glad you loved it!
Kaitlin says
I don’t normally comment, but my goodness this recipe is perfect! I froze half the dough and just made the other half tonight and they were just as good as before! Definitely a staple recipe!
Olivia says
I am so glad you love these, Kaitlin! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Amanda says
These turned out REALLY good! so soft and chewy !!!! lots of chocolate lol I didn’t even use as many chocolate chips as the recipe called for and they were still so chocolatey !!
Olivia says
Hi Amanda! So glad you loved them 🙂
Debbie Abbe says
These were great! I did not refrigerate and I used a medium scoop and baked for 12 minutes.
Olivia says
So glad you liked them, Debbie 🙂
Laurie says
This recipe is the very best. I will never use another Oatmeal cookie recipe. I like to use Raisinets so I get the best of both worlds. Thank you for your recipe.
Olivia says
Thanks so much Laurie! Raisinets is a genius addition.
Valerie says
Yummy cookies! My father in law asked me to make a batch for him. They are that good! I left out the cinnamon and had used what I had in my pantry, vegan chocolate chips and walnuts. This time I will use the recommended chocolate chips. Thank you for this awesome cookie!
Olivia says
Hi Valerie! Thanks for the wonderful feedback. I’m so happy you and your FIL love these 🙂
Sadie says
Just made them tonight and they were delicious! I love some oatmeal chocolate chip and these were great. Ate way too many!
Olivia says
Hi Sadie! I’m so happy you loved them. Thanks for the feedback!
Braden says
My cookies did not flatten at all due to the dough being cold and were incredibly salty.
Would not recommend
Olivia says
Hi Braden! It sounds like something went wrong when you were making them. If the cookie dough isn’t chilled they will spread too much. It sounds like maybe yours had too much flour and/or oats in them which caused them not to spread at all. I always recommend spooning flour into the cup and leveling it off rather than using the cup to scoop it. The latter can add too much flour to a recipe which could lead to what you saw here. As for the salt, any chance you used 1 Tbsp instead of 1 tsp? One teaspoon of salt is common in most cookie recipes and helps enhance the flavour. They should not actually taste salty though. I hope these troubleshooting tips helped and that you give them another try. They really are delicious cookies as many of my readers can attest to!
Dana says
Also using unsalted butter at room temp and eggs at room temp is key as well.
Thanks for the tips and the cookies were absolutely delish! Will make again and again!
Olivia says
Great texture, but all I taste is cinnamon. I will definitely leave that out next time.
Olivia says
Hi Olivia! Glad you liked them. I prefer them without cinnamon myself too 🙂
Lorraine says
Very delicious!!
Olivia says
So glad you liked them!
Kim says
Best recipe ever. Been using what was on the back and decided to use this. Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Kim! So happy to hear you loved it.