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.
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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.
This was an amazing dessert to make and tasted great 👍🏽
Thanks you and glad it was amazing!
Best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Favorite go to recipe!
Best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Favorite go to recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this is your favorite recipe and they turn out the best for you!
So good! I am new at baking and are on the hunt for recipes to my favorites baked goods. I was looking to recreate Potbelly’s Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies and came across this recipe after another reviewer had mentioned they were pretty close to taste. And I have to agree! On top of that, it really is the perfect balance of chocolate chips and oatmeal. Only thing I will do differently next time is add only 1/4 of cinnamon. I love cinnamon but decided it 1/2, is too much for me. I couldn’t wait 2 hours for it to chill, so I left them in the refrigerator for an hour and switched to the freezer for about 10 minutes and they were perfectly firm. They cooked perfectly in 11 mins.
So yummy. Don’t hesitate, do them!
So good! I am new at baking and are on the hunt for recipes to my favorites baked goods. I was looking to recreate Potbelly’s Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies and came across this recipe after another reviewer had mentioned they were pretty close to taste. And I have to agree! On top of that, it really is the perfect balance of chocolate chips and oatmeal. Only thing I will do differently next time is add only 1/4 of cinnamon. I love cinnamon but decided it 1/2, is too much for me. I couldn’t wait 2 hours for it to chill, so I left them in the refrigerator for an hour and switched to the freezer for about 10 minutes and they were perfectly firm. They cooked perfectly in 11 mins.
So yummy. Don’t hesitate, do them!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these are close to what you were trying to recreate!
These are the only oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I make now! They’re always SO good!! I would love this same recipe without the oatmeal (my 7 yr old daughter doesn’t like it). Would it work to just omit the oatmeal or would I need to add something to compensate for it? Thanks!!
These are the only oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I make now! They’re always SO good!! I would love this same recipe without the oatmeal (my 7 yr old daughter doesn’t like it). Would it work to just omit the oatmeal or would I need to add something to compensate for it? Thanks!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these are the only oatmeal cookies you make now!
You’d have to add extra flour. Try reducing the oats though to just 1/2 cup and see if she can deal with that. I suspect you’d have to then add about 1 1/2 cups of flour but add it slowly and see how the dough looks. Otherwise you’re then just essentially making choc chip cookies of which I have a ton of versions and varieties! https://www.averiecooks.com/tag/chocolate-chip-cookies/
I made these cookies today and they turned out amazing!! While the cookie dough was chilling, I realized I forgot to put in baking soda. I put it all back in the bowl, added it, reformed them and all was well. I plan on making these a staple in the home. I didn’t have a big cookie scoop, so I used a 1/4 cup. I got 13 cookies out of the dough.
If I want to use my regular sized cookie scoop for this recipe, would I have adjust the cooking time for them?
I made these cookies today and they turned out amazing!! While the cookie dough was chilling, I realized I forgot to put in baking soda. I put it all back in the bowl, added it, reformed them and all was well. I plan on making these a staple in the home. I didn’t have a big cookie scoop, so I used a 1/4 cup. I got 13 cookies out of the dough.
If I want to use my regular sized cookie scoop for this recipe, would I have adjust the cooking time for them?
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they turned out amazing even with the baking soda oversight initially.
Yes baking time is size dependent. For smaller cookies usually 8-ish minutes is enough but it really depends on the size and the dough. Just keep an eye on them and bake until done.
I love this recipe! I know it calls to refrigerate the dough prior to baking, however, I’ve used it twice without and they’ve turned out great! Thinner and chewier🥰
I love this recipe! I know it calls to refrigerate the dough prior to baking, however, I’ve used it twice without and they’ve turned out great! Thinner and chewier🥰
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they’ve turned out great for you without chilling the dough.
Question. What will substituting mini choc chips do to the recipe for the oatmeal choc chip cookies.
Will be fine. You will just have a different concentration of chocolate but overall will be just fine.
These cookies are great (definitely a favorite) and quite easy to make. I’ve been making them once a week for a while now. They are pretty sticky so it took a few try to figure out best way to scoop and roll. I like adding some dried cranberries. One day I ate three of them. They are that tasty!
These cookies are great (definitely a favorite) and quite easy to make. I’ve been making them once a week for a while now. They are pretty sticky so it took a few try to figure out best way to scoop and roll. I like adding some dried cranberries. One day I ate three of them. They are that tasty!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you have been enjoying them! If the dough is overly sticky, add another 1-3 tbsp of flour, that will reduce the stickyness right away.
Awesome cookies? Sweet and easy!
Pat C.
Awesome! Sweet, chewy, chocolate chippy and easy!
Kudos for making baking so accessible to your avid followers!
Pat C.
Thanks for the five star review and glad they were awesome!