Best Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Meet your new go-to oatmeal cookie recipe: just the right texture, that nostalgic flavor you love, and a dough that’s easy to whip up whenever the craving hits. A must-bake for any cookie lover!
I love discovering end-all-be-all recipes for classic American desserts (see also my favorite chocolate chip cookies and make-on-repeat brownie recipe). You bakers out there know that it can take many attempts to get it just right, but once you find that perfect recipe, it’s your go-to forever. This isn’t your average oatmeal cookie recipe—it uses way fewer oats than most, which, surprisingly, makes for much better oatmeal cookies.
I also opt for using all brown sugar instead of granulated sugar or a combination of the two. This gives the cookies a rich flavor, a slightly crisp exterior, and a perfectly chewy center.
Like chocolate chips in your oatmeal cookies? I’ve got you covered—my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are always a hit.
“Golden brown, crispy, chewy perfection! This is now my forever recipe. I can’t wait to try different mix-ins!”
What You’ll Need To Make The Best Oatmeal Cookies
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats: Give the cookies their signature chewy texture and toasty oat flavor. Stick with rolled oats—quick-cooking oats won’t give you the same hearty texture.
- All-Purpose Flour: Adds structure to the dough so the cookies hold their shape. For best results, scoop it into your measuring cup with a spoon and level it off with a knife.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Work together to help the cookies rise.
- Unsalted Butter: Brings richness and moisture, plus that classic buttery flavor we all love in a good cookie.
- Dark Brown Sugar: Adds deep, molasses-like sweetness and helps keep the cookies soft. Be sure to pack it tightly when measuring.
- Egg: Holds everything together and gives the cookies a bit of lift.
- Vanilla Extract: Rounds out the flavors with warm, sweet notes.
- Coarsely Chopped Pecans: Add a nutty crunch and buttery flavor. You can swap in walnuts or skip the nuts altogether if you prefer.
- Raisins or Currants: Bring natural sweetness and chewiness. Other dried fruits like cranberries or chopped apricots work great, too. Pro Tip: If your dried fruit is overly dry or firm, you can soak it in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain well—this keeps it soft and plump in the cookies.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
Step 2: Cream the butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer and large mixing bowl), combine the butter and brown sugar. Butter that’s just a touch cooler than room temperature blends more easily and helps achieve a uniform creamy texture—if it’s too cold, the mixture may be clumpy.
Step 3: Beat until creamy. Mix on medium speed until the mixture looks creamy and light, about 3 minutes. Aim for a pale, fluffy mixture.
Step 4: Add the egg and vanilla. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Step 5: Add the dry mixture. Add the flour and oat mixture to the bowl and mix on low speed until just combined. Overmixing at this stage can make the cookies tough—stop as soon as the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Step 6: Stir in the mix-ins. Add the pecans and raisins and mix just until evenly distributed—don’t overdo it.
Step 7: Portion the dough. Drop the cookie dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets in 1½-tablespoon mounds, spacing them a couple of inches apart. It’s not necessary, but if you have a cookie scoop, use it to make easy work of portioning out the dough.
Step 8: Bake and cool. Bake at 350°F for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are golden but the centers are still pale. Be careful not to overcook oatmeal cookies; they get very crispy if baked too long, and you’ll enjoy them so much more if they are slightly chewy. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then slide the parchment onto wire racks or use a spatula to transfer the cookies. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
You May Also Like
Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (do not use quick cooking or instant oats)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
- 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup coarsely chopped pecans
- ¾ cup raisins or currants
Instructions
- Position two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then add the egg and vanilla and beat again until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Add the flour and oatmeal mixture and mix on low speed until just combined; add the pecans and raisins and mix again until just combined. Do not over-mix.
- Drop the dough into 1½-tablespoon mounds about 2 inches (5 cm) apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, or until the edges are slightly golden but the centers are still pale. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then either slide the papers off the pans onto cooling racks or transfer the cookies with a spatula. Once cool, store the cookies in an air-tight container.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
These cookies are so yummyyy
Once I had an oatmeal cookie that had honey in the recipe, and I LOVED that additional flavor to an already great oatmeal cookie recipe. I would like to add honey to this recipe, can I?
Hi Martha, You could replace 1/4 of the brown sugar here with an equal amount of honey. I’d love to hear how they turn out with this tweak!
These are the best oatmeal raisin cookies I have ever had. The pecans and brown sugar give them extra flavor. The are the perfect texture and taste of an oatmeal cookie. Crunchy but soft . I made mine smaller and they turned out very well. Thanks Jen for all of your great recipes!
Dear Jenn,
Hello…I dont have any baking powder, can I omit it, or can you suggest a substitution I might try? Also, may I use walnuts and should I toast them?
Hi Tom, I wouldn’t leave the baking powder out. Here are some suggestions for substitutes. Sure, you can use walnuts; and toasting them first would help to bring out the flavor.
Excellent cookie judging by the smile on my husband’s face!
I toasted almonds instead of pecans and result was delicious.
I did refrigerate for one hour( see King Arthur flour site about “chilling cookie dough”) and used a 1 5/8″ cookie scoop, leveled. Made 24 cookies and they are
perfect!
Thank you.
I’m looking for the perfect oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. Could I just sub the raisins for chocolate chips on this recipe? I would still keep the pecans. If so, would cooking times be the same? If not, please add an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie to your recipes!
Hi Nancy, you can add chocolate chips in place of (or in addition to) to the raisins. No change in baking time is needed. Enjoy!
Thought I would let you know that I tried making these, replacing the raisins with chocolate chips but keeping everything else the same and they were AMAZING. My search of the perfect oatmeal chocolate chip cookies is over (and the pecans just took it over the top)! I took these to work and these were gone in a second.
So glad you enjoyed them (and that your search is over)!
Jenn, going to make these tomorrow mornng…would a little nutmeg enhance the flavor? If so, what amount would you suggest? Thanks, Carol
Sure Carol, I think nutmeg would be a nice additon. I’d probably start with about 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Hi Jenn
Made your recipe today, so deish. Cookies so moist. Another winner. Will definitely make these cookies again. It’s so nice to make cookies that are so enjoyable to eat.
Pam, the confident baker again ?
So delish! Your recipes are always guaranteed to be winners! I omitted the salt because I only had salted butter. I also used dried cranberries in place of raisins and added white chocolate chips.
I’ve eaten 3 already….
I just made these cookies yesterday and my family loves them! I am storing them in a tin. They mentioned today that the cookies were “hard” but still delicious. Do you think I overcooked them? I have never made such a “large” cookie before…
Hi Wendy, Try cooking them 1-2 minutes less next time and they will stay soft longer. For this batch, you can quickly warm the “hard” cookies in the microwave right before eating and they’ll soften up.