Classic Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe for classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookies is simply the best. Soft and chewy, it is a tried-and-true favorite!
There is truly nothing better any given day than a warm oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.
The hearty chewiness of this classic cookie makes regular chocolate chip cookies look, well, positively wimpy.
A Tried-and-True Recipe
After over a decade, these are still one of the cookie recipes I make the most (I almost always have them baked and ready to go in the freezer).
They really are the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies ever. Soft and chewy, loaded with chocolate chips (i.e. no raisins in sight…nope, not for me!), and perfectly puffy.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
The dough for these cookie is super straightforward (and kind of irresistible):
- butter
- brown sugar + granulated sugar
- eggs + vanilla
- basic dry ingredients (oatmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt)
- chocolate chips
You can use either old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats for the cookies.
Pro Tip: for the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookie texture, use both old-fashioned rolled oats AND quick oats!
Freezable Cookies
I almost always have these cookie waiting in the freezer for just the right craving or moment.
The cookies can be baked, cooled and frozen.
OR, you can freeze the cookie dough balls and bake from frozen.
To bake from frozen, place the cookie dough balls a couple inches apart on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 12-13 minutes (adding time as needed).
Rave Reviews
I’m not the only one completely head over heels for these cookies.
Kat writes: Mel. These cookies are perfection. Perfection! One bite, and I threw away my family favorite recipe. Seriously. No regrets. They are soft and delicious even the next day. Did I mention they are perfect? This is now the standard, and I doubt it will ever be topped. I can’t think of anything I’d change to make it better. Texture, flavor, saltiness, sweetness, chocolate to cookie ratio, you absolutely nailed it! Thank you Mel!!
Katie B. commented: I have made these several times over the last few months and I absolutely love them!! A perfect cookie in my opinion! Thanks for a great go-to recipe everyone loves!
Leia says: I loved the texture of these cookies and of course the flavor was amazing, even a few days later!
Classic Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (212 g) packed light brown sugar (see note)
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar (see note)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups (250 g) old-fashioned rolled oats (see note)
- 2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips or chocolate chunks (butterscotch chips are delicious, too)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, silicone liners or lightly grease with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until creamy and well-combined, 1-2 minutes. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt and mix well. Add flour, oatmeal and chocolate chips. Mix until no dry streaks remain (don’t go crazy; just mix until evenly combined).
- Scoop the cookies into balls (about 2 tablespoons each) and place a couple inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Recipe originally posted August 2009; updated with new photos, recipe notes, commentary.
I love this recipe, the cookies are delicious. I made them the first time without the white sugar (just used 1 c brown) and I loved them this way. The less-sweet version helped me recognize the other delicious flavors. I made this again tonight but used the toffee chips, toasted hazelnuts, and white and dark chocolate chips like your chocolate chip hazelnut cookie recipe and they were delicious. Your recipes are always delicious. Thank you for helping me be more successful in the kitchen. It makes my whole family happier!
Love these cookies. I added a teaspoon of cinnamon for a little more flavor, amazing…
Made these last week and they were delicously amazing! Been reading your blog for years and now am kicking myself for waiting so long to make these! 🙂 Even my oatmeal hating sons gobbled them up!
These are so good!!
Thank you for posting this to FB recently! It was perfect timing. I decided to make them for teacher gifts and packaged them up in clear containers with a free printable that said “I’m one smart cookie thanks to you!”. The cookies were ridiculously good and I cannot wait to make them again… next time a batch with butterscotch chips. And maybe a batch with cinnamon and chocolate chips.
I just made these last night, for the 10th time at least. They are a no fail cookie!
Thank you, these were the 1st good Chcolate chip cookies I have made!!!
This recipe is delicious! I added one cup less oats and chocolate chips and added more flour, and they were perfect!
Mel!
This recipe is almost identical to my great-great grandmothers and its our favorite one! Sometimes I make it with 1 tsp of cinnamon and no chocolate, the cookie has such a great base it shines on its own.
I myself made these twice in one week… and its just me and my husband! Oh dear.
These were easy to make and really yummy. Thank you.
(Loving being on your email list)
I made these last night and used 1 c chocolate chips and 1 c butterscotch chips and they were fabulous. I am going to freeze most of the batch so I don’t eat them all. Let me tell you, this morning they were perfect with my cup of coffee! Thanks again Mel. I LOVE THIS BLOG! 🙂
I made this last night. I did a couple of minor changes, used half cup of butter and half cup of canola oil; put 1+ cup of oats and 1+cup of choc chips; and 3/4 cup each of brown and white sugar. The cookies came out perfectly! Right amount of chewyness and right amount of thickness. My 2 cookie monsters at home were in heaven!!! Thanks Mel.
These were really good. REALLY good! I’ve made many variations of oatmeal cookies and these are a classic. Butter (in my humble opinion) is not optional. I used whole oats AND quick oats, skimped just a bit on the sugar and they were perfect. I have made 3 dozen to start and will put the rest of the dough in the fridge so we can have warm cookies later in the week. Perfect. Thanks Mel. I’ve used a number of your recipes in the past few weeks and you have helped make my meal prep more interesting and I always go to your site first. And your recipes have been 100% reliable – something I am impressed with and grateful for.
Ahhh! I made these cookies to take along on our quick, weekend camping trip. We ended up roasting marshmallows and sandwiching them between these cookies. HEAVEN!
Allison – I live at sea level so I don’t make adjustments for high altitude and I don’t dare give a lot of advice in that direction because I’m not an expert. However, I did live above 6,000 feet for several years and I made these cookies with no adaptations and they worked fine for me. If anything, I’ve heard to add a tablespoon or two extra flour to baked goods so you might try that. Good luck!
Do you have a recipe alteration for high altitude? I would love to find out. Thank you for sharing these!
I always add a small ‘pinch’ of Kosher Salt to the tops of cookies before I bake them.
I don’t know why…but, it really enhances the flavor.
By far…THE very best Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookie EVER!
We made these today as a cooler-day in June treat. They are awesome! I did half whole wheat flour and half white, and they turned out absolutely perfect! Nice and chewy, and not flat at all. My other favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookie has come out flat time and time again the past times I’ve made it, so I’ve been searching for another one. Thanks so much for a great recipe:)
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I made a trial run in preparation for my sister’s baby shower this weekend, and these are absolutely wonderful!!! I catch myself eating them every chance I get, my husband and daughter as well. The only thing I did different was add a little ground cinnamon, delicious.
Thanks again, truly appreciate you taking the time to post and more importantly listing under your best recipes. Super fantastic!!!
Mmmmm…..mmmmm…..mmmmmmm!!!
I used old fashioned oats and had to switch to a spatula to mix after adding the flour and oats. I dropped about a heaping Tbsp of dough an inch apart on a parchment line baking sheet.
These are REALLY good. They taste even better after a few days! Thanks again Mel for pointing us to a favorite of yours! It automatically becomes our favorite too!
I have made these several times now. They really are the best! What I love about all your recipes is that the ingrediants are mostly things I already have on hand, nothing too crazy most of the time! These really are the best. I have also made them with raisins and they were yummy.
I’m going to make these today – they look SO good! Thanks for these recipes! I am a new mom who is also new to cooking, and your website is helping me so much!
Karen – hope the cookies turned out! Yes, “oatmeal” just simply means oats.
ok, i am in the middle of making these right now and this might be a stupid question. in the ingredients list you say oatmeal; does that mean prepared oatmeal or just 2 3/4cups of oats, unprepared. I’ve just never seen a cookie recipe that says “oatmeal” if it just uses oats. thanks! by the time you read this i will probably have made them, hopefully the right way!
Update:
Although the stout was a great idea, my roommate and I couldn’t really taste it… maybe our pallets just arn’t refined enough. None-the-less, it was a great idea… maybe I will try to eliminate the vanilla flavor will allow the stout flavor to come through more.
My friend gave me this idea to add a beer stout to the cookies just prior to adding the eggs… I am excited to see how they turn out! Stay tuned for an update on the unique addition.
Note: I am reducing the beer from 12 ounces to about 3-4 to just have the flavor and cook out most of the alcohol. I am then putting it in an ice bath to cool just before adding it in with the eggs!
These are phenomenal! There is a joke in our family that I can make anything but cookies, as I have had so many failures no matter what oven I use! But I did just get a new oven and after his first bite, my husband’s eyes lit up and he said “THIS is what a cookie should be.” So congratulations – you have redeemed me with your recipe!! Thanks for another trustworthy recipe. I always know your recipes will be a success in our house!
Andrea – altitude can definitely make a difference with cookie and it sounds like you were able to remedy it with extra flour. Thanks for checking back into let others know!
ok, added another 1/2 cup of flour to what was left of the dough and the rest came out much better… so maybe 3/4 cup extra for the full batch, and next time I may even increase the bak soda a bit too. I’m @ 6200ft if that helps anyone.
I’m bummed bc this if the first recipe from your site that wasn’t a total hit. I used real butter, brand new baking soda, rolled oats, etc… mine came out flat as pancakes. Maybe the altitude?? everything else I’ve made from your site has been incredible, this just didn’t work for some reason.
I made these today and my husband said they were the best cookies I’ve ever made. I don’t mean to sound braggy, but I make some pretty good cookies, so his compliment is telling. Thanks for the recipe! Love your blog.
Chitra – the amount is two cups plus an additional 3/4 cup oatmeal.
How much oatmeal is needed…. Is it 2 x 3/4 cups or 2cups+3/4cup oatmeal? And also how many cookies does this recipe give? Thanks.
Talk about amazing! Mine came out just like potbelly as well! Must be a midwest thing 😉 I am not a fan of oatmeal choc chip cookies but these are delish. Just in time for the holidays! Good thing I had the ingredients in the pantry so I didn’t show up empty handed anywhere this holiday. I used salted butter and 100% whole grain rolled oats. Yum
Mel, I love these cookies! They are easy to make, and the dough freezes well. I think adding oatmeal to chocolate chip cookies really gives them more chew, texture and bumps up their nutritional value…Which is hard to do to a cookie. Thanks for creating this recipe and sharing it.
I came across this recipe looking for something similar to the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies they sell at Potbelly’s. While this is a yummy cookie, it’s not so much like Potbelly’s – FYI.
I made these this afternoon. Yum! Super quick too. Thanks for another winner Mel!
These are just too delicious. I also tried to make them adding mint choc chips and they were amazing like that too. Love them!
I made these last night! I don’t want to give them away OR eat them all!!! They are delicious! Can these baked cookies be frozen?
Birgitta – yes, I freeze these baked cookies everytime I make them. I usually put them in a freezer-safe ziploc bag or an airtight tupperware and freeze them. Then we take them out one-by-one as we want to eat them and give them a quick warm-through in the microwave for about 15 seconds or just leave them out on the counter for a few minutes. They freeze beautifully.
These are a ringer for the ones I used to bake was a child with my dear maternal grandmother. I guess it is one reason why if I am offered an oatmeal cc cookie or some other type, I always reach for the former.
I wonder if I subbed a cup of dried cranberries for one cup of cc would it prove good?
A friend of mine made some oatmeal cranberry cc cookies with walnuts too and they were so good, but when I asked for her recipe she refused.
Rosalee – yes, I definitely think you could sub dried cranberries in the recipe.
I know I have already commented on these cookies- but this is still my favorite recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and I have made them tons of times with different chip/cranberries combinations. Today I added 1/2 cup cocoa powder and used 1/4 cup less oats with 2 cups of white chocolate chips instead, and they are equally phenomenal. Thanks again for these wonderful cookies!
Kristen – I love the addition of cocoa powder and white chocolate. What an amazing combo!
I adore your site! I haven’t yet made something from you that I didn’t love. Thanks for all the effort you put into it.
I just had to say that you can, in fact, use country crock, margarine, or something similar, you just have to cut back on the amount you use. I usually just take the amount of butter called for and cut in half when I substitute country crock–this makes it so the cookies don’t run on the sheet. I did it with these cookies and they were perfectly delicious.
Thanks again!
Hi Nicole – thanks for your comment! I’m happy you loved these cookies – thanks for the tips on the substitution!
I have been looking for a good oatmeal cookie recipe and these were perfect. I used peanut butter M&Ms in place of the chocolate chips, yummy!
K so I also used old fashioned oats but used 3/4 cup of chocolate chips and the rest butterscotch chips. Can I say YUM! My new favorite 🙂
Maren – your changes sound delicious!
Just made these, and they are SOOO good!! Thanks for the recipe:)
Thanks, Tracey!
We loved these, I just put 1 1/2 cups of raisins and no chocolate chips and they were wonderful. Thanks
Tiffany – I just made these today, too! I love the idea of a classic oatmeal raisin cookie – yum!
Kristen – all this talk of Potbelly’s makes me wish I had one near me. I’m glad these cookies are up to par with their standard!
i LOVE potbelly’s oatmeal choc chip cookies- and I have now made this recipe 2x, and they are phenomenal– definitely taste like potbelly’s!!
L – thanks for your comment! I love the comparison between making the recipe “as is” and then making them with the changes for your mother and they both worked. Thank you so much for letting me know!