Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies
These thin and crispy oatmeal cookies are absolute perfection! Crispy, buttery, and completely addictive – I dare you to eat just one!
I am a soft and chewy cookie fan all the way, but there is something about these thin and crispy oatmeal cookies that is absolutely irresistible.
They are so classic and so delicious!
Key to a Crispy Cookie
The cookie dough for these oatmeal cookies is very straightforward. Nothing fancy about it!
The reason the cookies end up being thin and crispy instead of soft and chewy are due to a couple of reasons:
- higher butter to flour (and eggs) ratio
- more granulated sugar, less brown sugar
- old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick oats
- slightly longer baking time (don’t underbake!)
The dough can be mixed in a stand mixer or in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer.
The key is to not over mix the dough once the dry ingredients are added.
Old-fashioned Oats vs Quick Oats
The recipe for these thin and crispy oatmeal cookies calls for old-fashioned rolled oats.
Subbing in quick oats will change the texture and outcome of the cookies. They’ll likely be thicker and puffier instead of thin and crispy. (It also doesn’t work to sub in steel cut oats.)
It’s important to use old-fashioned rolled oats for the best outcome!
A Tried-and-True Favorite
It goes without saying that these delightful oatmeal cookies are delicious dipped in a glass of cold milk. YUM!
This recipe has over 1,000 5-star reviews for a reason! So many of you have fallen in love with them, too.
Grace says: This is my all time favorite recipe I’ve used for years, after trying this you won’t be able to go back to any other oatmeal cookie recipe and all other oatmeal cookies will taste inferior. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
MM says: Amazing cookies! I’m afraid to make them again because I ate 18 cookies in 4 days. They’d be good with chocolate chips in them too. Maybe I’ll try it when I get better at sharing… ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sara says: OK. I didn’t think these would be as good as they are. I’ve had oodles and oodles of oatmeal cookies and these are now our favorite. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Linda says: These are wonderful..Buttery, chewy and crisp. I’m eating them with a glass of cold milk. I baked them 16 min. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
FAQs for Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies
Yes, the dough freezes great!
I use salted butter.
I usually store them in a covered container but if you want them to stay extra crispy, you can try storing them uncovered.
In this recipe, you definitely want to use old-fashioned rolled oats. If not, the cookies won’t spread the same and the texture could be completely off.
Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 14 tablespoons (198 g) butter (I use salted), softened but still slightly cool
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (53 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups (250 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl (of a stand mixer or with a handheld electric mixer), beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together until just combined, about 20 seconds. Increase the mixer speed to medium and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute longer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low until well mixed, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add the flour mixture and mix until barely incorporated, 10-20 seconds. It's ok if there are a few dry spots.
- Gradually add the oats and mix until well-combined, about 30 seconds to 1 minutes. If needed, give the dough a final stir with a wooden spoon to ensure that no flour pockets remain and that the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Scoop out about 2 tablespoon-sized mounds of dough and roll them to form balls. Place the cookies about 2 1/2-inches apart on the baking sheet(s) – about 8 cookies per sheet. They will spread quite a bit. Lightly press each cookie to about 3/4-inch thickness (I found after baking one sheet of these that I didn’t need to press them at all so use your best cookie judgment).
- Bake 1 sheet of cookies at a time until the cookies are golden brown, edges are crisp, and centers are still very slightly soft, 13 to 16 minutes. Cooling the cookies completely on the baking sheet will yield crispier, more perfect cookies.
Notes
Recipe Source: adapted ever so slightly from The Cook’s Country Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen (used salted butter instead of unsalted)
Recipe originally published June 2013; updated November 2022 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.
I made these today and they are absolutely easy, simple, and most importantly a perfect cookie. How could anyone not love these?! I used King Arthur “white” whole wheat flour. Thanks for the recipe!
Made these this evening subbing about 1/2 a cup of coconut flakes for some of the oatmeal, and 6 tablespoons of the butter for coconut oil. They are not crunchy this way except for the edges, but BOY are they GOOD!!
I made these cookies for the first time today. The ingredient list is so simple and the cookies are very tasty.
Now, I’m the absolute worst when it comes to raw oatmeal cookie dough—im surprised any cookies make it into the oven at all! but alas, I have to ask, how many calories do these have? Thanks!
Made these for a friend who just had a baby and who loves crunchy cookies. I dislike crunchy cookies, but these were so good that I hated to give them away. Like some others I reduced the sugar quite a bit. Next time I will also cut the salt a little. I undercooked the first batch and they were delectably chewy. I loved them that way, but in case anyone else makes this mistake, I put them in the oven for another 3 minutes (for my crunchy loving friend’s sake) and even after they’d fully cooled this crisped them up beautifully. Really tasty crispy or chewy!
hey these look so delicious but can you substitute the egg with applesauce?
You could try but I can’t guarantee the results.
I would love to try these cookies, but sadly I am very allergic to eggs. Is it possible to just leave out the eggs or can I use egg substitute?
I haven’t tried leaving out the eggs or using an egg substitute in these cookies, Sonia, so you’ll have to experiment. Good luck!
Very crispy! I was looking for oatmeal crispy cookies and your site was in the first page of the search. I decided to give it a try using a batch of homemade granola that I made last week and my kids were not eating it even if for me tasted good with orange zest, coconut, pumking and sunflower seeds. Your recipe turn out very good, I will keep it. Also I will see tomorrow if the kids will eat them, for today I have to make sure the product is still holding on and is good… There goes cookie number 5 for me!
I made these today! They r very good. I was surprised because its hard too find a good oatmeal cookie. Thank you!
Don’t know if you’re still checking on your blog but wanted to say that these cookies ROCK!!! I am with the minority; never liked soft cookies and these really hit the spot. Your recipe made it all the way to Rio, Brasil and the family is delighted with them. Just a pointer for other cooks who also live in uber humid places: once cooled, they have to go IMMEDIATELY to a well-sealed contained otherwise, they do get soft very quickly. I inadvertedly left one on the counter while talking on the phone and they were NOT crispy any more. Again, thank you so much for sharing 🙂
I made these over the holiday weekend with my 2 year old daughter. They were amazing! I made a half batch because I knew I couldn’t be trusted with 2 dozen. I had to give away the leftovers and my daughter has been asking where her cookies went. One recipient told me, “I don’t like oatmeal cookies, but I love these cookies.” Thanks for another great recipe.
I’m going to try these even though I have no idea what quantity a stick of butter is. Ours is sold in one solid block.
Super love d cookies . Thanku so much . They always come out nice n crisp
These came out perfect. My husband only likes crunchy oatmeal cookies so he loved them.
I have made this recipe a million times! Definitely a family favorite. Doesn’t disappoint, thank you 🙂
I have made these several times and I love them. I made when I was breastfeeding my son as an excuse to have my extra calories (don’t like being too skinny) and to encourage lactation. Everyone was skeptical about crunchy cookies, but not anymore! These were an amazing hit! Now I am making these again for the holidays, I can’t wait! 🙂
I love your website and I love a crispy crunchy cookie and your recipe sounded wonderful but when I pulled them out of the oven they were so spread out and paper thin, not like your photos at all. I followed the recipe to a T. What could I have done differently? Help! 🙂
Not sure, Carol – it’s hard to know since I wasn’t there when you made them. Do you think your butter might have been too soft/melty? How do you measure your flour? Everyone measures a bit differently and because of that, you might need a few tablespoons extra flour. Sorry they didn’t work out for you!
Hi Mell it’s me again. I also wanted to let you and other new and experienced bakers know I have been baking since I was very young, I started at about 8 or 9 yrs. old and have never used unsalted butter in my baking. It did not seem to affect the texture or taste of anything I baked. This is just an FYI
Hello Mel, I made crispy oatmeal cookies about 10 years ago for the 1st time and just loved them and I’m not an oatmeal cookie fan at all. I learned to make oatmeal cookies because they are my husbands and was my fathers favorite cookie. As I said I had never made thin crispy oatmeal cookies until then, someone had given me a recipe so I decided to try it and everyone fell in love with them. I had a neighbor who’s had hated oatmeal cookies no matter how his mother made them. I convinced him to try these and he loved them. He did not want his mother to be upset so he would sneak over to my house and scarf a couple at a time. His mother did find out and asked me for the recipe. I was not able to give her the recipe because I lost the recipe the same day I made the cookies and was never able to find it again. Now thanks to you I have it again. Thank you so much. Now I’m really ready for the holidays. Thanksgiving is in about 2 weeks and this is one thing I don’t have to think about. Happy Thanksgiving
I just want to Thank You for the crispy oatmeal cookie recipe. I have made them several times since I found your site. I am so impressed as to how each time I make them, they always come out perfect. I have been searching for a good oatmeal cookie recipe for months without success until I saw your site. My husband says they are the best cookies he has ever eaten. I did make a little change to the recipe, I used organic salted butter and baked them for 14 min. Perfection.
WOW……
I made these and took two dozen to work to share. Everyone wanted the recipe. I sort of took more credit than I deserved by telling my co-workers “of course it’s my recipe”…….
I added the hickory nuts!
Wow, I just made these, and they were DE-LICIOUS!!!! We love raisins around here, so I added a cup of raisins…I didn’t adjust the recipe, just added them. They came out perfect. The two tablespoon measurement was right on…I stacked them in a glass container and they looked amazing, of course, they didn’t last long enough for me to even take a picture…next time. Thanks so much for the recipe…it’s a keeper!!!
Thanks for the great recipe, I am a coconut fan so added half a cup of unsweetened in place of half of oats….result was delicious!!! Similar taste to my favourite ANZAC biscuits my Nana makes.
I have to say I’m completely opposite. I LOVE crispy, crunchy cookies and will not eat a soft cookie. If I see a cookie in the store that I think looks good, I bring the package home, remove the cookies and BAKE THEM. Yes, that’s right; it’s not done if it soft or gooey. That’s my opinion. When I make cookies from a recipe, I look for a cookie with “crispy” or “crunchy” in the title. All other cookies are really cake in my opinion… itty bitty mini cakes. I make cakes and cookies, not cakes and mini cakes.
I loved the cookies and texture was buttery and crispy. I did use unsalted butter because my husband has high blood pressure, but used the suggested recipe amount for the salt. I did not find them in any way less tasty, but I also added Craisins and nuts. I will make these over and over again. Thank you!
Dear Mel,
I have been making these for lunches for several months. They are everyone’s favorite!
Sometimes I do add a handful of chopped pecans. That is great too. I never thought I would enjoy oatmeal cookies so much. Thanks. Melanie w.
I recently made your chocolate chip cookie recipe which was the BEST cookie recipe. In that recipe you called for “melted” butter. In this oatmeal cookie, should I melt the better or just use “softened” butter.
Denise – Just softened for this recipe.
hello mel! your cookies look and sound amazing! as well as all your other recipes 🙂 im gonna try this recipe tomorrow, but I was just wondering are these cookies are really sweet? cos im baking these for my dad, and he can’t take really sweet stuff 🙁
Hi Ashley – I think they are perfectly sweet but everyone’s sweetness level kind of differs so all I can suggest is to make them according to the recipe and see how you like them and possibly tweak for next time. Good luck!
okay then 🙂 thank you so much! cant wait to make them 🙂
This is great! Many thanks to uuuuu!! I sub of 1 cup chopped almond and a tbsp coco powder for half cup oatmeal.. its really crispy and chewy at the same time!! Its divine!! I baked ard 30mins 175C conventional oven and get really crispy cookie.. also tried reduce 2 mins and its a more chewy texture.. its definitely a keeper!!
Just made these…didn’t change a thing except added toasted pecans…MS. MEL YOU ARE SPOT ON!!!! DELISH….
These are the bomb! They came out just as described (how often does that happen?) WONDERFUL! Thanks SO much. Great blog too.
These seem similar to Oatmeal Scotchies, minus the butterscotch chips. What about adding some raisins? I’ll definitely try making them this week!
I couldn’t find my original recipe. It’s delicious. I used 1/2 butter and 1/2 margarine something like that because so it won’t turn brown when baking in the oven. Thank you for sharing it. 🙂
I have been searching for the perfect oatmeal cookie recipe for my husband, who had surgery recently & is having problems eating most foods. He wanted a yumny, crisp cookie & I have made several from scratch recipes. My search is over! He loves this cookie (so do I). I added two kinds of raisins and a cup of coconut. Made this recipe two days ago; and making a double batch of cookie dough to keep in the fridge. Delicious!
I’m so happy to hear that, Lora! I hope your husband has a speedy recovery!
Thanks so much Mel for your kind comment. At this very moment I’m baking a double batch of your cookies. I bake a lot; everything from scratch as they say in the South. My husband has wanted a crispy cookie for quite awhile; I’m so glad that I won’t need to try other recipes. He’s recuperating & very happy to have his favorite cookies. Me too!
Thanks for this truly delicious recipe. Husband has recuperated, thank you! I’ve made this fabulous recipe umpteen times since May; my husband and family are just not satisfied with any other kind – including a chocolate chip cookie I’ve made for years that used to be their favorite! Getting ready to make a double batch today; perhaps I will get a short reprieve of my family requesting them . . . . . . again! Best to you, Mel!
Those cookies are PERFECT! They might even be my favorite cookies, I think only homemade Oreos can compete.
I already made them 2 times and this weekend I’ll bake another batch , I’m reallly looking forward to them! Sp yummy 😀
Oh and they can be stored for ages…. i put one in an airthight cookie container in december, forgot all about it and when i rediscovered it last month it still was perfectly good and delicoius 😀
Just made a batch of these PERFECTO! The texture is great and the amount of crispiness is perfect. The next batch I may add some cinnamon to. I love crunchy cookies and this recipe fills the bill. Thanks so much for sharing.
OMG! These cookies are the quintessential oatmeal cookie! I get 33 cookies from your recipe and my husband and I eat them within a week. In light of the fact that we are both very health conscious eating roughly 33 cookies per week, less a few here and there if my son visits, Is probably not a good thing. I need to tweak the amount of butter or find a substitute. I read that coconut oil is a good substitute and it is supposedly healthier than butter so maybe I’ll try that but the fat content is almost the same. Do you have any suggestions? I truly love the cookies just as they are but at this rate I’ll have to run 10 miles a day just to maintain my healthy weight…thank you. ;o)
Lucille – I am so glad you like the cookies. I haven’t tested a lower butter or lowfat variation of this cookie so you will have to experiment. These cookies do freeze well though so you could make a full batch and freeze most of them except for the ones you want to keep out to eat.
Hello Mel! Just found your website. I googled thin and crispy oatmeal cookies and of all the recipes I found yours looked the best. I just now made a batch and they are absolutely delisious. I had to make a few adjustments. Turns out I was out of baking powder and had to use a little extra soda. They didn’t come out as thin as yours but they were still good. Also, I don’t eat refined sugar so I substituted with raw turbinado and raw brown sugar. This made them extra crunchy! And lastly, I used whole wheat flour instead of AP. I usually hate whole wheat cookies but it worked so well in this recipe. Can’t even tell a difference. Thanks so much for sharing!
I was in search for the best crunchy oatmeal cookie and I’m glad i found your blog!!! Ijust made tonight and boy it”s cruchy, delicious and i love it! Thanks for this wonderful recipe.. I cant wait to try some recipes from your blog!! THANK YOU AGAIN! 😉
This was the best cookie! I accidentally added an extra egg so I added a little more oatmeal ( I also used quick oats) and the cookie was crunchy and tasty. Thanks.
A nice change from the usual chewy oatmeal cookies I make. I did personalize it a bit.
I find that most recipes for sweets have an over abundance of sugar. I cut the white sugar by half and they are still plenty sweet. You won’t even miss it. I added 3/4 teas cinnamon, and some raisins (of course, that adds extra sugar). Even if I hadn’t added the raisins, I would have cut down the sugar. Who doesn’t need less of that?!! I do it in almost every sweet type recipe I make, and they are all still sweet. I made them as a thank you gift and have already eaten three of them!
Thank you for this great recipe! I added walnuts, pecans, and toasted coconut, plus subbed half the butter for organic coconut oil. I’m in LOVE!!
I just made a batch yesterday, yea, they are almost gone! You should really try the coconut variation they provided in the Cooks Illustrated magazine…..oooooooo my God!!!!!!! You just reduce the oats to 2 cups and add 1 1/2 cups of sweetened flaked coconut to the oats. The coconut flavor is subtle and you don’t feel any of that “coconutty” texture. If you want to go crazy, make some ice cream sandwiches with coconut ice cream ( we are lucky enough to have a local ice cream shop that has tat as a seasonal flavor). Enjoy!
Hi Mel,
Great site. You seem like you may be able to help me. I’m a mother to a two year old with a nut allergy. I’ve recently become acutely aware that his daycare, while amazing in most ways, is lacking in providing nutritious food (which is ironic because it is a daycare associated with a major healthcare system). I have started taking his snacks but don’t want him to feel different/excluded when the kids have cookies for a snack. Do you have any recipes for an oatmeal cookie that is crunchy but still “relatively” healthy (applesauce, limited butter)?
Thanks in advance and great blog!
Cate
Cate – I don’t have a cookie recipe like the one you are looking for. These Healthy Applesauce Oat Muffins might be a good substitution to try. They freeze beautifully as well. Good luck!
Love these cookies! They are really addictive! They are def a favorite! I made them again yesterday & added some chopped craisins… Yum!! The craisins gave it an extra chewiness that I love!
They came out perfect! Crunchy and wonderful. I added chopped walnuts and a handful of dried cherries and another 1/2 tsp vanilla. This will be the only Oatmeal Cookie recipe I will use.
I found them a bit dry, so I added about 1/4 cup of milk. TASTY!
Frighteningly fabulous. I’ve already commented on how good these cookies are, but I’ve now made two batches in a week, and with the exception of half a dozen that I gave to a neighbor, I have to confess that I ate each and every one myself. I have to make yet another batch, as my neighbor is now addicted to them as well.
THANK YOU! From the deepest part of my heart. I tasted cookies like this years ago and the source of them vanished. Along with the recipe! I had all but given up trying recipes when I came across yours! To me, the Lord answered my prayers through you!!! Whew!
Sincerely, Happy in Texas!
So good! I am not a thin an crispy cookie person, but decide to give it a chance after you said it was one of your favourite recipes from this year. I love the lacey, buttery texture. I did one sheet of smaller balls (closer to 1 tbs.) for 13 minutes and I may do them all like that next time just because the smaller size is easier to pack for lunches. I was surprised how much the kids liked them even without chocolate. They asked for them to be sent in lunches– which rarely happens with an oatmeal cookie.