Classic Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
There’s nothing quite as delicious as soft and chewy, old-fashioned oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! This simple, easy recipe is my tried-and-true favorite!
Years ago, back when I was young and carefree (you know, barely out of my 20’s and full of hope), I shared with you my favorite cookie of all time.
I’m happy to report that almost a decade later (barely out of my 30’s and happily still full of hope albeit with a few more wrinkles and saggy parts), it’s still a very, very favorite cookie of mine.
But there have been just too many cookies over the years blowing my mind and taste buds with deliciousness for that tasty coconut oatmeal chocolate chip cookie to remain the one and only.
What I’ve found is that with age (and hopefully a little wisdom?) there has come a whole lotta room in my heart for a variety of favorite cookies.
And these classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookies have a space in the favorite spot, too.
I posted the original recipe for these babies back in 2009, and they 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.
Over the years, I’ve made a few changes.
Don’t panic! If these have been a favorite of yours, the recipe is basically the same.
I’ve detailed the minor changes below (just a slight decrease in the amount of oats and some recipe notes about sugar).
You really can’t go wrong with a good, old-fashioned, classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. If you don’t have a tried-and-true recipe in your back pocket, this could be the one.
And if you are looking for a thin and crispy oatmeal cookie, this wildly popular recipe is surprisingly amazing (says the girl who always insisted thin and crispy cookies were not for her – see what a little age and wisdom will do? I feel so mature).
Oats: the original recipe called for 2 3/4 cups oats, but over the years, I've cut it down to 2 1/2 cups so the cookies spread just right, and very often, I use 2 cups (about 7.5 ounces) old-fashioned oats and 1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) quick oats. You can use all old-fashioned oats, per the recipe, and many readers over the years have used all quick oats (although the cookies may be a bit more dense and puffy). Sugar: also, quite often, I cut the sugar down to 3/4 cup (5.75 ounces) for both brown sugar and granulated sugar; works great. Cookie Spreading: if your cookies are spreading too much while baking, try increasing the oven temp to 375 degrees or baking on convection (if you have that option on your oven) at 325 degrees F. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.Classic Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe originally posted August 2009; updated with new photos, recipe notes, commentary.
Can you freeze or refrigerate the dough?
Yes, freezing or refrigerating works great!
Yum – this is delicious!! My apologies in advance for writing in changes on a terrific recipe – but I used cold butter and 1/2 cup cake flour 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour and the cookies are absolutely perfect. Thank you! My son and his friends (and the mamas) will all enjoy this at our outdoor V-Day bash (if I don’t eat them first).
Love this recipe! Any chance you think this would work in cookie bar form? If so, would you still recommend baking at 350? Perhaps closer to 25-30 min? Would love your advice!
Yes, I think it should work quite well! I’d bake them at 350 degrees and check them right around 22-25 minutes.
Just made these…great recipe. I happened to have 2 and 3/4 cups of rolled oats in my container (and I didn’t want to leave 1/2 cup behind), so I blitzed 3/4 of a cup in the food processor and added it in. Worked fine. My wife wanted walnuts, so I added in a cup of chopped walnuts. As far as spreading, I’ll bet the people who had problems didn’t mix the dough quite enough. I had a few cookies that spread, and I’m sure that was the cause. Also, I used silpat and parchment. I like parchment better, but they do go a little flatter with parchment. Finally, I tried both the 2 and 1 tablespoon scoops. We like smaller cookies, and both turned out fine. I think your estimate for # of cookies is low, at least based upon my results. Thanks for another great recipe.
These are amazing! I completely forgot about needing to bring someone a promised dessert and literally made this cookie recipe faster than any cookie I’ve made in my life. I accidentally oversoftened the butter a little bit (because of the rush), but they still turned out delicious. I would call this an easy, crowd-pleasing, no-fail cookie recipe for sure!
Perfectly crisp and chewy at the same time. Baked for abt 15 min, as they were still quite pale at 10 minutes. This recipe is a keeper! Will try adding nuts and dried fruits next batch. Thank you!
How many calories are in each cookie?
Delish
In desperation, because I’d promised my toddler we’d make cookies, I used 1 cup of rolled oats, and 1 1/2 cups of Quaker Cinnamon Sugar Instant Oatmeal. I reduced the sugar amount. Still tasted delicious with nice texture. Can’t compare to the original recipe though. Word to the wise always check your ingredient levels before promising toddlers! LOL!
Delicious!
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!
These cookies are amazing! Made them 4 times in the last 3 months to give to friends & they are a hit. Just wondering if I can use whole wheat flour in this recipe instead of all purpose without changing any of the other measurements?
Yes, should work great! I think when using whole wheat flour as a 100% sub for white flour in cookies, it works to add just a bit less (about 1/4 cup less).
I was very very upset with how these turned out. They tasted good, but they flattened out way too much so we increased the temperature like you recommended, but then the edges crisped and the middles were soft and almost raw. we ended up trying to chill them for a bit and add more flour, which kind of helped. they had a good flavor though, so there’s that at least.
These are excellent, Mel! Perfectly soft on the inside, but chewy on the edges. It’s definitely a keeper recipe! I used your suggestion of only 3/4 cup for both sugars, and they were plenty sweet enough for my family.
P.S. At the risk of sounding heretical, I have to admit that I’m planning to try this recipe with raisins because I do love a good oatmeal raisin cookie.
So I made these cookies using your tips at the bottom of the page and we think they are awesome!! Super good!! I got 3 dozen from it. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂 Keep on cooking and baking, Sheri
Made these during “ lock down “ during the Pandemic as I am baking more.
I used 1 c dark brown sugar and 3/4 c white sugar, 1 c Dark and 1 c semi sweet chocolate chips since that is what I had on hand.
Made more than 3 dozen two inch cookies. Baked 11 minutes they were perfect. Next time I would like to try freezing the cookie dough balls for baking later. Great recipe,
Love this cookie recipe! Made with my kids, super easy & delicious. Thanks
Hi Mel, I have made these exactly as you created them several times and love them. I am making the first of a variety series of how-to videos and would like to use this recipe for my basic baking video. I will give Mels Kitchen Cafe full credit for the recipe and include your website page for my viewers to get your recipe. Is this cool or would you rather I did not?
Thanks
Sheryl
Sure! Sounds great to me!
Hey Mel! We love these cookies, I make a GF version of them and they come out great! My only question is I’ve reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup of each, but since we eat them so fast have you ever tried even less sugar? Do I need to add some more dry or wet ingredients or reduce the baking powder if I am reducing the sugar more than above? I know sugar helps with the spread.
I haven’t tried reducing the sugar – sorry!
Omg they turned out delicious!!! Loved them thank you
I added a tsp of cinnamon and used kosher salt. Delicious cookies!
These were awesome! I actually made them gluten free by using 1 cup gf flour and 1 cup almond flour
I also used less white sugar than called for
Also added 3 T peanut butter
They were fantastic!!
I loved the texture of these cookies and of course the flavor was amazing, even a few days later!
SOOOOOO GOOD and I’m the worlds worst cookie maker. So since these turned out delicious that’s all on Mel! Will definitely be making again.
I made these according to instructions using the lesser amount of oats and sugar. Great!
One question! I weighed out 10 oz of flour on my scale, making sure my container was tarred and my units were set to ounces.
It sure looked like a lot of flour!
There were 4 cups of flour in the container when I scooped it into one cup measures. Four.
I thought I’m crazy it’s got to be my fault although I know I didn’t look like 2 cups of flour and I’m not new at this.
So I repeated it again with a different scale and measured out 10 ounces and it was again 4 cups!
Then I scoope I thought I’m crazy it’s got to be my fault although I know I didn’t look like 2 cups of flour and I’m not new at this.
So I repeated it again with a different scale and measured out 10 ounces and it was again 4 cups!
Then I said, okay, measure 5 oz and see.
Five ounces weighed on my scale measured 2 cups of flour.
I repeated this procedure on my other scale and again 5 ounces equals 2 cups of flour.
Does the recipe need to be changed to say 5 ounces of flour instead of 10 ounces?
I am replying to my own post.
My scales, both weirdly, need to be shot.
I googled how much does one cup of flour weigh in ounces. (And I was not using a 1/2 cup measuring cup. I checked. Several times.)
Everyplace says 5 oz or thereabouts = one cup. What the heck am I doing wrong. Two different scales. Both digital and both Kitchen Aid. I am so confused. I even tried this again and 10 oz is measuring 4 cups. I’m in The Twilight Zone.
My scales need to be put our to pasture to put me out of my misery.
BTW, when I made these awesome cookies I used the spoon into measuring cup method and used the two cups.
Are you sure your scale is in ounces? Sounds like you’re measuring in grams.. One Oz is almost 30 grams
This is by far the BEST oatmeal-chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve ever made. They come out chewy in the middle and crunchy on the outside. I’ve made these so many times and always get complimented on how good they are. The only think differently I do is bake them for about 13 mins and the come out perfect! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Thanks, Sara!
I made these last night and they weren’t as flat as the pictures. They still tasted delicious, but I’m wondering what I did wrong. I substituted coconut sugar for the white sugar and used the lesser amounts you noted, maybe it was the coconut sugar? Any thoughts?
Yes, it could be the coconut sugar. I haven’t used that in these cookies and it could definitely make a difference.
“Lead me not into temptation” “Gluttony is a sin” Little Miss Mel must have skipped church when those scriptures were taught! No doubt these are the best cookies I’ve made! I’m 60 years old and have baked for 45 of them. Mel has led me to problems with “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” I’ve failed with that verse too. I’d planned to give my neighbor 3 dozen cookies. She’ll be lucky if she get one dozen now! Seriously, I varied the size of cookies just to check baking times. Every size is delicious and only varies by one minute. I’d refrigerated my dough overnight. After I rolled dough into balls, I put them back into fridge until it was their turn on the baking sheets. The only thing missing is a diet plan.
I made my batter yesterday evening. Ready to pop it in the oven now! When working with refrigerated dough, should I allow extra time for baking? Also, how long can refrigerated dough be kept? Thanks!
Glad you loved these, Deborah! I usually add 30 seconds to an extra minute on to the baking time for refrigerated dough, just keep an eye on it. You might need less or even a bit longer. I usually don’t keep cookie dough in the fridge longer than 48 hours
I made these cookies last night. Absolutely the best. I have never been a fan of the oatmeal cookie but I am now. Great recipe!
Thank you.
Cindi A.
Thanks, Cindi!
I’m looking for a good cookie recipe to freeze the dough and be able to bake the cookies straight from the freezer, do you think these would work or any recommendations?
Love all your recipes!!
Yes! These work great. My son has a cookie dough business and sells these and they bake great from frozen.
Very delicious! I am not having issues with flatness like other commenters. I received advice a year ago from an avid baker that all cookie dough should be popped in the fridge for at least an hour before scooping up to bake. This has made all of my various cookie batches turn out flawless! I am surprised to never see this on any cookie recipe directions. Just wanted to share for other commenters for a more successful batch next time!
I made my batter yesterday evening. Ready to pop it in the oven now! When working with refrigerated dough, should I allow extra time for baking? Also, how long can refrigerated dough be kept? Thanks!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times, with different chip flavors, and they’re always outstanding! My new go-to cookie recipe
Thank you, Mel.
The information re measuring flour is very helpful. I think weighing the flour is undoubtedly the way to go. It isn’t easy when two well-respected sources don’t agree
on the correct weight, but I’ll go with your 5 ounces.
Myself and family are huge lovers of chocolate chip cookies, but my grandson loves oatmeal cookies. He was very delighted to hear he was getting the best of both worlds. Thank you for sharing and brightening up a young mans day.
Thanks, Leslie!
Hi Mel,
I recently discovered your website, and I really enjoy receiving your recipes – what fun!
Hopefully, I’ll be making these chocolate chip cookies soon, and I notice that some people have commented on their spreading. You suggest adding a little more flour, but I think if you tell us how you measure your flour, it would be helpful. Do you use the dip and sweep method or spoon it in, I have taken many courses at King Arthur and they use the spooning in method. It does make a difference. Many thanks!
Hi Beverley! You are right! It does make a difference! I have a little how-to right here since I do swear by the fluff-dip-sweep method (or better yet, weighing with a scale): https://www.melskitchencafe.com/lets-talk-how-you-measure-flour-makes-a-difference/
These were amazing and so chewy delicious! Added some chopped walnuts, too. Yum! Thanks for sharing.
These are fabulous cookies. Sometimes I stick the oats in my blender for a second or two before I add them. Delicious!!
These cookies turned out fantastic! I tried to call my grandma for her recipe, but she’s not in with technology so I couldn’t get ahold of her. I followed the recipe exactly and they are great! I used my cookie scoop for uniform cookies. I think I will stack some in a wide mouth mason jar as an after-spring break treat for my daughter’s teacher. Thank you!
It is Sunday night and I sat out a poppyseed chicken casserole for dinner. I don’t want it. I grew up on popcorn and snacks for Sunday dinner, along with the Disney movie that came on as soon as we got home from church. All four of us kids still eat popcorn for dinner most Sunday nights. Tonight, I decided to supplement with some cowboy cookies. The only cookie my mom has EVER made. We all know the recipe by heart. (My brother sells them at his restaurant franchise.) I really, really need to get it written down for my kids and was thinking that as I was searching cookies in CopyMeThat. As always, I pull up your website and take a looksie. There are some very slight differences…like we only use 1/2 tsp baking powder and use 2 cups of flour and 2 cups of oatmeal, the rest is identical. Now I don’t have to write it down!!! My kids love your food as much, if not more than Grandma’s….but don’t tell Grandma. 😉
I made these last night for the first time, and I came back to the comments to see if anyone else had my problem–some of the cookies flattened out and the dough turned brown and almost caramelizing. I will try adding a bit more flour next time because oh my gosh they were good!
This is the recipe I grew up with and do not have this problem….however, my girlfriend was having this problem. After walking through how she bakes cookies step by step and using Google, we discovered it was her warped and worn out cookie sheets. She replaced them and has lived happily ever after. Another reason you can get flat cookies is if your butter is too warm. This can be solved by chilling your cookie dough prior to baking.
Made these yesterday as I found myself needing a sweet something throughout the day (and my dark chocolate stash was diminishing). Such a lovely cookie! I used the lesser amount of sugars and used all Whole Wheat flour – had to add a splash of milk to counterbalance the WW. Deliciously chewy and delightful! Definitely saving this recipe to make again!
These cookies are the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I have made! I followed your comments and used only 3/4 cup each of the sugars. Fabulous!
Wonderful cookies can’t wait to make these again. Less sugar is perfect for a not too sweet cookie.
This recipe is the best I have tried. I was at my boyfriend’s (in another state) and wanted to bake cookies. I don’t have my recipes so I tried this one. Just like mine (which is over 100 years old)
I subbed Earth Balance for the butter and used chia “eggs” and these cookies turned out so amazing! I absolutely love the texture of these. I used the smaller amount of sugar, as noted in your recipe. So happy they turned out with my substitutions!
I made these following the recipe carefully. The only thing I didn’t do was roll the dough into balls as I put it on the cookie sheet. I pushed wads of the dough off a teaspoon onto the tray. They flattened out really badly. They didn’t look anything like your nice picture. They looked like puddles of yummy cookie with chocolate chips raising up like little mountains. What did I do wrong?
Sounds like they might need a bit more flour – that could be due to the difference in how we each measure flour (how much flour is packed into the cup). Do you live at high elevation? That can also make a difference (as well as if your oven temperature is off – which is common, ovens that bake too cool can cause cookies to flatten).
Made these today to put away for Eagle Scout project day next weekend. They may not make it to the freezer! Super yummy!
I made these about a week ago. They turned out great… delicious, soft and chewy. I used a mix of 2/3 chocolate chips and 1/3 butterscotch chips. I wish
I hadn’t given so many away. I might have to make another batch soon.
I’m not a huge fan of oatmeal cookies because they are usually too oatmeal-y for my liking. However, these were great! They stayed soft and chewy and we’re even better the second day. I followed your tips on less sugar and using quick oats too.
Honestly I was disappointed in these cookies. I love your recipes so I thought these would be perfect. They were super flat. We changed the temperature like you suggested and no change. I like a thicker, chunkier cookie.
Sorry to hear that, Lisa!
Classic Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
You said if the cookie spreads to much to increase oven temp. to 375 degrees or in a convention oven try 325 degrees. Does this temperature change, change the baking time? I haven’t tried the recipe yet.
I usually keep the baking time the same, but each oven will vary so keep a close eye on the cookies and take them out a minute early if needed
Out.of.this.world! I would give these a six out of five if I could! I added Ghirardelli caramel flavored baking chips instead of chocolate chips and added some sweetened, shredded coconut to the second half of the batter. Just wonderful..
I used the lesser amount of sugars and added coconut. These are really yummy and easy to diversify.
Just finished making these… they turned out perfect!! I followed the recipe exactly. They did take a bit longer in my oven… closer to 15 minutes. Yum yum yum.
I love the flavor, but mine were flat. I tried different temperatures . What do I do wrong? Most of my chocolate chip cookies are flat unless I use crisco or more flour.
It might just be a difference in how the flour is measured. Try adding a few tablespoons more flour…and see how that goes.
We made these cookies, and followed the recipe exactly, but they weren’t soft, and were a bit dry. I have been making cookies for about fifty years, and couldn’t believe they weren’t as you predicted. I think I may need a new oven. (My oven is only three years old), not nearly as old as I am.
We made these yesterday and added in half of a bag of the bits o’ brickle heath candies along with the chocolate chips. They are so very yummy!
These are great!
These are my very very favorite…but I save out a little dough and and put raisins in instead of chocolate chips…so very delish…I make the rest with the chocolate chips to keep my family happy!
I make this exact recipe except I only do 1/2 tsp salt and add 1 1/2cups coconut and 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts. I need the texture. It’s the very very VERY best oatmeal chocolate chip cookie there is. And you know me and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies go waaaaaay back.
Haha, yes, I DO know how you feel about oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. 🙂
Yay for oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips! Once I saw a saying that said, “never put a raisin where a chocolate chip could go.” Truth! These look amazing!
This recipe is my family’s very favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookie!! It’s perfect texture, flavor and awesomeness! The one change we’ve made through the years is we do half white whole wheat flour, and it still works perfectly. We love these!!
Thanks, Meg!
Hi there~ Love your posts. What altitude are you baking at and are you adjusting all recipes or just this one or do you usually say on your recipe if you are adjusting? 🙂 Thanks – at 6,700 ft and usually need to know 😉
Hi Sharon – I live at about 2,500 feet elevation.
These are my go to cookies!! I only use 2 cups oats with chocolate and peanut butter chips. I can’t seem to get any other cookie to come out as yummy as these. My girls request them over cake for their birthday!
Make these all the time. They’re a big hit with everyone.
Made these tonight and they were the best!!! Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are definitely my weakness and they were exactly what I was hoping they’d be! I sent some over to new neighbors that just moved in. I’m sure they enjoyed them! They’re delicious!
Made these today! Good cookie but just a little too sweet for us. Will try again with less sugar. I used the quick oats rolled each cookie into a ball & flatten slightly and they were a perfect cookie shape.
Super yummy! I put 1 tsp of cinnamon in – it was delicious!
These cookies are the best when they’re warm! But they now are my husband and I’s favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe!! Also, I was wondering, do you know how I could modify this recipe into a 10inch skillet pizookie? They make great birthday “cakes”. Thank you!
I don’t know about the pizookie, Alena – you’d probably have to experiment a bit. Good luck!
Put the dough in the pan (sprayed with pam or greased) and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
Finally I found a crowd pleaser! This recipe is so good, it even convinced my youngest to enjoy an oatmeal cookie. I now have kids that ask for something I bake. ( this has never happened before)Thanks for making me have crowd pleasing recipe and making me into this kind of Mom. Love it!!
Thanks! So glad the cookies were a hit.
Best Cookies EVER. Thanks for a great recipe. I added 1/4 flour for a high altitude. Perfect.
These are so great! I did the quick oats method, and yes definitely use 2 1/4 Cups rather than 2 3/4 Cups for the old fashioned.
So I’ve read a time or two about you snatching cookies from the freezer… maybe this will help curb my need to have “just one more”! So after you bake and cool them, you just throw them into the freezer?!!! This is a game changer. How long do they last in the freezer? P.s. This is the only chocolate chip cookie I make anymore. It is so stinking good, although every now and then I think “I really should try the coconut one too”, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. We LOVE these cookies here.
Haha, well promise me you’ll try the coconut one soon because they are my FAVORITES! Yep, I just bake the cookies, let them cool and then pop the in a freezer bag or a flat-ish Tupperware and freeze. I literally always have cookies in my freezer. It’s a dangerous thing.
Ok, you talked me into it. (Wasn’t hard, was it ;-D) I’ll try the coconut ones too. Coconut and chocolate are a match made in heaven.
These are my go-to and I always have frozen balls in the freezer! I hadn’t tried baking and then freezing yet. I LOVE these and that I can make however many I want at almost any given time because I just keep them stocked! Yummy!
So yummy! The texture was good and the cookies were a nice thickness. I used my medium cookie scoop and got exactly 4 dozen.
Ok – these just changed my life… and added 10 lbs to my waist line. 😉
I am making these for a picnic potluck. Pregnant lady needs her fix! One quick note, and you are busy so I get it if it’s a piddly thing and you can’t get back about it. I have tried sending you an email several times on chrome and explorer. For some reason it keeps telling the message fails to send. Is there a limit on characters in the message? I feel dumb and pregnant. Pregnant dumb is the worst!!!!
Bummer about the contact form, Jess! You aren’t the only one having issues. I’ll look into it.
Ok, thanks and good luck. 🙂 Cookies were delish, by the way. I think I ate my weight in them today. Tomorrow is a new day, right? 😉
These are my go to recipe whenever I am wanting a cookie! I usually am a miserable failure when it come to chocolate chip cookies (completely flat and crispy with no chew in them) but this always turn out just puffy enough and soft enough! My husband and I down a whole batch in 3 days tops!
Can I substitute coconut oil for the butter?
Usually that works pretty well, feel free to experiment!
This is the perfect cookie!
Hey! I’m wondering how many cookies this recipe yields.
I’m thinking of making it for an English summer camp in South Korea.
About 2-3 dozen depending on size.
We made these tonight for our family movie night and they are awesome! I’ve made others of your cookie recipes but somehow skipped over this one. So glad we tried them!! I’m about to have our fourth baby and I’m thinking I might need to stash some of these in the freezer for late night nursing snacks;)
Do you bake these on Silpat liners or parchment paper? I had different results with each and am trying to get the right bake time… Thanks!
Most of the time I use parchment paper.
Just got done baking these–I got 4 dozen with my Pampered Chef medium scoop. They are delish! I had to bake mine more like 14 minutes total. I froze half to keep in the freezer and/or give as new mom gifts.
Mel, if I had really hoped to lose all my baby weight by now, I would blame you 100% for these cookies being in existence 🙂 This is the second batch I’ve made in two weeks and it’s JUST my husband and I eating them. Mostly me. I even tried to freeze them which made me forget about them for about a day and a half. My 9 month old is having cleft lip and palate surgery this upcoming week so I thought I’d better have some comfort food on hand. So, so good and so so easy.
Oh my, Rachel – you certainly deserve a cookie (or five) in light of your baby’s upcoming surgery. I hope all goes well! My husband’s sister and brother both had cleft lips and palates (they are adults now) and it’s talked about a lot in the family so I can glimpse (a very, very small glimpse) of what you are managing. Good luck!
The absolute BEST oatmeal chocolate chip cookie I have EVER tasted!!!! My fiancee went absolutely nuts over them too. Making them for my family this weekend as we are having a tree planting party @ my sisters house. Thank you so much for this scrumptious recipe!
oh my goodness! these are so delicious…practically irresistible. my husband wanted a non-chocolate dessert, so I subbed in butterscotch chips & raisins-as suggested & added cinnamon. easiest cookie to remove from baking stone that I’ve ever made. run to the kitchen to make these; they’re that good~
Best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies EVER! I might eat them all right now. 😉
Hey, I was looking for just a traditional oatmeal cookie recipe and I want to try this one. Do you think instead of the cho chips I can do raisains instead? And, should I add cinnamon? Just wanting them to taste like a plain old fashioned oatmeal cookie. Thanks and love your site for dinners, desserts etc. Best!!
Sure! I think someone else in the comments did this – adding a teaspoon of cinnamon and using raisins. Good luck!
can I add pumpkin to this recipe?
Could definitely try!
I found these too sweet for my liking- next time I’ll try your other oatmeal cookie.
“I’ve made them thrice in the last two weeks. I guess the moral of this story is you just can’t have too many favorite cookies.”- Um.. do you mean twice?
I had discovered your chocolate chip cookie recipe quite awhile ago and it has become my go-to recipe for those, so when I felt like making oatmeal cookies where else would I look?
LOVE THESE! So delicious! Had to take most of them to work so I don’t eat them all myself. They disappeared very quickly!
thrice = three, twice = two
Therefore, she made this delicious recipe three times in the preceding two weeks.
I am about to make these right now!…probably just once though…for today…
Hi Mel! I forgot to ask you in my last post. Could these cookies be made with raisins instead of oatmeal? Would I just use one cup? The cookies themselves are great – I just thought I’d switch it up next time if you think the raisins would work with these cookies. Thanks!
Melissa – Definitely. I’d probably add a bit of cinnamon, too.
These are my favorite cookies ever! After making them for the hundredth time today, I felt I should tell you. Thanks for the awesomely amazing recipes!
Hi Mel! I am on a roll this week…I’ve made the pretzel buns, the roasted cauliflower soup with the pretzel bun croutons and I just pulled my first batch of classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. Thank you for the fabulous recipes and I am also meal planning thanks to you so – again big Thanks! My question is, with my two year old it makes it hard to roll all the cookies at once (I am sure you can relate) so the dough is in the fridge…can I make the rest tomorrow? I have only made 12 and I know I have a ways to go. Thank you for your help.
Melissa – Yes, you can definitely bake them the next day.
oh, and i subbed coconut oil for the butter. perfect texture.
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!
These are excellent. My mother is extremely lactose intolerant, so I used the earth balance spread in place of the butter and chopped up little pieces of “ghirardelli twilight delight 72% cacao” squares for the chocolate chips because they have no lactose.
I made it the “regular” way once when I was up at school, and they came out amazing–I was really excited to see that even after altering the recipe for my mother they were still delicious. Thank you!
Keri – these are some of my favorite cookies as well, so I’m very glad you like them, too! Thanks for letting me know…and it sounds like if your husband keeps sneaking a few here and there he’ll keep you in business to continue making batch after batch!
Are they close to Potbelly’s?
Anonymous, I’m not familiar with Potbelly’s so I’m not sure. Sorry!
i’m baking my second batch as we speak. THESE ARE DELISH!! love them.
my husband keeps sneaking seconds, thirds….
Mme Paulita – thanks for letting me know you liked these cookies! I’m sorry they are stuck at home, hopefully you can enjoy them after work!
These came out great! I only used a little less white sugar in them…but overall perfect
I’m cursing myself this morning at work however because I forgot them at home 🙁
Anonymous – while I’ve never used vegetable spread in the place of butter, I would definitely say that is probably the contributor to the flat, falling apart cookies. I’m glad they still tasted ok but if you are up for it, you’ll have to give them a try with butter to see the difference.
I just baked a batch. They are delicious! However, they came out flat and many are falling apart. I thought I had real butter on hand, but used Blue Bonnet “vegetable spread” instead. Would this have made the difference? Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Ayjay – I love that you are such an impromptu baker and just knew to add molasses to white sugar to adjust the flavor. Impressive! I’m glad you liked these…thanks for letting me know.
Just discovered your site and made these lovely cookies! Didn’t have enough brown sugar so used white and added molasses to adjust the flavor – gave them a wonderful depth of flavor 🙂 Thanks much!
Ok,thanks! Great site by the way:)Cant wait to try some of your other fall recipes =)
Cindy – I’m so glad these cookies were a hit! I can’t believe all the rave reviews you got. I hope you took a lot of the credit for yourself…you are the one that made them after all. Thanks for letting me know!
Anonymous – you can use either quick oats or rolled oats, whatever you have on hand. I usually use quick oats because I have a ton of them and I like the texture a bit better than rolled oats.
It’s Cindy again, I used Quaker Old Fashioned oats and these cookies were spectacular. I sent a bag home with each of the toddlers that I watch and had their parents calling me to rave about them later that night. So, I served them at Bunco last night and if you can believe this, the huge pile of about 50 cookies was nearly devoured by 12 ladies!
These look terrific! Ive been searching for the perfect choc chip oatmeal recipe and this may be it! I was wondering what kind of oatmeal is best to use? I was just going to use the quick oats I have in my pantry. Thanks for the recipe! Cant wait to try these!
It was shocking to see how fantastic these cookies look and taste. I did not think I would have this much success. Amazing, very impressed, and you have been bookmarked on my PC forever. Thank You!
Anonymous – thanks for the note on the recipe. I’m glad they worked out for you. Thanks for letting me know!
Turned out great! Followed recipe exactly and also used old fashined oats. Made about 4 dozen.
Making these RIGHT now!
Hey Megan – glad you liked these, thanks for letting me know!
I just made these with old-fashioned oats. Delicious, easy and quick!
I use a similar recipe but only use brown sugar and rolled oats. Result is quite dark and partly crispy. In Australia we usually use rolled oats for baking. I think oatmeal is thinner?
katherine Dougall – I’ve been playing around with graphics/settings on my blog so thank you for calling this to my attention. It is corrected now.
What a nice classic recipe!!! Love it
These look great! I may try them this weekend. I’ve been wanting a new oatmeal cookie recipe so I may try this 🙂 Thanks 🙂
I just made these – and they are great! My son is a terrible eater, so at least these are “healthy” because of the oatmeal, RIGHT?! Anyway, thanks for posting…delish!
Oh yum. Done right, oatmeal cookies are the tops. And these are done right! Thanks for sharing.
Riley
Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen
Classic oatmeal chocolate chip is my favorite! I can’t wait to try this one!
Also, thanks for adding the “printable version” feature!!! 🙂
I’ve been looking for great oatmeal cookie recipe because mine always turn out flat (maybe because I have to use dairy free margarine). I’ll try this one and let you know!
classic indeed! it appears to have the perfect oatmeal cookie texture. thanks for sharing your favorite with us!
Love that combo!! I like mine with raisins inside of the cookie too. 🙂
Laura – I’m with you…these are health food for sure with all the oatmeal packed in! Glad you liked them, thanks for letting me know.
These are my husband’s favorite kind of cookie, but I’ve yet to find a “great” recipe. Can’t wait to make these for him.
these sound great 🙂
Melanie-First off, you HANDS DOWN have the BEST recipe blog on the internet. Honestly every single thing I have made has been delish and my husband can’t get enough of all of it! I am attempting the naan to go with my curry dish tonight…fingers crossed! Second, I totally miss your “archives” on the side. I knew where a bunch of my favorites were based on the date! Third, I think I may be inspired by that new movie Julie and Julia and may cook my way through your blog from the beginning…I think my hubs would love if I did too. Thanks for sharing so many tips and great dishes, you make so many of us so much happier!!!!
I love chocolate chip oatmeal cookies! I’m always on the prowl to find one that is similar to our favorite ones at Potbelly’s (a yummy deli where we used to live)–I can’t wait to give these a try as I’ve yet to find anything close to their recipe. Can you feel the pressure :-)?
I love oatmeal cookies, they are my favorites…the one that you feature looks delicious…yummie, and nice picture as well!
Yum! I know what I’m going to bake today.
I haven’t read through all your comments to know if anyone else has mentioned it – but your setting has been changed so that in google reader the only thing that shows is the title. I miss seeing the enticing photo and wish you would change the setting back to at least show the first few lines….
I use SO many of your recipes and shouldn’t have my first comment be a complaint – so please consider it a compliment to how it used to be 🙂
A classic delight. These cookies are just one of my dearest childhood memories.
Yum! I have these ingredients, so my little ones will be thanking you when we make these soon.
This is my favorite kind of cookie. As I read down the ingredients I noticed it is the exact same recipe that I use when I make chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. I think I originally got the recipe on the side of Kroger oats container. I have been making them years and love them. I guess great minds think alike! 🙂 -Liz K.
Country Mum – here in the states we have both rolled oats and quick oats (quick oats are rolled oats that have been steamed and ground up a bit so they cook faster). You can use either in this recipe. I’m glad we have similar recipes and that you enjoy this cookie, too!
I substituted dairy free margarine for the butter and 1 1/2 cups raisins for the chocolate chips. They didn’t turn out as pretty as yours, but they were super yummy!
Hey Nicole – thanks for letting me know your alterations to make these dairy-free. Did Scott love them?
I’ve made these twice. The first time, I used Country Crock margarine and white flour. They were tasty, but there was something off about them. They were also flat…which could be due to my expired baking powder, which I remedied in time for the 2nd batch I made last night.
And the 2nd batch — what a batch it was. I used real butter (salted) and two cups wheat flour. And I had non-expired baking powder. They were EXCELLENT. The rose much better, and they had a very good taste to them, which I’m attributing to the real butter. I also prefer less chocolate to the cookie, so I only used 1.5 cups chocolate chips. This batch was perfecto.
Julianne – thanks for the note that margarine maybe isn’t the way to go. I’ve never made cookies with margarine so I’m glad for the tip. I’m very glad to know that a few cups of wheat flour worked in these – because then they can definitely be counted as health food (oatmeal AND wheat!!). Thanks for checking in to let me know.
These are now our families favorite Classic oatmeal cookie. They are perfect!!
I have made them twice now, and my boys keep asking me to make them again. 🙂
You are an amazing cook, thank you for sharing your recipes with us.
Jessica – I’m glad these have made it into your family’s “favorites!” Thanks for your comment, it was so nice. I appreciate you taking the time to check back in.
yummy cookies girl! the dough tasted delightfull!
Anonymous – glad I’m not the only one that likes the cookie dough!