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 just made them They’re awesome!! So crispy and delicious. I just toned down the sugar bc I didnt have the brown sugar, I used cristalized instead and they’re just perfect. Best recipe for crispy oat cookies.
Wow! These were amazing!
My first attempt at this recipe was a huge success. The cookies started disappearing as soon as they came out of the oven. But a word of warning: the crispiness and flavor of these cookies are irresistable and highly addictive.
This is an addition to my previous post about these oatmeal cookies. I formed all the cough into balls and placed them on an extra cookie sheet which was kept in the refrigerator while other cookies baked. I found that the cookies that had waited in the refrigerator for their turn in the oven came out better than those that received no refrigeration at all. So for me, I will add about 15 mins. minimum in the refrigerator before popping into the oven. I wonder if anyone else had this occur?
I’ve previously worked as a pastry chef and what I’ve done in situations like this where the dough gets a little soft is simply keep the batter in the fridge in between rounds of baking. Always works for me.
I made these cookies, following the recipe precisely. Although the taste is scrumptious, the cookies spread out so much that they look like ‘lace’ cookies. Maybe it’s a difference in climate as I am in the deep south. When the Cookie Spirit moves again, I’ll try cutting the amount of butter just a bit. This is the only reason I gave the recipe 3 stars.
What is 3/4 tsp of baking powder
Pls let me know so I can try these
Three fourths of a teaspoon of baking powder equals 1/2 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon
7.5 ml
These are great cookies. I baked them for 10 minutes, 5 minutes on each side, and for me, they were the perfect combination of crisp and chewy. I let them cool on the baking sheet as was recommended. I tried baking one batch for 13 minutes, but they were too crispy, so I guess you have to find the baking time that’s just right for your taste. The only change I made was to add 1 cup of raisins, as I love them. Best oatmeal cookie recipe I’ve ever tried, so thank you, Mel. I don’t have to look any further to satisfy my oatmeal/raisin cookie craving.
You baked them for “5 minutes on each side”? Did you flip them like pancakes? If so, I will definitely try this method.
I baked a Perfect of oatmeal cookies from your recipe
Made these today and boy were they good! Usually, I’m all about the chewy cookie, but I felt I needed some diversity in my repertoire so I tried this one and was pleased, as was the family. I followed the recipe exactly. Think this one would be great for a care package cookie since it seems like it could stand up to a little abuse. 😉
I made these cookies, turned out very crunchy just like I like them. I didn’t add the brown sugar and messed up on the mixing directions but they still came out great.
Can I add chocolate chips and if so do I change anything
You can try! It might effect the texture of the cookies or how much they flatten/don’t flatten, but I think others have tried it with good results.
A great cookie recipe! I added a touch of cinnamon but this is definitely a cookie I’ll be making over and over! Thank you!
These are excellent. The only change I made to the recipe was to make the cookies bigger. My yield was 14, so they were considerably bigger than the cookies pictured with the recipe. If you make them without tweaking the recipe, they should turn out exactly as described. Sometimes less is more, and this basic oatmeal cookie recipe is a great example.
Excellent recipe Mel, thank you from my family in England. I baked half the batch for 12 minutes because my husband and daughter prefer chewier more flapjacky textured cookies and the other half for 16 minutes for my son and I who prefer crisper cookies. Both types are delicious. I didn’t make any alterations to the recipe and nobody wanted any raisins or nuts thrown in – plain and simple is so often overlooked but sometimes exactly hits the spot, and that’s the case with these excellent cookies.
HI Mel, great recipe, I changed the recipe a little bit. I used l/2 cup sugar instead of 3/4 cup. I also added Almond extract instead of vanilla. Added Rice Krispies, and chocolate chips. . Thank you.
Excellent cookies. I used 1/2 sugar and 1/4 brown sugar. Also I substituted vanilla for almond extract. And added Rice Krispies, and chocolate chips.
Wowza!!! These are delicious. I absolutely think the key is to undercook them just a tiny bit. I took them out when the edges were starting to get golden but the middle looked barely done. They were just perfect. These are a must do and a definite re-do!!
Hi Mel,The cookies melt in my mouth!The best oatmeal cookies ever and can’t stop eating them.I love your recipes.You rock!!
These were so yummy! I didn’t have old fashioned oats but I did have quick oats and they turned out great! The whole family LOVED them! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Can I substitute coconut flour or almond flour
I haven’t tried either of those substitutions, but you could definitely experiment.
do you think you could add coconut to these and get same success?
I think others in the comment thread have done that with good results!
Oh my Goodness! I don’t even like Oatmeal Cookies,. Till Mel’s,, and now I have not wanted to stop eating them. Just break off one more little bite! My husbands likes raisins in the cookies, so I did add half a cup (I saw another ‘fan’ did also). And, I must admit, as great as these are , I did add some chocslate chips to the last batch. Oh My! ❣️
These cookies are phenomenally good. I will say what so many have said before. I used to have to buy cookies like these. No one I knew could make them, I certainly could not. But now, I can!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe. It is fabulous.
These are excellent cookies! My family loved them. I had been looking for a crispy cookie recipe and this was perfect. Thank you!
Just made these cookies…they are delicious!
I’m in love!! I added some chopped toasted walnuts to 1/2 the batch…delicious also!
Thanks
These are amazing!! This will be the only oatmeal cookies I ever bake. Perfect balance of crispy and buttery. This is the 3rd and last recipe I tried. Great with about 1/2 cup of raisins too!
These are delicious yet simple cookies! They are crisp but slightly chewy in the center. Perfection.
These are AMAZING !!! My mother in law has a oatmeal cookie recipe that I thought was the best. Now I think these are!!! I followed the recipe to a T and they are so amazing. I can eat them all myself. Thank you for sharing
Fantastic flavour. I can’t get them out of the oven fast enough for my family!!! TFS
These cookies are so delicious. Crispy and buttery.
I added chopped raisins to mine. Also used a smaller cookie scoop and baked for 12 minutes. Kids waste cookies if they are too big so smaller size works for me.
This definitely is the only recipe I will ever use for oatmeal cookies!!!!
These are absolutely phenomenal they should be rated 10!! They’re addicting. I hadaltered the recipe By using half a cup cane sugar half a cup truvia made by Stevia, and added a quarter cup of ground flaxseed. I was going to take some to work but that will be a next time I’m keeping these( what’s left of them) morning I’m going to try next time using unbleached flour to make it a little bit healthier
Love love love these cookies. I can no longer eat chocolate so bye bye chocolate chip cookies and I usually like soft oatmeal cookies but these have taken over!! Thanks for the recipe!
Help!!! I had made this cookies several times, aI make sure I put all the ingredients but sometimes my cookies don’t come out thin and crispy as they should. (My cookies don’t spread) I obviously doing something wrong and I’m desespérate to find what it is. Can someone help me ? I’ll be very grateful!!
Try adding a bit less flour – that should help.
King Arthur says the weight of a cup of flour is 4 1/4 ounces – more accurate than measuring by volume.
Absolutely delicious; exactly what I was looking for! Thank you for sharing.
pretty good cookies, added cinnamon and raisins and they turned out really good
These cookies are great!! But now looking for a healthy LOW FAT version. Do you have one…thanks a bunch
I don’t – sorry!
Broke my #1 rule when making this recipe for the first time by modifying it. I doubled the recipe and substituted 1 cup of toasted ground walnuts and 1 cup somewhat crushed rice krispy treats. Walnurs for flavor and rice krispie s for crunch. They were the bomb! Also, used convection oven, baked 3 trays at a time, did not press down dough balls, rotated half way thru baking; perfect flat, golden crispy cookies.
Oops….not rice krispy treats, just rice krispy cereal…..and walnuts, not walnurs
Awesome cookies! Soooo tasty, buttery, and CRISPY!!!! I had previously tried another recipe but the cookies were chewy. My husband craved crispy cookies. I did half of the recipe. I substituted the brown sugar measure (1/4 cup) for 4 packets of Splenda and I substituted the white sugar measure (1/2 cup) for brown sugar. Old-fashioned rolled oats is a MUST!!!!!
BEST oatmeal cookie I’ve ever made. And my mother in laws has always been THE best oatmeal cookie so that says a LOT! I followed the recipe to a T and my family devoured them. Now I’m making another batch a couple days later lol
Hi, do you know if you can freeze these cookies?
Thanks
Yes, they freeze great.
I’ve made these twice now, and IMO they’re better with quick oats. The batch I made with regular rolled oats was more “crunchy” than “crispy” Both are delicious but I preferred the more delicate texture of the quick oats version
This is my favorite recipe.I tweek it sometimes depending on the occasion.I’ve probably used this 60 times.Never a bad review.Always a hit at Christmas n Birthdays.Best crisp n Chewy cookie .EVER……Thanks Mel. Your story was mine.Lol
Lord have mercy!!!!! These are the BEST cookies in the world!!!! My husband requests these cookies at least once a week and every time I make a batch to take to church they are devoured instantly.
Thanks so much for this delicious recipe
Delicious! I used salted butter and quick oats, and they turned out great (a little more savory with salted butter – although it wasn’t specified in the recipe, usually baking calls for unsalted). I also (was painting attention and) mixed all of the dry ingredients together then added the wet (melted the butter fully but not hot).
Been looking for a recipe like this for years. Added peanuts. we can’t leave them alone. thanks so much.
These are the best oatmeal cookies ever. . Crisp n chewy center … also you can add some toffee bits and semi sweet morsels to really kick in the “can’t wait to eat another ” obsession These are best ever !! Thank you for this recipe….
Michelle
Made these cookies again. First batch didn’t last long. I added hickory nuts to half and coconut and nuts to the other half. Perfect recipe.
These cookies are my favorite of ALL time
Buttery, crispy melt in your mouth perfection
Thanks for this wonderful cookie recipe!
I have been looking for a recipe like this, and it is perfect. Easy and they did spread out just like you said. Thank you so much. I will make these all the time now.
My husband loves crispy cookies and these were by far the best I have ever made of any kind…4th time baking these gems…Thank you so much for sharing.
Omg!!! This is – without a doubt – the best oatmeal cookie ever. Thank God I doubled the recipe!
I tweaked recipe using 50/50 blend of stevia and granulated sugar and also for the brown sugar (50/50 with stevia). Cookies are delicious!