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I have always loved classic oatmeal cookies. There is something wonderful about a cookie that has its roots in a breakfast grain. It may be a bit indulgent, but I firmly believe an oatmeal cookie is a justified way to start a day!
Ingredients for Classic Oatmeal Cookies:
These cookies are fantastically easy to make and rely on cupboard staples:
- Butter - unsalted butter, softened at room temperature. I've also made these with melted butter and the recipe will still work. The batter will be softer and the cookies will spread more when baking.
- Sugar - a combination of superfine granulated sugar (or caster sugar) and firmly packed light brown sugar (muscovado). You can substitute dark brown sugar for the light brown if you like a darker cookie and a stronger molasses-y flavour.
- Egg - you only need one for these cookies to act as the binding agent, bringing it all together. This should be at room temperature for best results.
- Vanilla - my favourite ingredient! I firmly believe in splurging on good quality vanilla as it really adds to any recipe. My preferred vanilla is usually Nielsen-Massey, but there are other suppliers of excellent quality vanillas, if you shop around!
- Flour - you can use all purpose flour or plain flour in this recipe.
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Oats - the star of the show! I use rolled oatmeal and have a soft spot for Quaker Oats as a family favourite when I was growing up.
Making the Classic Oatmeal Cookies
This is a simple one bowl cookie recipe. Begin by creaming the butter and sugars together. Then add the egg and vanilla. Follow this with sifting in the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. And finally stir through the oats.
Once your dough is ready, dollop this out onto baking sheets lined with either parchment paper or silicone baking mats and bake in a preheated 375°F oven until going golden at the edges.
Tips and Tricks
Just a few of my main recommendations for this recipe:
- If you have a stand mixer available, it is definitely worth pulling it out for oatmeal cookie dough. The batter, especially once you add the oats, is extremely thick and liable to break a spatula (I should know - I've broken a few!).
- My cookie scoop is probably my favourite kitchen appliance! You can also use a spoon, but the scoop is super useful for cookies as well as cupcakes or anything that needs a bit of dolloping.
- To help the cookies spread a bit, gently press each with a dampened palm right before baking. The water on your hand will avoid you sticking to the cookie dough.
- If you've used a dark brown sugar, the cookies may look darker as they bake, but 12 minutes is usually a good estimate for how long each batch will take.
- Leaving the cookies to cool on the tray for a few minutes before placing on a wire rack helps give them a chewy finish. It also makes it easier to move them once they've cooled down a bit!
FAQs for Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal cookies can keep for several days in a cookie jar or other sealed container at room temperature.
Yes, absolutely! Freezing cookies is super simple.
The best way is actually to freeze the cookie dough before it is baked. Dollop this into balls of dough and flash freeze on a lined baking tray. Once firm, transfer to a ziploc bag and keep in the freezer for up to three months.
These frozen dough balls then become cookies on demand direct from the freezer whenever you need them! No need to defrost, simply increase your baking time by about 5 minutes (normally - keep an eye for traditional signs of doneness)
You can also freeze the cookies once baked for up to three months.
Yes of course! In fact, I have made this exact recipe using vegan substitutes in the past. Simply use a vegan non-dairy butter alternative in place of the butter and replace the egg with ¼ cup vegetable or other flavourless oil. The oil will help to bind the ingredients.
The vegan version of these cookies may produce a slightly runnier batter dependent on the type of non-dairy butter used, but otherwise they will bake quite similarly.
Another alternative for the egg, is to use peanut butter instead of oil. This will produce an oatmeal peanut butter cookie, and the taste of the peanut butter will come through in the finished product. This might work for you dependent on your preferences, but I'd not necessarily recommend if you're not aiming for something peanut-y!
Looking for more oatmeal in your life? Check out one of these recipes:
- Edible Oatmeal Cookie Dough
- Date Filled Oatmeal Cookies
- Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies
- No Bake Oatmeal Cookies without Peanut Butter
- Chocolate Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- ¾ cup light brown sugar (muscovado) firmly packed
- ½ cup superfine granulated sugar or caster sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all purpose flour or plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 cups rolled oatmeal
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190C/170C Fan). Line baking trays with nonstick parchment paper or silicone baking sheets.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat together.
- Sift flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into the bowl of wet ingredients.
- Add the oatmeal and stir until combined.
- Spoon out dollops onto the prepared baking trays - leaving a couple of inches between each cookie. Using a dampened palm, lightly press down each cookie.
- Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes - until beginning to brown at the edges.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking tray for about 5 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire cooling rack.
Lauren M. Bittle
I'm waiting with bated breath for your take on your mom's 7 layer cake! But I'm sure these cookies will help my patience. <3
lizmincin
Haha - the 7 layer cake is coming soon 🙂 I'm hoping to make it in a few weeks!