I have been wanting to master an Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe for a LONG time and I’m so happy to finally be posting my favorite version!! This recipe is the result of many years of pondering and testing. Oatmeal cookies are serious business; I do not take my job lightly 😂 These cookies have a secret NON ingredient (you will find NO cinnamon or spice in this oat-devoted recipe.) The other secret is a method: blending up some of the oats for max oat-y nutty flavor but PERFECT melt-in-your-mouth chewy cookie texture. Say no to dried-out oatmeal passing as a cookie!

hand holding a baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with a bite taken from it.

Well, it’s officially back-to-school time, a time for new beginnings and sharpened pencils and your brand-new kindergartener ripping off his shoes specifically to throw them across the room in a rage because you dared to comb his hair for the first day of school picture in the front yard.

Yeah, I know, the poor kid’s anxiety is just coming out as anger. Big feelings for a big day! I’m just glad Edison hasn’t taken up smoking, the way our toilet has this week:

(He was SO pleased with himself. “Mom look, the toilet is SMOKING!” he said with glee.)

Edison may be on a dark path toward bad habits from the stress of kindergarten (pray for us). I’m trying to be a good influence. Instead of toilet roll cigarettes, I’m easing the transition back into school with sugar. Specifically, cookies. This method has worked in the past (every day of my life) so I figure if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. I’ll be eating my feelings on my deathbed someday, guys.

These oatmeal cookies are insane.

So, these cookies are SO good guys. I know I write a food blog and all, so you may have trust issues, but I’M TELLING YOU.

They have the perfect texture. Texture is everything in an oatmeal cookie, because nobody wants to be chomping on a granola bar full of oats. We want a nice soft chewy COOKIE, full of brown sugar and chocolate, that happens to have some chunky oats in it, and absolutely COMES THROUGH with that special, oat-y nutty flavor. (That flavor is not cinnamon, folks)

Instead of a special secret ingredient, I have a secret method for making these cookies the softest and chewiest. I want all that oat flavor, but I want to be eating a COOKIE in name and texture, not a dried-out granola bar. I love me some oats but this ain’t no breakfast, y’all. So we are blending up a significant amount of the oats in this recipe (and replacing some of the all-purpose flour with it). Don’t worry we are not blending all of them, there is still a cup of plain ol’ old fashioned oats that get dumped right into the dough.

close up of some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with flaky sea salt on parchment paper.

The non-secret ingredient or lack thereof

As I said, there is no secret ingredient in this recipe, and to be honest the magic of this recipe is more about what we’re NOT adding. NO cinnamon. NO molasses. No spices of any kind, no nuts.

I am a “more is more” type of person, so believe me, I tried all these versions. My final version focuses on the nutty, oat-y flavor of the oats. I’m not one to turn my nose up to the cinnamon and chocolate combination (try my Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies!) But I was NOT feeling the cinnamon for this recipe. In all my tests, I felt like it distracted from the subtle nutty flavor of the oats, and I really wanted to focus on that.

close up of single oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with flaky sea salt on top.

Chocolate chips > raisins

I mean, do we really need to talk about this? I LOVE my Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, they are truly amazing (and have dozens of 5-star reviews), but…you just can’t really beat chocolate. (btw, if you are into fruity oatmeal cookies, try my Dark Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies. It’s the one I based today’s recipe on.)

I did decrease the chocolate chip amount from the amount that I would put into a regular cookie recipe, like Chocolate Chip Cookies. As I said, I’m a “more is more” type of person, so I’m not the one skimping on chocolate. But Oatmeal cookies are fussy and can end up with a weird texture (or just completely falling apart) if you add TOO many mix-ins. I have tips for changing up the mix-ins in the notes of the recipe!

oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with melty chocolate split in half on parchment paper.

Email me this recipe plz

True story, on my final afternoon of testing, I had so many cookies and knew we wouldn’t be able to eat them all. So I packed them up on a paper plate and brought them with me to the church where I was scheduled to donate blood that afternoon. You know how they make you wait around for 15 minutes eating snacks after you donate, so you don’t pass out on the drive home? I added my cookies to the table with the snacks and called it good, I figured somebody would eat them.

This guy comes up to me halfway through my donation (when I’m sitting there squeezing the little foam ball they give you and trying not to look down) and he looks at me with wide eyes. “Did you bring those cookies?” he said this reverently, I swear. I said yeah, I brought them. He was practically speechless but told me that they were the best he’s ever had. I chuckled and said thanks. Later the same guy comes up and hands me a slip of paper with his email on it. Please email me that recipe, he said.

I was laughing guys. I said sure thing, you are in luck, I’m a food blogger and the recipe drops this Thursday, I’ll email it to you. (I didn’t say, “you and the 50,000 other people on my email list” 😂) He smiled and nodded. Had no idea what I was talking about, that’s ok 🤣

rows of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with flaky sea salt on parchment paper.

Here’s why these cookies are the GOAT:

  • Soft and CHEWY to the max, we are using all brown sugar in these cookies (which increases moisture)
  • Perfect oat flavor that is not taken over by spices
  • No raisins (say goodbye to all your trust issues)
  • NO cinnamon, spices, or molasses—this is intentional, we really wanted to focus on the OAT flavor
  • They are thick and hearty (not fall-apart delicate) without tasting like you’re chomping on a granola bar
  • They take just a few minutes to make, start to finish, using normal pantry ingredients.
finger and thumb holding up a baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies recipe ingredients

ingredients to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies like flour, butter, sugar, and more.

This recipe is a quick prep, pantry-staple recipe! Take a look through this list to get a handle on what you’ll need. As always, the full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions is in the recipe card at the bottom of the post!

  • butter
  • brown sugar
  • vanilla
  • eggs
  • flour
  • baking soda
  • baking powder
  • kosher salt
  • old-fashioned oats
  • semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

How to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

First we want to make sure that our butter is nice and soft. Poke a finger in it just to make sure.

top: finger in softened butter, bottom: brown sugar in butter in mixing bowl.

Next add in alllll the brown sugar. No white sugar in this recipe! We want all the moisture in brown sugar, and the little hint of molasses flavor (Even though, I know, I said we are not adding molasses to this recipe…but we still want the little hint from the brown sugar.)

Add in an egg and an egg yolk, and beat it up. Oh and the vanilla.

top: egg yolks and vanilla in mixing bowl, bottom: mixed in with the creamed butter and sugar.

Do you need a refresher on how to spoon and level flour? Here we go!

top: hand holding empty measuring cup, bottom: red cup filled over the top with flour.

Add some flour to the 1 cup measurement until it’s mounded…

top: scraping extra flour off the top with another measuring cup, bottom: spooned and leveled.

Then scrape off the top, voila! No packed flour. We don’t want overly tough cookies as a result of too much flour.

Next we’re going to blend up some of our oats.

top: old fashioned oats in blender, bottom: blended oats in blender after blitzing.

And make it into oat flour! This takes like 2 seconds.

top: pouring blended oats into bowl with other dry ingredients, bottom mixed into dough.

Add the dry ingredients to the dough and stir it up.

top: dough in mixing bowl, bottom: chocolate chips added into the bowl on dough.

Thennnn add in all those chocolate chips. Yum.

top: chocolate chips totally mixed into dough, bottom: cookie scoop with dough balls.

Here is the cookie scoop I used. It’s about 1 and 3/4 inch across. Or, make your cookies just a little smaller than a golf ball.

Place on a pan with some space in between…

top: cookie dough balls on pan, bottom: baked flat cookies on parchment paper.

And bake for 9-10 minutes. Here they are right out of the oven, looking all flat and pancake-y. But just you wait…

top: hand using a spoon to shape the cookie, bottom: spoon shaping another cookie.

AS SOON as these cookies come out of the oven, and I mean within 30 seconds, hit up the edges with a regular spoon. Then SMOOOSH! Smoosh those cookies in on themselves and tighten up those edges. This makes the center of the cookies tall and fudgy, and avoids having edges that are overly flat and lacy crisp.

close up of a freshly baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.

I REALLY prefer an underbaked oatmeal cookie. I like the edges to be just browning, but the center still looking almost…raw, there I said it. Just about the size of a dime on top, still looking shiny. They will set up as they cool, I promise, and then you have THEE most incredibly soft and gooey cooled cookie later.

finger pushing a chocolate chip into a baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.

And then finally, add in those last chocolate chips.

I sprinkled my cookies with Maldon Sea Salt because when I was taking the pictures, I wanted to add a little something something to capture the eye. My son Truman was outraged. He loves oatmeal chocolate chip cookies more than life itself (he requests them constantly) and is not a salty-sweet fan. So, as pretty as it looks, and especially if you are feeding children, you might want to skip the sea salt 😉

close up of some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with flaky sea salt on parchment paper.

But it sure does look pretty, ha! I’m about ready to eat 12 of these now excuse me.

How to store chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

Because of the oats, these cookies can get dry if left out too long. Once cool, place any baked cookies in a container with an air-tight lid or in a ziplock bag. They will be good (as in, not harmful to eat) for at least 4 days. BUT, they will start to dry out and the quality will get worse as the days go on. I like to bake and eat or gift these cookies within 24 hours of baking. If you know you can’t eat the whole batch within a day or two of baking, only bake what you need and freeze the rest of the unbaked dough!

close up of an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with melty chips on parchment paper.

Can I freeze the dough or baked cookies?

One of the great things about making cookie dough is freezing the pre-scooped dough so you can have delicious cookies whenever you darn well feel like it in the future. To freeze, scoop the cookie dough and line as many dough balls as you can fit on a silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet. Once the sheet is full or you run out of dough, stick the whole pan in the freezer to flash freeze. After 30 minutes, move the cookie dough balls to a freezer ziplock bag and seal well. The cookie dough will last in the freezer for 3-4 months! To bake, follow the instructions in the recipe card but add 1-2 minutes to the cook time.

You can also freeze baked cookies, but they will not last as long as unbaked cookie dough. The forced freezer air is SO dry and will eventually dry out baked cookies. But if you end up with way more baked cookies than you intended, the freezer is still an option. Freeze the baked cookies in a single layer on a cookie sheet for about 30 minutes, then transfer to a freezer ziplock bag. Plan to eat the cookies within 2-3 weeks before they dry out!

a gooey melty oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with flaky sea salt on top.

Frequently asked questions

what’s the difference between oatmeal raisin and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies?

The main difference is the mix-in! One has raisins, the other has chocolate chips. There are some slight changes to the recipe itself in addition though. For example, to account for the added moisture of the raisins there is a bit less oats in this recipe than its oatmeal raisin counterpart. That recipe also has cinnamon and molasses to emphasize the flavor or the raisins, whereas with this chocolate chip recipe we ditch those and more vanilla to bring out the oat and chocolate flavor.

are oatmeal cookies healthier than chocolate chip cookies?

Not really! Oats do have some fiber, which is always great, but if you’re looking for a low calorie swap this isn’t it. Instead, check out these Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies that have oats in them, but with much less butter and honey instead of white sugar.

can I use quick oats instead of old-fasioned oats?

Short answer is YES, but here’s more info: Quick oats tend to be more powdery, and almost more flour-like than old-fashioned oats. That means you run the risk of your cookies absorbing the oats and even getting dried out. Old-fashioned oats keep their hearty texture and will help the cookie base keep more moisture for a chewier, heartier cookie overall.

what are the most common mistakes when making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies?

The most common mistakes tend to cause dry, tough cookies. Here are some tips to avoid that! One, be sure you’re measuring the flour correctly (spoon & level!) and be careful when measuring your oats. Too much of either ingredient will lead to dry cookies. Next, be sure you are not overworking the dough. Too much mixing will cause the gluten in the flour to develop and produce tough, dense, or even crumbly cookies. If you end up with melty, unstructured cookies, more than likely you used too much butter or the dough was too warm when you baked. Try refrigerating your dough before baking next time.

can you put chocolate chips in oatmeal cookies?

Instead of raisins? Yep! You can definitely do a direct swap. However, after trying many, many version of this recipe, I can tell you that I have a specific flavor I’m going for with my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and swapping out to just chocolate chips with any of my other recipes just wasn’t it. Try both and see which you like better!

finger and thumb pulling one half of an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie away from other half.

I have quite the love for cookies. They’re the perfect little pop of sweet-treat that work for just about any occasion, at pretty much any time of day. Holidays, birthdays, and especially those random Mondays are all just a little bit better when there are cookies involved! I’m listing some of my favorite kinds of oatmeal cookies here, but be sure to look at the Cookie Recipes page on my blog for nearly 100 cookie options :)

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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

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Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 32 cookies
I have been wanting to master an Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe for a LONG time and I'm so happy to finally be posting my favorite version!! This recipe is the result of many years of pondering and testing. Oatmeal cookies are serious business; I do not take my job lightly 😂 These cookies have a secret NON ingredient (you will find NO cinnamon or spice in this oat-devoted recipe.) The other secret is a method: blending up some of the oats for max oat-y nutty flavor but PERFECT melt-in-your-mouth chewy cookie texture. Say no to dried-out oatmeal passing as a cookie!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup butter, softened (1 and 1/2 sticks)
  • 1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed (I used dark brown sugar)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, (or use 1/2 teaspoon table salt)
  • 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats, (sometimes called "rolled oats")
  • 1 and 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats, blended or food processed into powder
  • 2 and 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 half baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  • Wet ingredients. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat 3/4 cup butter until is is soft and creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  • Add 1 and 1/2 cups packed brown sugar and beat into the butter. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat for another 2-3 minutes, until fluffy.
  • Add 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat well until incorporated, scraping the sides and bottom.
  • Dry ingredients. Add 1 cup all purpose flour (spooned and leveled!*) but don't mix it in yet.
  • On top of the flour in the bowl, add 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir it into the flour with a small spoon.
  • Use the beaters to stir the flour into the dough, but not all the way. Stop when the dough is still pretty white from the flour. Scrape down the edges.
  • Add 1 cup old fashioned oats.
  • To a blender or food processor, add 1 and 1/4 cups old fashioned oats. Blend until it looks like coarse flour, it shouldn't take more than 30-60 seconds.
  • Add the blended oat flour to the cookie dough.
  • Beat just until the flour streaks are gone and the oats are barely mixed in. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure it has all been mixed properly, but do not over mix (or you will get tough cookies).
  • Add 2 and 1/2 cups chocolate chips to the dough. Stir gently just until incorporated.
  • Optional chill: These cookies do NOT need to chill, but you will have to carefully spoon the cookies into shape when they are done baking. more on that below. See notes for details about chilling.
  • Use a cookie scoop (here is the exact cookie scoop I use, it's 1 and 3/4 inch across) to shape the cookie dough, or just use your hands. Your cookie dough balls should be just under 2 inches across, or a little bigger than a golf ball. About 1 and 3/4 tablespoons of dough.
  • Place the cookie dough on the prepared baking sheets with about 2 inches in between each cookie. I was able to fit 9 on a half baking sheet pan.
  • Bake at 325 for 9-10 minutes. The cookies should be firm on the edges and just starting to turn slightly golden on the sides. The center of the cookie may still look shiny. A little bit of shine is okay right in the center, about the size of a dime. If the whole top of the cookie is still shiny, leave the pan in the oven for 2-3 more minutes.
  • Remove the pan from the oven.
  • Spooning/reshaping technique: Immediately after you take the cookies out of the oven (seriously, don't wait) use two spoons to gently push each cookie together. I just use two regular spoons, the kind you eat cereal with. Push the cookie together so that it comes up a bit in the middle. That's how you're going to get a soft, thick center. If you wait even just a minute after taking them out of the oven, the brown edges will start to crisp up, and you won't be able to re-mold the cookies. Gently nudge your cookies with the spoons all the way around the edges so that you get a nice circle shape.
    Work quickly to shape all the cookies before they crisp on the edges; you have about 30 seconds. This sounds more stressful than it is, I promise! It just takes a second to do and COMPLETELY changes the texture of your cookies (Thick and fudgy in the center, crisp but not TOO crisp or lacy on the edges.) Be sure to check out the photos for more details.
  • Let the cookies set up on the pan for another 5-10 minutes after reshaping them. The cookies are very delicate if you try to eat them warm, but are perfectly sturdy once cooled (not that this has ever stopped me. Warm, falling apart cookie? IN MY MOUTH PLEASE)
  • Before the cookies cool completely, press extra chocolate chips into the top of each cookie, to look pretty.
  • Sprinkle the cookies with a light dusting of Maldon sea salt flakes, if you want! Some people love an extra salty punch with their cookies, but it's optional.
  • Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely. Partake with a glass of milk.
  • Store covered on the counter until they disappear.
  • Freezing: Line as many dough balls as you can fit on a lined cookie sheet. Once the sheet is full or you run out of dough, put the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes. Then, move the cookie dough balls to a freezer ziplock bag and seal well. The cookie dough will last in the freezer for 3-4 months! To bake, follow the instructions in the recipe, but add 1-2 minutes to the cook time. Follow the same instructions for baked cookies, but eat them within 3 weeks so they don't dry out!

Notes

*SPOON AND LEVEL:Spooned and leveled” means you should scoop the flour into the measuring cup, so that it’s mounded, and then level off the top so it’s flat. See photos. You want to make sure you are measuring lightly and not packing the flour in.
MAKE AHEAD: You can make this dough ahead of time and freeze for later. Shape the dough into balls, seal in a ziplock, and freeze for up to 3 months. No need to thaw before baking; put them frozen into a preheated oven and add 2-3 minutes to the bake time. Once the dough has been frozen, there is not as much need to use spoons to smoosh them together, although you can if you want.
OPTIONAL MIX-INS: You can use whatever mix-ins you like in this recipe! Just remove the same amount of chocolate chips. So if you want to add 1/2 cup nuts, remove 1/2 cup chocolate chips from this recipe. If you want to add 1 cup coconut, do it (toast it first!!) but remove 1 cup chocolate chips from this recipe.
CAN I USE RAISINS INSTEAD? Yes, of course! but if that’s your vibe, just hop over to my Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe and make those instead. They have over 75 reviews and are SO good. There are quite a few changes from this recipe and I think they are amazing. For example, you wouldn’t want to miss the plumping-raisins step!! Game changer. 
OPTIONAL CHILLING: Chilling is not necessary, but be sure to follow the reshaping technique as described if you don’t chill. To chill: Cover the dough and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 48 hours. If you are in a big hurry, you can shape the dough into balls right away, set them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking (they will chill faster if they are already shaped into balls).

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Potassium: 123mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 156IU | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 199
Keyword: chewy, chocolate chip, Cookies, Oatmeal, soft
Did you make this? I’d love to see it!Mention @thefoodcharlatan or tag #thefoodcharlatan!

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