Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

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

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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

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!

Prep Time25

Cook Time10

Total Time35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Calories: 199kcal

Author: The Food Charlatan

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