Thin and chewy oatmeal cookies are crispy on the edges yet chewy in the center. These bakery-quality cookies are packed with wholesome oats and just the right amount of sweetness. Whether baking for a special occasion or just craving a sweet snack, these oatmeal cookies will surely satisfy.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients and Perfect Texture: These cookies are made with pantry staples you're likely to have on hand, like old-fashioned oats, granulated and brown sugar, and butter, to create the perfect texture.
- Quick and Easy: With straightforward steps and minimal prep time, you can whip up a batch in no time.
- Versatile: This basic recipe can be customized with your favorite add-ins, such as chocolate chips, raisins, or nuts, for a personalized touch.
- Crowd-Pleaser: These cookies are a hit with young and old alike, making them perfect for any gathering.
Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need
Making the Cookie Dough: Step-by-Step
- I started by beating together room-temperature butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar until creamy. This took a minute or two.
- I scrapped down the sides of the bowl, and added the egg, vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. I beat these ingredients together on medium speed until they were well combined. This took about a minute
- After that, I added the flour and beat the mixture on low just until the flour was incorporated into the dough.
- Finally, I added the old-fashioned oats and beat the mixture on low just until the oats were incorporated.
Forming the Baking the Cookies
- Once the dough was ready, I used a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion it onto a parchment-lined half-baking sheet. I knew the cookie dough would spread quite a bit, so I only added eight balls of dough—three on the outsides of the pan and two in the middle. I spaced the cookie dough 2 ½ inches apart.
- To achieve perfectly round cookies, I rolled each piece of cookie dough into a round ball between the palms of my hands.
- Then, I flattened each dough ball to about ½ inch to ensure the cookies baked evenly.
- I baked the cookies in a preheated 350°F oven for about 15 minutes until they were a deep golden brown and then removed them from the oven. While the cookies were still hot and pliable, I used a dinner knife to correct for any imperfections and better form them into perfect circles.
- After allowing the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about five minutes, I transferred them to a wire rack to cool completely.
I ended up with 20 amazing 4-inch oatmeal cookies. The edges were nice and crispy, and the interior was chewy.
These cookies are a perfect treat for any occasion and are sure to become a favorite in your household. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
Old-fashioned oats provide the best texture in this recipe. However, you can use quick oats in a pinch. The texture will be slightly different.
Absolutely! Cover the dough and refrigerate for several days, or portion the dough into balls and freeze for up to 3 months.
If stored in an airtight container at room temperature, these cookies will stay fresh for up to a week. For longer storage, freeze the cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
Some cookie recipes recommend refrigerating the dough before baking to prevent the cookies from spreading too much. For this recipe, however, refrigeration is not necessary. You want the cookies to spread to achieve a thin and chewy texture.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- To ensure consistent results, use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients accurately, especially for the flour, sugars, and oats.
- Cookie recipes typically involve whisking or sifting the dry ingredients together before adding them to the wet ingredients. Some years back, I decided to skip this step and beat in the salt, baking powder, and/or baking soda before adding the flour. My rationale was that this would better incorporate these ingredients. This works like a charm!
- To achieve perfectly round cookies that are the same, use a cookie scoop to portion the dough. Then roll the dough into round balls and flatten to about ½ inch. When the cookies come out of the oven and are still pliable, I like to take a dinner knife and correct any imperfections.
- With the 2-tablespoon cookie scoop that I used to portion the dough, these cookies were 4 inches in diameter. If you prefer a smaller cookie, use a smaller cookie scoop and reduce the cooking time slightly.
Other Oatmeal Cookie Recipes
If you're a fan of oatmeal cookies like I am, you should check out these amazing recipes.
This recipe was inspired by America's Test Kitchen Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookie from The Perfect Cookie Cookbook.
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Thin and Chewy Oatmeal Cookies: A Perfect Treat
Equipment
- 3 Half Sheet Pans
- Parchment paper
- Electric Mixer
- 2 tablespoon cookie scoop (See Tip 1)
Ingredients
- 14 Tablespoons (7 ounces, 198 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (7 ounces, 198 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (1.875 ounces, 53 grams) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (0.36 ounces, 10 grams) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (See Tip 2)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (5 ounces, 142 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups (7.5 ounces, 213 grams) old-fashioned oats (See Tip 3)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line half sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner. set aside.
- Add unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar to a large bowl. Beat at high speed until creamy, for about one minute.
- Add egg, vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat at medium speed until well combined, about one minute.
- Add flour. Beat on low just until combined.
- Add oats. Beat on low just until combined.
- Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the dough into 8 pieces. Roll the dough between the palms of your hands into smooth, round balls, flatten to about ½ inch, and place 2 ½ inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. (See Tip 4)
- Bake at 350°F for 14 to 16 minutes, or until a deep golden brown all over.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet for five minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
- Yield: 20 4-inch cookies. (See Tip 5)
Video
Tips/Notes
- The cookies made with the two-tablespoon cookie scoop are quite substantial—measuring a generous 4 inches in diameter. Those who prefer smaller cookies should opt for a smaller cookie scoop and adjust the baking time accordingly.
- Table salt may be substituted for the fine sea salt.
- Do not substitute quick or instant oats in this recipe. Old-fashioned oats maintain the spreading of the cookies.
- Because of the amount of spread when the cookies bake, it's best to limit the number of cookies per baking sheet to eight. Place the cookie dough in three rows on the baking sheet, with three cookies in the outer rows and two cookies in the center row.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze them for up to three months.
Stef says
I never leave comments for recipes but these cookies are truly the best!! Had been on the hunt for the perfect chewy oatmeal cookie of my dreams and this is it. I’ve also tried them by adding a bit of nutmeg and chocolate chips as well. Delicious.
Chula King says
So glad you liked the recipe Stef! Adding nutmeg and chocolate chips sounds Yummy.
Chula