Thin and Chewy Oatmeal Cookies: A Perfect Treat

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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
Ingredients – Here’s What You’ll Need
Making the Cookie Dough: Step-by-Step
Forming the Baking the Cookies
Frequently Asked Questions
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Other Oatmeal Cookie Recipes
Recipe

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

I started by beating together room-temperature butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar until creamy. This took a minute or two.

Butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar in a bowl.

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.

Cookie dough portioned onto parchment-lined baking sheet.

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

Can quick oats be substituted for old-fashioned oats?

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.

Can the cookie dough be made in advance?

Absolutely! Cover the dough and refrigerate for several days, or portion the dough into balls and freeze for up to 3 months.

How long will these cookies last?

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.

Is it necessary to refrigerate the dough before baking?

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.

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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