These chewy oatmeal cookies are soft in the middle, crisp on the edges, and totally addictive.

Why You'll Love These

Made with pantry staples, these cookies have that classic chewy texture thanks to a mix of rolled oats, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
They're big, bakery-style cookies—but you can make them smaller if you want! Perfect for lunchboxes, holiday trays, or sneaky freezer snacks.

Recipe Ingredients 👇👇

Ingredients You'll Need:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter - softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

Optional Add-Ins:

1 cup raisins or chocolate chips

BAKING TIP: One of the biggest secrets to a large, flat, crunchy bakery-style cookie is in the sugar. That’s why this recipe uses a combination of white granulated and brown sugar to give the best results.

Oatmeal Cookies Recipe Instructions:

Two images of a bowl with dry ingredients, first unmixed, second mixed.

Full ingredients and instructions are also in the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.

STEP 1: Preheat Oven

Set your oven to 350°F.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray. This helps the cookies bake evenly and prevents sticking.

STEP 2: Mix the dry ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
Set this bowl aside—having this mix ready makes it easier when you're working with the wet ingredients.

Four images grouped of a bowl with hand mixer. First with two sticks of butter, second with creamed butter, third with brown sugar and white sugar dumped over top. Fourth with creamed sugar in butter

STEP 3: Cream the butter and sugars

In a large bowl, beat 1 cup softened butter with a hand mixer for about 1 minute until creamy.
Add 1 cup brown sugar and ½ cup granulated sugar.
Beat for another 2–3 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Tip: This step is key! Proper creaming creates that soft, chewy texture and helps the cookies spread just right.

Four images grouped together of a bowl with hand mjxer. First is creamed butter with eggs and vanilla extract, second with creamed mixture, third with flour dumped on top, fourth with brown colored cookie dough

STEP 4: Add eggs and vanilla

Crack in 2 large eggs and pour in 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Mix until just combined. Don’t overdo it—you want to avoid beating too much air into the batter.

STEP 5: Combine wet and dry ingredients

Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
Use the mixer on low speed, or switch to a spatula.
Mix until just combined. The dough will be thick.

Bowl of cookie dough with rolled oats dumped on top and a spatula. Second image is oatmeal cookie dough in a bowl

STEP 6: Fold in the oats

Add 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats.
Use a spatula to fold them in by hand until evenly distributed.
This gives the cookies their signature chewy bite.

Optional: You can also fold in 1 cup chocolate chips or raisins at this stage.

Four images of baking sheet. FIrst two are oatmeal cookie dough balls on sheet, third is baked oatmeal cookies on sheet, fourth is cookies on cooling rack

STEP 7: Scoop the dough

Use a cookie scoop or spoon to drop 2 Tbsp of dough per cookie onto the baking sheet.
Leave 2 inches of space between each one—they’ll spread out while baking.

STEP 8: Bake

Bake for 11–13 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
The centers may still look slightly soft—that’s okay!

STEP 9: Cool the cookies

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
They’ll firm up as they cool.

Tip: Use a thin metal spatula for easy transfer without breaking the cookies.

Stack of oatmeal cookies on top of eachother

Recipe Tips

Use softened butter (not cold or melted!) for proper creaming.
Don’t use quick oats—they’ll make the cookies dry and crumbly.
For smaller cookies: Use 1 Tbsp of dough and reduce baking time slightly.
Use a thin metal spatula to transfer cookies to the cooling rack without breaking.
These are great with raisins, chocolate chips, or even chopped nuts!

How To Store Leftovers

Counter/Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Freezer: Freeze in a sealed bag for up to 6 months.
(Tip: Freeze in a single layer first, then stack in the bag once solid.)

Troubleshooting Tips

Cookies spread too much?

Your butter may have been too soft or melted.
Try chilling the dough for 15–20 minutes before baking.
Make sure you're using parchment paper, not a greased sheet (too much grease = more spread).

Cookies didn’t spread enough?

You may have added too much flour—scoop flour into the measuring cup with a spoon, then level off.
Check that your baking soda and baking powder are still fresh!

Cookies are dry or crumbly?

Don’t use quick oats—they absorb too much moisture.
Make sure you used 2 eggs and real butter (not margarine).
Don’t overbake! Pull them out when the centers still look slightly soft.

Too flat and greasy?

You may have overmixed the dough or used melted butter.
Always start with softened, not melted, butter.

Close up of the texture of oatmeal cookies

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