This chewy Oatmeal Cookies recipe with a hint of cinnamon is a classic choice. Top with icing or turn them into oatmeal cream pies!
We are making these for Christmas along with our other favorite cookie recipes: sugar cookies, peanut butter blossoms, and hot chocolate cookie cups!
Oatmeal cookies are my husband’s favorite holiday cookies, especially when we add M&M’s or chocolate chips! Whether you like them plain, iced, with something crunchy mixed in, or as oatmeal cream pies, they are a holiday tradition!
Here’s Everything You Need To Make The BEST Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients Needed
The ingredients needed to make this oatmeal cookies recipe are pantry staples! Stock up on flour, oats, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla for the pantry so that you are ready to make all of your family’s holiday favorites. Here are the ingredients we used and what each of them does for the cookies.
- Fats: This recipe calls for a combination of shortening and butter. Shortening helps the cookies rise more and gives them a light texture. It also prevents the cookies from spreading too much. On the other hand, butter brings flavor and helps make the cookies crispy.
- Sugars: We like using a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar for the best flavor and texture.
- Eggs: The eggs add fat and moisture to these cookies and provide structure and leavening.
- Grains: All-purpose flour and rolled oats provide the structure for the cookies and gives them shape and texture. Rolled oats are also known as old-fashioned oats. Although you can use quick oats instead of rolled oats, the cookies may not hold their shape as well or have the same texture.
- Leaveners: Baking soda is used as a leavener in this recipe.
- Flavor: Besides the butter and sugar, the flavoring comes from vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and salt.
How To Make Oatmeal Cookies
Making homemade oatmeal cookies is similar to making chocolate chip cookies, but part of the flour is oats instead. We often add chocolate chips or M&M’s to these cookies depending on the occasion and what we have on hand.
Cream the Fats and Sugars: Creaming the butter and shortening with the granulated sugar and brown sugar means that you are beating them together at a medium-high speed to form a well-combined creamy mixture that is light in color and fluffy in texture.
Beat in the Eggs and Vanilla: Add the eggs and vanilla and continue beating until combined.
Stir in the Dry Ingredients: Combine the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl before stirring them into the batter. This will help ensure that the baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt are evenly dispersed throughout the cookie dough. Finally, stir in the rolled oats.
Scoop the Dough Onto Baking Sheets: We recommend using a cookie dough scoop to form the cookie dough balls because it gives you even amounts of dough each time. This helps the cookies finish baking at the same time and makes each cookie the same size.
Bake the Cookies: Bake at 350˚F for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely before storing.
Recipe Variations
There’s nothing like old fashioned oatmeal cookies, but sometimes it’s fun to make a few variations using the classic recipe!
Oatmeal Cream Pies
You can use these chewy oatmeal cookies to make the most delicious copycat oatmeal cream pies! My family can’t get enough of this homemade version.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely.
- Make buttercream frosting and stir in some marshmallow cream to make it light and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting onto the bottom of one cookie and top it with a second cookie.
- Gently press on the two cookies to squeeze the frosting out to the edge of the cookies.
Iced Oatmeal Cookies
We also love iced oatmeal cookies, so we often add glace icing to half of the cookies and leave the other half plain.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely.
- Make glace icing with powdered sugar, half-n-half, corn syrup, and vanilla.
- Spoon the icing over the cookies.
- Allow the icing to harden and set before storing them.
Cookie Storage
Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing them. Place the chewy oatmeal cookies in an airtight container (or ziptop bag) with pieces of parchment paper between layers. Store them at room temperature for 3-4 days. Or store them in the freezer for up to 4 weeks. Thaw them at room temperature before serving.
How To Freeze Cookie Dough
If you want to prepare the oatmeal cookie dough ahead of time and bake the cookies later, you can freeze the cookie dough balls. Form the dough balls using a dough scoop and place them in the freezer in a single layer on a pan or a plate for 30-60 minutes to partially freeze. Then, transfer them to an air-tight freezer bag. When ready to bake, remove the cookie dough balls and let them thaw on a baking sheet at room temperature for 20 minutes before baking as instructed.
Frequently Asked Questions
It could be because the dough was overmixed, the ratio of ingredients was off, the cookies were overbaked, or they weren’t stored properly.
Both kinds of cookies are a dessert, although depending on the recipe, oatmeal cookies will probably have more fiber.
You can use quick oats instead of rolled oats, but the cookies may be puffier/softer and might not have the same chewy texture as ones made with old-fashioned rolled oats.
Similar Recipes
- Chocolate Chip Cookies – The most loved cookie and a popular choice year-round.
- Snickerdoodles – Soft and chewy cookies with a hint of cinnamon and sugar.
- Peanut Butter Cookies – The perfect cookies to enjoy with a cup of milk.
- Molasses Cookies – An irresistible combination of ginger and molasses.
Oatmeal Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup shortening
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ½ cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour spoon into measuring cups and level with the back of a knife
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups rolled oats also called old fashioned oats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F degrees. Mix together shortening and butter until combined.
- Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Beat for 1-2 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt. Add to the mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Stir in the rolled oats.
- Use a #40 dough scoop (about 2 tablespoons) to make dough balls. Place on parchment-covered baking sheets with at least two inches of space between balls of dough.
- Bake at 350˚F for 7-9 minutes.
- Top with powdered sugar glace icing, if desired.
