These oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are made with oats, butter, and brown sugar and are the softest, chewiest oatmeal cookies to come out of my kitchen. Use this perfect oatmeal cookie as the base for other add-ins such as raisins, dried cranberries, and nuts. Cinnamon and a touch of molasses add that little something extra.
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photos and helpful success tips.
Today we’re mixing big chewy oats with the flavors of butter, brown sugar, a touch of molasses, a dash of cinnamon, and a mountain of chocolate chips.
One reader, Kelly commented: “These are hands down the best oatmeal choco chip cookies I’ve ever made! Soft and chewy, I followed the recipe exactly except for adding 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Perfection. ★★★★★“
And another, Valerie, commented: “More compliments than I have ever heard from my family and friends, and I bake a lot! ★★★★★“
My Favorite Base Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
These soft & chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies start from my base oatmeal cookie recipe and it makes quite a few appearances in my cookbook, Sally’s Cookie Addiction. I’m a firm believer in having a handful of base recipes from which you can develop virtually hundreds of variations. For example: my standard muffin recipe. This chocolate cookie dough and this peanut butter cookie dough have both inspired quite a few spin offs as well.
The cookies have a slightly crisp edge with a soft center and enough chew that the cookie won’t immediately break when you bend it. A “slow bend cookie” as I like to call them—and this is the key difference between a regular oatmeal cookie and a really great oatmeal cookie.
They’re also:
- Supremely soft, buttery, and flavorful. Using more brown sugar than white helps guarantee a flavorful base.
- Super chewy thanks to old-fashioned oats. Thick whole rolled oats, not quick oats, guarantee a chewier cookie. Quick oats are finer; you simply don’t get the same texture.
- Loaded with chocolate chips. Lots of chocolate in every single bite. And for my fellow raisin lovers: try subbing in half raisins. The dough is pretty similar to my oatmeal raisin cookies.
- Taste just like grandma’s. I find the 1 Tablespoon of molasses is what makes these taste like grandma’s old-fashioned oatmeal cookies. I strongly encourage adding it.
About the molasses, one reader, Hannah, commented: “These cookies are FANTASTIC! I’ll admit, I was a little skeptical about adding the molasses, but it added a depth to the cookies that I wasn’t expecting. Bookmarking to use again for sure! ★★★★★“
Key Ingredients You Need & Why:
- Baking Soda: Baking soda helps the cookies rise and spread.
- Butter: Butter is the base of any delicious cookie recipe. Make sure you are using room-temperature butter.
- Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: Sugar is not only used for sweetness, but also for providing structure and tenderness. I like to use more brown sugar than white sugar because (1) it has incredible flavor and (2) it contains more moisture than white, which produces a softer cookie.
- Molasses: Molasses is my secret ingredient! 1 scant Tablespoon enhances all the wonderful flavors of these buttery, cinnamon-sweet cookies.
- Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon, & Salt: Each provide flavor. You can also top the cookies with a little flaky sea salt for more flavor.
- Oats: Oats provide a chewy texture, and there is no shortage in this dough! I use and recommend old fashioned whole oats here—just like I do for flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies and big giant monster cookies.
How to Make Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
I especially love this recipe because the process is quick & simple—with minimal dough chilling.
Whisk the dry ingredients together. Just the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt—you’ll add the oats later. Use an electric mixer for the wet ingredients, then add the dry ingredients and mix in the oats and chocolate chips.
The dough will be thick and sticky:
Chill the cookie dough. I recommend at least 45 minutes in the refrigerator, which helps prevent the cookies from overspreading.
How Large Do I Make the Cookies?
These are drop-style cookies, so scoop the dough and drop it onto the baking sheets. 1.5 Tablespoons (30g) for regular-size cookies, 2 T. (40g) for large cookies (pictured), or 3 T. (60g) for XL cookies!
Success Tip: Use a cookie scoop. Oatmeal cookie dough is super chunky and soft, and this one can get pretty sticky. A cookie scoop not only prevents a mess, it also helps ensure all cookies are the same size and shape.
The cookies are done when the edges are set and the centers still look soft. After baking, I like to lightly press a few more chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies while they’re still warm. This is optional and just for looks. I also add a light sprinkling of flaky sea salt, which, again, is optional.
Here are the 3 characteristics we should look for in oatmeal cookies: Slow bend, chewy goodness, and ultra soft. Check, check, check! Today’s cookies have it all.
And if you’re looking for a peanut butter version, try my peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies next!
Print
Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 24 minutes
- Yield: 32-35 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
With oats, butter, and mostly all brown sugar, you are guaranteed a soft and chewy oatmeal cookie. Use this perfect oatmeal cookie as the base for other add-ins such as raisins, dried cranberries, and nuts. Cinnamon and a touch of molasses add that little something extra. To prevent the cookies from over-spreading, don’t skip the brief dough refrigeration in step 4.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) unsulphured or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap; I prefer Grandma’s brand)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups (255g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 and 3/4 cups (315g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- optional: flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until combined and creamed, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, molasses, and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Beat in the oats and chocolate chips. Dough will be thick and sticky.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 45 minutes in the refrigerator (and up to 4 days). If chilling for longer than a few hours, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite firm.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough, about 2 Tablespoons (40g) of dough per cookie, which is a heaping cookie scoop-ful, and place 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 13–14 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. While the cookies are still warm, I like to press a few more chocolate chips into the tops and sprinkle with flaky sea salt—both are optional!
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. See step 4. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Molasses: 1 Tablespoon of molasses helps give these cookies incredible flavor. Be sure to use unsulphured or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap; I prefer Grandma’s brand). If you don’t have any, simply leave it out. Do not replace with anything else. Likewise, cinnamon adds flavor as well. Not necessary, but it sure is tasty!
- Different Size Cookies: Use 1.5 Tablespoons (30g) for regular-size cookies, 2 T. (40g) for large cookies (what is pictured), or 3 T. (60g) for XL cookies. The bake time will be a minute or so shorter for regular-size and a minute or so longer for XL cookies.
- Can I Add Raisins or Chopped Nuts? Yes, you can add either. I recommend 1 cup (180g) chocolate chips and 3/4 cup either raisins (110g) or chopped walnuts or pecans (100g).
Reader Comments and Reviews
This is a very good cookie! But before you bake this for your family, be sure that you’re baking for people who really love oatmeal. Maybe that should go without saying but this is oatmeal heavy with a small amount of flour, not a lot of sugar and it’s almost more in line with a breakfast cookie or granola bar kind of territory. If your target audience loves oatmeal, they will love it. If they don’t, it’s just not gonna land.
And for what it’s worth, if your target audience likes oatmeal raisin cookies specifically, her recipe is incredible but again the people have to really love oatmeal
Hello. I tried this recipe today and it was delicious. The only issue I had was that the cookies didn’t spread out. On the second batch I flattened them out with a fork. I didn’t have any molasses so made them without this ingredient. Otherwise, I followed the recipe to a tee. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Deb, how did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour isn’t over measured, which can dry out cookies and soak up too much of the wet ingredients, making it difficult for the cookies to spread. See this post on 5 cookie baking tips, specifically the section on “What if my cookies AREN’T spreading?”, for more troubleshooting tips. Thank you for giving these a try!
1 cup of butter is not 2 sticks.
Hi Livia, we’re not sure what you mean. In the US, standard sticks of butter are 1/2 cup each.
Yes it definitely is lol
Is the molasses completely necessary? There are not a lot of available supply of it in my area :<.
You can leave it out if you don’t have any!
Delicious recipe! Followed the recipe exactly and wouldn’t change a thing!
I have been making this for the past 5 years. I recently moved to a new country and I don’t have a baking oven yet. Is this possible to bake in an oven toaster? If yes, what temperature and how long should I bake it? Thank you for your help.
Hi Elaine, we haven’t tested these in a toaster oven so we’re unsure of the baking instructions. Let us know if you do give it a try!
Followed the recipe except only 1 cup of chocolate chips and added 3/4 cup of craisins (cranberry raisins). Perfect for what I wanted. Crisp outside, chewy, soft center. Liked the recipe.
Made cookies as recipe written, weighing ingredients. Found cookies extremely gooey and overly sweet
due to the chocolate chips. I would personally prefer either less chocolate or even no chocolate. As this is a good basic base for add-ins I’ll make them again but with nuts and/or cruising. Also they do spread and flatten a lot so not as pretty as some cookies.
Amazing recipe! I used 1/2 a cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 a cup of brown sugar (1/2 cup less than what the recipe calls for) and the cookies turned out perfectly sweet. I added shredded coconut, almonds, and cranberries to the dough and it baked up so nicely as well! Great, versatile recipe.
I’ve been making these for many years and always come back to them. I may wander sometimes and trial some other choc chip recipes but my family always come to the same conclusion: None match this recipe!
My 97 year old mom said, “These are the only cookies you ever need to bake.” So delicious – I usually bake for others, but I always save some of these (maybe more than a few) for me.
is this the same batter as your soft and chewy oatmeal cookies? I noticed it was taken down 🙁 they were my favorites!!
Hi Celine, We are so sorry there was a temporary problem with that recipe yesterday. It’s back up and working now: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/soft-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/
This is a delicious recipe! It’s amazing with the chocolate chips, but I think I actually like the cookies best without them. You can’t go wrong either way. I think I’ll add some nuts next time too, just to try it out. This recipe is now in my permanent baking rotation!
Earlier, I sent you a comment asking about using your Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe with a few changes to accommodate my brother’s preference for oatmeal cookies with craisins and nuts instead of raisins. I just found and read your recipe for Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. You stated it was a good base for other add-ins such as nuts and craisins. Your notes provided the quantity for adding raisins or chopped nuts. Thanks again for great recipes and the wonderful notes you share on each recipe.
Perfect!!!
I just made these, and they are delicious! I followed the instructions to a T. Made sure eggs and butter were at room temperature and refrigerated the dough for about 35 minutes. They turned out perfect and I’ve definitely saved this recipe!
I always weigh ingredients. twice I made these with the weights listed, and twice the oven spread was dramatic!! So.. I weighed out the measured by volume(3 cups) oats…lo and behold- 330 grams! Cookies, once adjusted, were great!
I just landed on this recipe and my cookies are spreading super far also! I always weight out my ingredients as well. So you added more oats and it fixed the issue? I was debating adding more flour but don’t want to ruin the flavor. What is the best thing to do here?