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. These are the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!
Have you ever made my chewy chocolate chip cookies recipe? I have the recipe memorized—I make them all the time! But it’s time to add another legendary recipe to our chocolate chip cookie repertoire. Today we’re mixing big chewy oats with lots of butter, brown sugar, a touch of molasses, a dash of cinnamon, and… glorious chocolate chips.
Start preheating your ovens!
This is My Favorite Base Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
Today’s soft & chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies start from my base oatmeal cookie recipe. This base recipe has quickly developed into my favorite and makes quite a few appearances in 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 master muffin recipe. Or my favorite recipe for vanilla cupcakes which you can try many ways—peanut butter & jelly cupcakes, piñata cupcakes, pistachio cupcakes, chocolate caramel coconut cupcakes, and mimosa cupcakes all stem from the same base vanilla cupcake recipe. My peanut butter cookies have inspired quite a few spinoffs, too!
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
How to Make Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
I especially love this recipe because the process is quick & simple—minimal dough chilling!
- Whisk the dry ingredients together. Just the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt—you’ll add the oats later.
- Mix the wet ingredients together.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
- Add 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.
- Scoop cookie dough balls. About 3 Tablespoons of dough per cookie—yes, these are LARGE!
- Bake. The cookies are done when the edges are set and the centers still look soft.
Baker’s Tip: Use a cookie scoop. I never use a cookie scoop when making chocolate chip cookies, but I swear by using one with oatmeal cookies. Oatmeal cookie dough is super chunky and soft, and this one can get a little sticky. A cookie scoop not only prevents a mess, it also helps ensure all cookies are the same size and shape. I recommend the large cookie scoop which holds 3 Tablespoon of cookie dough. Exactly what we’re aiming for with these hearty chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. They’re BIG.
Why You’ll Love These Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Three characteristics I look for in oatmeal cookies? Slow bend, chewy goodness, and ultra soft. Check, check, and check! (This recipe is a lot like my oatmeal raisin cookies.) These oatmeal chocolate chip cookies have a slightly crisp edge with a soft center and enough chew that it won’t immediately break when you bend it. A “slow bend cookie” as I like to call them—and this is what makes a regular oatmeal cookie a really great oatmeal cookie. They’re also:
- Super soft and hearty.
- Supremely buttery and flavorful. Using more brown sugar than white helps guarantee a more flavorful base.
- Super chewy thanks to old-fashioned oats. Thick old-fashioned whole rolled oats, not quick oats, guarantee a chewier cookie. Quick oats are thinner and more powder-y; you simply don’t get the same texture.
- Loaded with extra chocolate chips! I like to use both regular size and mini chocolate chips. This guarantees more chocolate in every single bite. And for my fellow raisin lovers: try subbing in half raisins with the chocolate chips. BEST COOKIE EVER.
- Taste just like how grandma used to make them. I find the 1 Tablespoon of molasses is what makes these taste like grandma’s old fashioned oatmeal cookies. I strongly encourage you to add it.
Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 24 minutes
- Yield: 22 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. These are the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!
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 (2 sticks; 230g) 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 semi-sweet chocolate chips*
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat on medium-high speed until creamed, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, molasses, and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, beat in the oats and both types of chocolate chips. Dough will be thick and sticky. Cover and chill 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 hard.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Use a large cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough, about 3 Tablespoons of dough per cookie, and place 4 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 wire rack to cool completely. While the cookies are still warm, I like to press a few more chocolate chips into the tops—this is only for looks!
- 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 3.) 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 | Large 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!
- Chocolate Chips: I like using 1 and 1/4 cups regular size chocolate chips and 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips. Varying sizes ensure more chocolate in each bite. You can, of course, just use 1 and 3/4 cups regular size chocolate chips. You can even try 1 cup chocolate chips and 3/4 cup raisins. Yum!
Keywords: oatmeal cookies
Can you make these cookies smaller?
Hi Sue, you can! The bake time will be less, so just keep an eye on them.
I absolutely love this recipie, 11/10 if not better! Been making this recipie for a while when I decided to switch to weighing all the ingredients (not just the flour and sugars). The cookies started coming out very thin and extremely wet. Finally figured out that when I switched to weighing the oatmeal I was using almost a full cup less than the 3 cups in the recipie. In summary, the 3 cups of oatmeal weighs closer to 320g; not the 255g stated in the recipie. I’ve finally got my groove back!
★★★★★
Can’t wait to try this! By any chance can i use regular instant oats?
Hi Meagan, that would work in a pinch, but quick oats are thinner and much more powdery, so your cookies will be a bit dry. We highly recommend waiting to make them with whole old fashioned oats if you can.
Delicious! My first batch came out a little crunchy, so baked the second for only 10 minutes and they were perfect!
★★★★★
We love these cookies! We have a grandson who is Type 1 Diabetic and we need to count carbs. Where can I find the nutrition breakdown for this recipe?
Hi Brenda, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Hi Sally, can I use brown butter + 30ml of milk to keep the moisture?
Hi Diana, here is our brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe–we recommend using that instead!
Perfect, every time!
I’ve gained a reputation at my school for being the baker. I brought these cookies and they were all gone before lunch. I even doubled the recipe! This is one of the best cookie recipes I have ever used
★★★★★
Hi Sally, I made this for my grandma!! She loves them and I make them all the time for myself. However, i skip the granulated sugar because i am a fit boy.
Best
Alex from Mtl
I CRAVE these cookies most days. I sub granulated sugar for Splenda to make it a teensie bit “healthier” but other than that, this recipe is perfect. I make these cookies at least once a month. I’m so glad I stumbled on your site. 95% of my baked goods come out fantastic! (5% operator error ). Your recipes are the only ones I trust! Thank you, Sally.
★★★★★
Oops, forgot to rate it…lol.
Excellent recipe when followed exactly as printed.
★★★★★
Followed the recipe exactly! These are huge and delicious and oh so chocolatey! Turned out perfectly too. Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
This was a good and the best recipe ever that I have made
★★★★★
For those of us who don’t tend to use cups, any chance you could provide the grams amount for the chocolate chips? Thank you!
Hi Nenya, you can use around 315g. Enjoy!
Great recipe. I switched some of the wheat flour for almond/buckwheat
★★★★★
Can I use dark corn syrup for the molasses?
Hi Pat! Molasses is really best, if you don’t have it you can simply leave it out.
I like the sound of this recipe, I’ll give them a try. Any idea of calories/ nutrition on these cookies? Thanks
Hi Rikk, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
The cookies turned out amazing! They have a nice dark crisp on the bottom and the inside is soft and chewy. Simply perfect! I followed the recipe almost to the letter — I used half of the sugar and way more cinnamon. Thank you so much, you recipe will be my go-to from now on)
★★★★★
I am diabetic so I made a few changes. I used Lily’s sugar free semi sweet chocolate chips, whole wheat flour, and Splenda Sugar Blend. The Splenda white and brown blend baked just as good with a fourth the sugar. Everyone in my family and my friends at work absolutely love them!
★★★★★
Hi! I love so many of your recipes! Unfortunately, I’ve had no luck with the Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. I’ve tried three times. They spread completely flat and are just thick, sticky, and with overcrisped edges and gunky centers. I know to work with room-temperature butter and eggs and to chill the dough. The cookies are “tall” when they go in, and I use a silicone mat. So, my questions are: Do you think using a flex-edge beater on a stand mixer could be a problem? Perhaps it whips the ingredients too much? Also, I used sprouted rolled oats. Are they perhaps too meaty or something? Thank you so much!
Are you use sprouted rolled oats? They are cut quite thick, and are likely not absorbing enough liquid and so your cookies are over-spreading. It’s not your mixer, or mixing method. I would add more flour to help soak up the moisture, if you want to use those oats again. Perhaps another 1/2 cup (around 62-65g) flour could help.
This recipe is amazing! I also used chopped walnuts in mine, and they were so delicious!
★★★★★
Great recipe thanks! Cookies came out thick and crispy on outside and soft on inside. I had no problem with spreading or dough being dry. I doubled it and they’re delicious! I didn’t have enough chocolate chips so added some coconut. I will definitely make these again!
Hi there! Love both the magic 5 and the brown butter chocolate chip cookies, and looking for advice about tweaking this recipe! I was wondering, have you tried browned butter in this recipe, chilled similarly to that of the chocolate chip cookie recipe on this site? Or would that be gilding the lily, given the molasses and brown sugar present? Thanks a lot 😀
Hi Vidya, you can use brown butter – YUM! Just keep in mind you might have to brown a bit more than the recipe calls for so that after it is browned (there is some moisture loss) you end up with one full cup. See our complete guide on How to Brown Butter. Let us know how they turn out!
My kids, who are selective eaters, loooooove these cookies! They’re great for on the go snacks too.
★★★★★
Cookies came out delicious. My cookies were 1.7 oz each prior to cooking and required 15-16 mins to cook
★★★★★