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! Or try the sweater-weather, festive-feeling cousin recipe, these big fat dark chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies!
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
I made this recipe with Country Crock Plant Based Butter and Just Egg plant-based eggs. The cookies still turned out delicious! I also completely skipped the part about refrigerating the dough. They were fine for me, crispy and chewy both.
Hello Sally,if I make these cookies using brown butter do I need to make any other changes to the recipe?
Hi Missy, 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!
I used whole wheat flour and reduced the brown sugar by about 15% and butter just a few tablespoons because it was all I had. Soaked 3/4 cup raisins in warm water for 15 mins before patting dry with paper towel and did 1 heaping cup of chocolate chips. Cookies are delicious and I’m really glad I reduced the sugar – it’d have been overly sweet with the raisins I think.
The most perfect, chewy, lovely cookie. My husband “hates” oatmeal chocolate chip and only eats regular chocolate chip. Caught him with his hand literally in the cookie jar several times. I ran out of brown sugar so I just filled in the missing amount with regular sugar and added an extra tablespoon of molasses. They did spread out a little more than I thought they would, so I’ll try sticking to it exactly next time. The kids are already requesting another whole batch.
The flavor of these were great. I refrigerated for a little over an hour, and mine spread way too much. Next time I think I will do what I usually do and roll into balls, refrigerate, and then bake. Definitely worth trying again. Also – I got about 28 cookies with the large cookie scoop!
Delicious cookies! My husband has a sweet tooth. I am always trying new recipes to make for him, I always check with Sally’s first, found this one and it was a hit! Thanks again, Sally!
I made this recipe and got a lot of compliments for it. Since we don’t have molasses here in Germany, I used a teaspoon of honey instead. I love the hint of salt in the cookies and adding different sizes of chocolate chips really was a great tip.
Since they were so yummy and gone in 5 days, I am making a new batch today. I will definately be freezing half of the doe because I found the cookies got rather hard after 3 days.
Recipe was way too sweet
We loved this recipe. We didn’t have molasses so we used a bit of honey and it was delicious.
Is it possible to sub whole
wheat flour or do half white flour and half whole wheat?
Hi Natasha, you can use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour or a mix of the two. The cookies will taste a little hearty/dense.
This is a really good oatmeal choco chip recipe! It never disappoints. sometimes I will do half chocolate chips and the other half raisins and it’s delish
These cookies are delicious! my family loves them so they don’t last long at our house.
Great cookies
How many calories per cookie?
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, how long does this dough last in the refrigerator? I love it and keep it on hand lol
Hi Kelly, You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. See recipe notes for make ahead instructions!
Just wondering why not blackstrap molasses? I used it (because I did not read recipe close enough), and cookies turned out great!
Hi Heather, we usually don’t prefer the flavor of blackstrap, but we’re glad they still turned out for you!
Recipe worked perfectly. Cookies are chewy and so chocolatey! . Every recipe from you works so well I just come straight here when I need to bake anything.
These cookies turned out soo tasty! I didn’t refrigerate and just loosely rolled into balls. The molasses made the dough so sticky these cookies barely spread and were quite fluffy.
Thanks for the recipe Sally! I didn’t have the molasses, so I left it out. They are fantastic cookies and I greatly appreciate the time and effort you put in for your contribution. I also have used other recipes of yours.
I make cookies year round. Tried this recipe the other day for the grandkids and they went bonkers. I will be making them again many times and will save a few for myself! Great cookie!
I used a medium cookie scoop and got 32 cookies, just the right size for a single serve snack. Great texture. I substituted maple syrup for the molasses and it works !
I made the recipe twice , it was a hit didn’t have molasses but I used dark honey and it worked well .
I just made these and they’re so good! I did substitute the half cup of flour for a half cup of vega chocolate protein powder. Also I was super impatient and didn’t let thr butter or eggs warm to room temp, nor did I refrigerate, I just mixed all the ingredients together and then balled and baked. Love the idea of the molasses. I think I made them a bit bigger than the 3tbsp ball, so I cooked then for the full 14 mins and they’re divine. Something about a fresh baked cookie out of the oven. These won’t last long.
My cookies turned out flat. Not a great recipe for me. My butter was room temp. I had the dough in the fridge, etc.
It could be the quality of the butter. I have made this recipe successfully for years but over the past six months my cookies have turned out flat, too. The raw dough is much stickier than it used to be, which led me to some research that suggested the higher water content in today’s lower quality butter could be to blame. Last time I added another 1/3-1/2 cup of flour and it was a good fix.
Super easy to make minor tweaks (products available at Kroger grocery stores) for a Gluten Free & Vegan version of these cookies that are awesome! My family is inhaling them faster than I can keep up with, and I don’t have to worry about my celiac hubby or vegan son getting things their systems can’t handle.
Substitute Country Crock plant butter sticks for regular butter.
Swap regular flour for Krusteaz GF Flour
Swap chocolate chips for Simple Truth Allergy Friendly Cacao chips.
Use Bob’s Red Mill Oatmeal GF Oatmeal
Cookies come out the perfect and stay soft if stored properly.
These cookies were so good, and my kids (2 and 7) had a good time making with me.
I cut back the chocolate chips to 1 1/4 cups to add 1/2 cup of raisins. They offered a nice contrast to the chocolate.
Together time with my kids AND yummy cookies. Win, win!
This recipe was easy and my cookies were delicious, my husband loved them…but, they turned out flat. I chilled the dough and the only ingredient I did not add was the molasses which wouldn’t make a difference. Any thoughts? I’d love to try again if you have any suggestions. Thank you!
Hi Terri! Here are our best tips for preventing cookies from spreading. Most important is starting with proper room temperature butter!
Perhaps your baking soda is too old?
I’m not one to comment on things, but I made these and my family went coconuts for them! I’m a good cook, and a decent baker, but sometimes struggle when things call for ‘room temp butter’ and similar. Well, I was determined not to mess this up, and they came out great! Followed to a T, but subbed honey for the molasses since I didn’t have the latter.
Great recipe!!! Followed exactly and was pleasantly surprised at how delicious and chewy these were!! Can’t wait to make more.
I really, really wanted to like this recipe. Much prefer soft and chewy cookies but this is not the recipe for those. Followed the recipe exactly (chilling the dough two hours) and was so disappointed. They spread out way too much and ended up crunchy. Won’t make again.
Generally have been pleased with Sally’s Baking recipes but this one was a disappointment.
Hi Barbara, thanks for giving them a try! Here are some tips to prevent Prevent Cookies from Spreading that might help if you decide to give them another try.
These cookies are amazing! I didn’t have molasses, but will definitely buy it for the next time. I froze half the cookies last night but ended up taking them out to bake tonight. I will be making this often. Sooo goood.
Could this recipe be made, leaving out the chocolate chips? I did not know if it would throw off the ratios
Hi Jackie, yes, you can omit the chocolate chips. Or, here are our iced oatmeal cookies that you might enjoy instead (with or without icing).