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
When looking to make something, I always come on your site to check for your recipes. They’ve never failed me.
These are my new favourite chocolate chip cookies and the oats are an additional benefit to make it healthier! Also use it as lactation cookies
We loved this recipe! It was chewy with the right amount of oatmeal and chocolate chips. I lightly topped the balls with kosher salt before baking and it Added a nice touch! I froze the left overs and baked off a couple cookies later- still awesome!
I really enjoyed these, but I also made changes to the recipe. I added an extra 1/2 a tsp of cinnamon, 1 top of fresh ginger, 2 oranges worth of zest and juice and replaced the chocolate chips with dehydrated apple chunks. I’m adding this to my recipe book with these additions
Delightful straight out of the oven – gooey chocolate chips, chewy raisins and soft batter – but I actually liked them EVEN more (if that’s possible!) on days 2, 3 and 4. The chewiness of the oatmeal, subtle hint of cinnamon and molasses shine through in a still moist and tender cookie. Thanks Sally for another keeper! Note: I used dark chocolate chips and 1/4 cup white sugar.
OBSESSED WITH THESE COOKIES!! What a quick, easy and absolutely delicious cookie recipe. I have made this 3 times and every time I am pleasantly surprised by how good they are 🙂 The first time I did not have molasses, but purchased it after making the first batch. Thank you so much for such a great recipe. Next time I am going to try half chocolate chips and half butterscotch!
I made these in bar form in a 9×13 and they were great! I just baked them for 30 minutes until the center was set. My family loved them!
Just made them for the first time…fabulous cookie! Has anyone made these with pecans in addition to the chocolate chips?
Made 27 & 1/2 cookies can’t wait to see my dads reaction of them it was a lot more challenging then what I’m use to doing for sure will make them again might add white chocolate chips instead of the normal ones
Made this for my dad and can’t wait to see how they taste I’ve looked for years to find a recipe for him and by for I will make this again made 27 whole cookies and a little baby one
This is delicious. Mine are a bit thinner than your picture. I keep the dough chilled for one hour and then I refrigerated the rest until the next day but both times they came out thinner. Any suggestion on how to make them just a touch thicker, puffier?
Hi Jeanne, Make sure that your butter isn’t too warm. Room temperature butter is usually cooler than you think! You can also take a look at these 10 Guaranteed Tips to Prevent Cookies from Spreading to help troubleshoot. If you notice they are still thin no matter what you try to do, add a little more flour when you make them again. Even an extra 1/4 cup will definitely help!
Amazing recipe! I used whole wheat flour instead of white, and did 1 cup of monk-fruit sweetener, no sugar. Since it’s granulated also, it worked perfectly with the recipe. Also didn’t add molasses.
I will say that I made my cookies a little too big, and had to bake them 18+ minutes before they turned out good.
It was terrific. This is my new go-to oatmeal cookie recipe.
Hi! Would it be okay to swap the all purpose flour for whole wheat flour? Was really looking forward to making this but I realized I didn’t have any all purpose flour on hand.
Hi Meg, You can use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour. The cookies will taste a little hearty/dense.
These are perfect! Great flavour
Hands down, the best oatmeal cookies I’ve ever made. I added dark chocolate chips, cranberries and glazed pecans. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Hi Sally, can i reduce both sugars amount by half? We dont quite like too sweet stuffs and also diabetes background. Tq
Our family loves chewy cookies and this was so easy and so good! This will be my new go to recipe!
New family favorite!
Our family’s favorite!
The best. They were amazing!!!
These were awful. I followed the directions completely but they didn’t turn out. The first batch was super flat and burnt after just 12 minutes. So I did the second batch at 8 minutes and they were also awful. So flat. So crispy on the edgy and slightly chewy in the middle. Would not make these again!!
Hi Jessica, I’m concerned the cookies were burning at 8 minutes. Was your oven running hot? With cookies this large, they should take much longer to cook. I wonder, too, if the butter was too warm or if the dough wasn’t chilled? Thanks for trying the recipe!
I usually hate oatmeal cookies.. BUT THESE WERE AMAZING
I don’t rate many recipies but this recipe is outstanding. The molasses and cinnamon give these cookies amazing flavor. Can’t wait to share these cookies and recipe with others!
I NEVER baked my entire life but this is a life changer. This is the first cookie recipe that I tried and I wow-Ed everyone with my “baking skills”. All thanks to Sally. You are amazing!!
nothing but compliments best cookies ever!!
These cookies were the BEST ever! They were soft and chewy and a tad over sweet but were still delicious! Of coarse they weren’t too sweet for my kids. I would definitely make this recipe for my kids again.
This is the best. Do not change anything! This recipe never fails to get rave reviews.
These cookies were amazing !!!
These are absolutely spectacular. This is my favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe, and this will be a go-to when the hankering for a cookie hits. I love the heartiness, chewiness, flavor and size of this cookie. I didn’t have molasses on hand, but the cinnamon was a subtle, beautiful touch. Thanks for sharing!
Forgot to rate five star!
The best oatmeal choc chip recipe I’ve ever made. Other than halving the white sugar I followed this exactly. Molasses truly made all the difference, yet in a discreet way. Will be making this again and again. Thank you!