Perfect Oatmeal Cookies

Name: Perfect Oatmeal Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled*); ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon sea salt; ½ teaspoon cinnamon; ½ cup unsalted butter or coconut oil (melted); ¾ cup packed brown sugar; 1 large egg; 1 large egg yolk; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1½ cups whole rolled oats; ¾ cup raisins or chocolate chips; ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

The best oatmeal cookie recipe! It yields soft and chewy oatmeal cookies that are perfectly spiced with cinnamon. Add raisins or chocolate chips!

Jeanine Donofrio

Phoebe Moore

Updated Mar 25, 2026

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This oatmeal cookie recipe makes perfect soft and chewy oatmeal cookies! They’re warmly spiced with cinnamon and filled with rich flavor from butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. And though I often make this recipe with raisins, it works well with a variety of mix-ins. Fold in walnuts, dried cranberries, or chocolate chips!

Another reason to love this oatmeal cookie recipe? You don’t need a mixer to make it. The dough is easy to mix up with a spatula and basic pantry ingredients whenever a cookie craving strikes.

This recipe was originally published in Sarah Copeland’s cookbook Every Day Is Saturday, and I first shared it in 2019. I’ve made it countless times since. Our readers have too—it now has over 500 5-star reviews! Try it the next time you’re craving soft and chewy oatmeal cookies. I think you’ll love it!

Oatmeal Cookie Recipe Ingredients

This recipe has simple ingredients. You likely have them in your pantry already! Here’s what you’ll need:

All-purpose flour and whole rolled oats – They make up the base of the dough. Spoon and level your flour to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
Baking powder and baking soda – They help the cookies rise.
Brown sugar – It adds the perfect caramelized sweetness. Light brown sugar and dark brown sugar both work well.
Sea salt – It balances the sweet sugar and raisins.
Cinnamon and vanilla extract – For warm, spiced depth of flavor.
Melted butter – For moisture, richness, and buttery flavor. To make these cookies dairy-free, use melted coconut oil instead.
1 large egg + an extra egg yolk – The extra egg yolk makes these cookies especially moist and chewy.
Raisins or chocolate chips – For pops of sweetness.
And walnuts – For crunch!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Can I use quick oats in oatmeal cookies?

Yes, you can use quick oats in this oatmeal cookie recipe. After testing it both ways, I recommend old fashioned oats for the best chewy texture, but in a pinch, quick oats work too!

How to Make Oatmeal Cookies

Making this oatmeal cookie recipe couldn’t be easier. Here’s what you need to do:

First, make the dough. Whisk together the wet ingredients in one mixing bowl and the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in another.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Then, fold in the walnuts, oats, and raisins. The mixture will be thick!

Next, let the dough rest for 20 minutes. This gives the wet ingredients a chance to hydrate the flour and oats, making it easier to work with the dough. The cookies come out chewier, too!

Then, shape and bake the cookies. Roll the dough into balls and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets. Press down lightly on the tops to flatten them slightly. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 11 minutes, or until golden brown.

Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Cookie Recipe Tips

Use brown sugar. I’ve tested this recipe with a mix of granulated sugar and brown sugar. I didn’t find that the white sugar improved it. Use 100% brown sugar for the best oatmeal cookies. They have a richer molasses flavor.
Let the dough rest for 20 minutes before baking. Those 20 minutes will make your dough easier to roll into balls, so the cookies will keep their shape and develop a yummy chewy texture in the oven.
Allow the cookies to cool completely for the best texture and flavor. It may be agony, but letting these oatmeal cookies cool completely only makes them better. They’ll be chewier and fully infused with brown sugar flavor. Sarah likes these best a few hours to 1 day after baking. (Though I can attest that they’re still good if you can’t wait that long.)

Oatmeal Cookies Variations

Use raisins to make oatmeal raisin cookies. Or swap the raisins for dried cherries or cranberries.
Add chocolate chips to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. White chocolate chips are a fun option too.
Use pecans instead of walnuts.
Add a dash of cardamom or ginger to the dough.
Add butterscotch chips to give the cookies an extra-buttery taste.

How do you like to make oatmeal cookies? Let me know in the comments!

How to Store Oatmeal Cookies

To keep these oatmeal cookies soft and chewy, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. They also freeze well for up to 3 months.

Make-Ahead Oatmeal Cookies

If you’re someone who likes to keep cookie dough on hand in the fridge or freezer, this oatmeal cookie recipe is for you. You can store the cookie dough in the fridge for 7 to 10 days or freeze it for up to a month.

To store the dough, roll it into balls and freeze them briefly. Then, transfer the cookie dough balls to airtight containers or Ziploc bags and refrigerate or freeze. You can also roll the dough into a log, using an 8×12-inch piece of parchment paper as a guide. Wrap the log tightly in parchment to refrigerate or freeze, and slice the cookies into rounds before baking.

Bake your cookie dough straight from the fridge. If it’s frozen, allow it to rest for 15 minutes at room temperature before putting it in the oven.

More Favorite Cookie Recipes

If you love these easy oatmeal cookies, try one of these yummy cookie recipes next:

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Snickerdoodle Cookies
Easy Sugar Cookies
Best Peanut Butter Cookies
No Bake Cookies
Chewy Molasses Cookies
Homemade Brownies (not a cookie, but still delicious…)
Or any of these 17 Easy Cookie Recipes!

Perfect Oatmeal Cookies

rate this recipe:

4.80 from 561 votes

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 45

Serves 20

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These easy oatmeal cookies are soft and chewy, with a delicious buttery, warmly spiced flavor. I love them with raisins, but you can add any mix-ins you like. Try chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or nuts! From Every Day Is Saturday by Sarah Copeland.

Equipment

Baking Sheets
Cookie Scoop (I use this one)

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled*
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups whole rolled oats
¾ cup raisins or chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts, optional

Instructions

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, whisking vigorously.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir in the oats, raisins, and walnuts, if using, folding into a tight batter. Set the dough aside for 20 minutes while the oven preheats. (Note: If your dough seems too wet to become scoop-able, chill it in the fridge for this 20 minutes and it'll firm up. If your dough is too crumbly, stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons water.)
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough, heaping your scoops slightly to get 20 to 22 balls of dough. Roll lightly in barely damp hands to make them round. Spread out onto the prepared baking sheets and press down lightly on the tops of the dough balls.
Bake until puffed, golden, and a touch underbaked-looking, 10 to 11 minutes. Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

*Note: These cookies are fairly thick and puffy. If you prefer thinner cookies that spread more, use a scant cup of flour instead of a full cup. I find that cookies made with less flour need an extra minute in the oven.

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Nutrition Facts

Perfect Oatmeal Cookies

Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)

Calories 161 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Trans Fat 0.2g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 30mg10%

Sodium 105mg5%

Potassium 104mg3%

Carbohydrates 22g7%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 8g9%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 167IU3%

Vitamin C 0.3mg0%

Calcium 26mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

678 comments

4.80 from 561 votes (277 ratings without comment)

Perfect Oatmeal Cookies