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Classic Oatmeal Cookies

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These classic oatmeal cookies are soft and chewy with buttery, crispy edges. Full of oatmeal, nuts, and raisins, these easy-to-make cookies are a great after-school snack that you can feel good about giving to your family.

There’s something about a homemade cookie, still warm from the oven, that feels comforting and nurturing. Oatmeal cookies, especially, evoke warm and fuzzy feelings…like going back to Grandma’s kitchen. 

These classic oatmeal cookies come together quickly and keep very well – up to a week stored in an airtight container. So, make a batch over the weekend and have homemade cookies all week (if they last that long!)

Ingredients Needed

  • Butter – I used salted, but increase the salt to 1 teaspoon if you use unsalted. Also, the butter should be at room temperature but not so soft that it is almost liquid. If the butter is too soft, it will make your cookies spread while baking, making them thin and greasy.
  • Dark brown sugar – dark brown sugar helps the cookie maintain a chewy, soft texture. Also, the flavor adds a deeper, almost caramel note to the cookies.
  • Granulated sugar
  • Eggs – use large eggs at room temperature. Room-temperature eggs are easier to incorporate into the butter and sugar mixture.
  • Vanilla extract – Use good quality, not imitation or vanilla flavoring.
  • All-purpose flour
  • Cornstarch – this is an important component of this recipe. It gives the cookie some structure, making it thicker, and helps to keep it soft and chewy.
  • Baking soda – helps the cookies rise
  • Salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg – all needed for flavor (plus, they make your house smell incredible!)
  • Old-Fashioned rolled oats – this type of oats will give the cookie the chewy texture that we’re looking for. You could use quick oats, but the texture will change dramatically. Quick oats will act like flour and make the cookie soft and cake-like.
  • Raisins – any kind will work. Not a raisin fan? Dried cranberries, dried apple pieces, chopped dates…any dried fruit works great. Fresh, plump raisins work the best, but if your raisins have dried out, place them in a small bowl and cover them with boiling water for about 5-7 minutes until they have plumped up. Drain well and proceed with the recipe.
  • Walnuts – just like the raisins, use whatever type of nut you have on hand or omit them altogether.

Tips For Making The Best Oatmeal Cookies

  • Measure your ingredients carefully. The most accurate way is to use a kitchen scale, but not everybody has one. The next best way is to use the spoon and level method for the flour. To do this, stir the flour, then spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, use a butter knife to level it off. Scooping the flour directly into the measuring cup could add too much flour to the dough, making your cookies dry.
  • Pack your brown sugar tightly into the measuring cup. This presses out the small air pockets between the sugar granules, giving you an accurate measurement.
  • Use room temperature ingredients. This will make mixing them together easier, so your cookies will stay soft and moist.
  • Beating the butter and sugars until they are light and fluffy – 3-4 minutes. This will give your cookies the best texture.
  • Don’t over-mix the dough. Mix the ingredients just until they are well combined. Overmixing results in tough cookies. Never a good thing.
  • Chill the dough. This is important. Chilling for at least 30 minutes or up to five days will keep the cookies from spreading, becoming flat, and greasy.
  • Don’t overbake. The cookies are done when the edges start turning a light golden brown. The centers will still look a little underdone and soft. The cookies will continue to ‘cook’ as they cool on the hot baking sheet.

How To Store Your Classic Oatmeal Cookies

To store the cookies: Place the baked cookies in an airtight container and keep them in your refrigerator for up to five days.

To freeze baked cookies: Place them in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to six months.

To freeze unbaked cookies:  Prepare the dough. When ready to chill, roll the dough into a log. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place the log into a zip-top freezer bag. Store it in the freezer for 6-9 months. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator and proceed with the recipe.

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Classic Oatmeal Cookies

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These classic oatmeal cookies are soft and chewy with buttery, crispy edges. Full of oatmeal, nuts, and raisins, these easy-to-make cookies are a great after-school snack that you can feel good about giving to your family.

  • Author: Millie Brinkley
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Chilling time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2 dozen 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup dark brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup raisins

½ cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

Cream the butter and both sugars together in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Pause to scrape down the sides at least once.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition

Beat in the vanilla extract.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and oats until well combined.

Gradually add the oat mixture to the butter mixture until completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl.

Fold in the raisins and nuts.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Roll 2 tablespoons of the dough into a ball and place it on the baking sheet 2 inches apart.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned. The centers will look slightly underbaked but continue to bake as they cool.

Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.

Millie Johnson

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Millie Johnson
3 years ago

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