Old-Fashioned Crisp Oatmeal Cookies
This recipe produces simple, old-fashioned, crisp oatmeal cookies with an ever-so-slightly chewy center. Perfect for an easy treat and for dunking into a cold glass of milk!
As is probably obvious, I love to cook. But in truth, baking was my first love. And when people ask me what is my favorite thing to bake, I’m quite torn. Cookies vs. cupcakes? If only these were the truly great problems and choices of our times.
I love that cupcakes can be very festive and beautiful, but honestly, is there anything as downright comforting as a homemade cookie? And while we have far too many “family favorite” cookie recipes (here, here, and here, for starters), this one holds a special place in my heart.
It’s one for which I searched high and low, then worked to recreate, with the aim of mimicking a simple, classic oatmeal cookie my husband remembers his Mom making when he and his siblings were small.
Related: Mini Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Simple ingredients. No fancy instructions.
Crisp edges. An oh-so-slightly chewy center.
Old-fashioned in all the best kinds of ways.
What kind of oats to use in oatmeal cookies?
There is one critical element, however, to making a successful batch of these cookies, and that is to use old-fashioned rolled oats. I don’t recommend using quick cooking oats, even if you have them on hand. Quick oats simply don’t hold their shape and texture nearly as well when mixed into the dough and baked.
Fortunately, old-fashioned oats are very easy to find when you look for them, usually right next to the boxed and quick versions in the grocery store. I buy them in bulk and consider them a pantry staple for breakfast, granola, snack bars, and more.
These cookies make a really lovely little snack. The flavors are simple, but a little hint of brown sugar and cinnamon goes a long way. They go beautifully with a cup of tea for an afternoon snack, or with a tall glass of cold milk for an after-school treat.
If you try these oatmeal cookies or any other recipe on the blog, please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing from you, and other readers will benefit from your experience!
- One Year Ago: Overnight Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls
- Two Years Ago: Applesauce Mini Bundt Cakes
Old-Fashioned Crisp Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 14 tablespoons (1 and 3/4 sticks, or 7/8 cup) butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low to combine.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. (Try not to overmix; a few streaks of flour are OK.) Gradually add the oats and mix until evenly combined.
- Scoop out mounds of dough approximately 2 tablespoons each and roll into balls. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets; they will spread out.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown with crisp edges and very slightly soft centers. If baking more than one pan at a time, rotate them midway through the bake time to ensure the cookies brown evenly. Cool cookies completely on the baking sheets, then store tightly covered at room temperature.
Notes
- Cookies will keep well at room temperature at least 3-4 days.
- Do not sub quick cooking for the old-fashioned rolled oats! They do not hold up as well when mixed into the dough and baked, and the end result will NOT be the same!
Nutrition Estimate
The recipe says to scoop 2 tbsp of dough per cookie. Comments say 1 and 2 tsp of dough. What should I use? Also, can I replace granulated sugar with Splenda. It’s 1-1. Also for raisin add in should I use 1/2 or 1 cup? I don’t want to mess up the end results. Thank you
Hi Becky- I usually use the larger amount, as noted in the recipe, but yes, some readers have used a smaller amount with success. It’s really up to you- the larger amount will yield larger cookies, of course, while a smaller amount may require less space between them on the baking sheet, and is likely to bake more quickly, so just keep that in mind whichever you choose.
For the sweetener, I have not tested these with Splenda but my understanding is that it is a good 1-for-1 replacement for sugar. Some readers report they like these cookies with slightly less sugar, so if you wanted to reduce the amount slightly, that would probably be successful, as well.
The amount of mix-ins is also personal preference, but I would start with 1/2 cup, stir it in, then scoop out a cookie and be sure the ratio looks “right” to you. You can always add more but can’t take out!
You are welcome and I hope some of this helps! Happy baking!
Amazing! My husband and my brother loved them. Was giving them away as gifts for Christmas! My new favorite!
These sound amazing! Do you think Stevia could be substituted for the brown sugar (for a diabetic relative)? If yes, how much?
I’m glad they sound tasty! I haven’t tried that personally to say but I did find this conversion chart, which may help – it looks like the amount varies based on which Stevia product you are using. Good luck and please let me know how they turn out for you!
I had the opposite problem, the cookies did not spread at all despite using room temperature butter, not over mixing and following the recipe
The cookies remained weirdly chewy and tall,( not the flat crispy cookies I was expecting)
I’m sorry these didn’t pan out for you. Something was definitely off if they did not spread at all – my best guess would be too much flour, though an unusually low oven temperature could also be a culprit.
I made these today for a birthday present. I picked this recipe because it was simple, and the cookies are absolutely perfect! The birthday boy wanted crispy thin oatmeal cookies, no raisins or chocolate chips.
Thank you!! They’ll be gone soon 🙂
Thank you for sharing this recipe, This is the absolute most perfect Oatmeal cookie Recipe. I have to bake them for my Mr….He used to have cooked oatmeal cereal because he knows it’s healthy but hated it. (He calls it gruel) I searched for and came across your recipe..This is the substitute for cooked oatmeal cereal…he couldn’t be happier. They are crispy on the edges with a bit of chew in the middle. Perfectly balanced flavor not too sweet cinnamon just the right amt. I am on my third consecutive batch over the last three weeks. Follow the recipe and they come out perfect every time. I’m doing a double batch..Oh..they FREEZE beautifully…I wrap them in Saran Wrap in 3’s.
I just made these and they are delicious! They are crispy, just the way we like them. And the right amount of cinnamon, too! Thank you for such a fantastic recipe! There aren’t many crispy oatmeal cookie recipes out there!
When do you put the oatmeal in?
You’ll add the oats after blending the flour mixture and wet ingredients, as noted in step 4 of the instructions. Enjoy!
DELICIOUS!
So glad you like them! 🙂
I made the recipe using Quick Oats and they were perfect!
I’m so glad this worked for you!
Excellent cookie! I followed the simple recipe and they came out great. The next batch I made, I reduced the white sugar to 1/2 cup instead of 1 cup and it was perfect for me (I prefer my cookies to be not too sweet). Love it!!! Thank you soooo much for this wonderful recipe!
I made these and they are lovely! I wanted a light crisp oatmeal cookie and that’s what I got! ( I did reduce white sugar to 3/4 cup instead of 1cup). Thank you for posting this recipe!
Good recipe kiddo!! I would cut that sugar down by a tad and make them even, white and brown. You should put in cups for the butter amount… just for us old folks 😉
Haha, that’s a good point, I will add that information on the butter! Thanks for your suggestions and insightful comments to others, as well. I appreciate it and am glad you like the recipe!
Oatmeal cookies were delicious. They came out crispy just the way I like them.
I also had the same problems as others. The cookies have great flavor but they are Flat lacey sheet pan cookies that have to be cut apart. Haven’t had this problem with other cookies. Is unsalted butter the problem?
Personally I dont see why that would be the issue but I’ve only used salted. Maybe youre using too big of dough balls? I only use 1 tsp full of dough. Ive made this recipe about 5 times now, even changed it up a couple times and never had this problem. My cookies have come out perfect circles every single time
because you used margarine instead of butter…..Whip the butter until it is fluffy then add the sugars and mix Thoroughly !!!! This is why you get ‘spreading cookie syndrome’
using melted butter instead of softened butter will turn these cookies “lacey” and flat.
If you live at higher altitude, you may need to add an extra tablespoon or 2 of flour. I used to live at sea level in different states, but after marrying a man from the mountain west, my previously perfect cookies always baked flat till I learned to add more flour, though not all recipes need it.
Okay so I didnt read until after I already bought the minute oats that your not suppose to use them but I said oh well and I also forgot the cinnamon.. But I just have to say, I am the worst baker/cook ever and idk how the one commenter said they followed the recipe perfect and they came out terrible because like I said I suck, and I also did a few things the OP said NOT to do and these came out perfect. Not like the photo probably because of the quick oats I used, but DELICIOUS!! I WISH I COULD POST A PIC!! I also added flax seed BTW.. And choco chips! Even my son loves them and hes super picky.. Maybe the other person melted their butter or something. I put my butter in the microwave on defrost for about a minute, and then back in the fridge for a couple mins when it seemed too melty and everything came out fine. One more thing, this recipe makes a LOT of cookies. Probably about 24-ish from my experience. I also did on the second batch 1 teaspoon sized dough balls cuz the 2 tsp sized was a little larger than I wanted. Anyways. Love this recipe and if you’re like me and accidentally did quick oats, they work. They just won’t be the same as the photo!
This recipe is amazing. I added raisins to half the batch as a test…it will be the only way I make these moving forward. Incredible.
I followed the directions exactly. I double and triple checked the ingredients. I ended up with one very thin cookie the size of my cookie sheet. Horrible recipe and a waste of ingredients and time.
Cheryl, I’m so sorry, I know how frustrating it is when things like that happen. Is there any chance your oven runs hot, or that your butter was melted instead of room temperature? Again, I definitely understand the frustration, but because many other readers have tried this following the same ingredients and instructions with good results, I’d love to help you troubleshoot if you like.
When you substitute your ingredients and do not mix thoroughly, then the ‘spreading cookie syndrome’ is what you have.
Try them again and don’t go cheap on the ingredients!
I’m not a fan of thick, soft cookies. Always looking for crispy and thin recipes. This one is truly the best I’ve ever tried and so easy to customize as well. I made a double batch and added chopped Pecans and Toffee Chips to the mix. They are so delicious, I can’t stop munching.
Exactly what I wanted, a crunchy oatmeal cookie!! Hubby loved it too. I cut back 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and it still came out nicely sweet and crunchy, yum!
So happy to hear that, Leyda! Thank you for sharing this helpful review and rating!
Can I substitute coconut oil for butter?
Generally, yes, you can sub coconut oil for butter at a 1:1 ratio, though it might change the flavor slightly, especially if using unrefined coconut oil. I haven’t personally tested that in this recipe but there’s no reason it wouldn’t work; I’d love to know how it turns out if you do!
No, you can’t substitute solid fat for liquid fat unless you know what you’re doing with the flour and sugar ratio. It will change the flavour but more importantly, it will change the texture! So, unless you want one huge cookie, put more flour in it and bit more baking powder or soda to stiffen it up.
Loved this crunchy cookie! I added toasted pecans and 1/2 cup Rice Krispies and reduced sugar (1/2 cup each). Wonderful!
Also, not sure if anyone has tried but toasting the rolled oats also gives it a nutty flavour. Great idea on the rice krispies!