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This recipe produces simple, buttery, old-fashioned oatmeal cookies with a hint of warm cinnamon, chewy centers, and lacy edges. They are easy to make — no dough chilling required — and perfect for a quick treat with coffee or a cold glass of milk.
Is there anything as comforting as a freshly-baked cookie? This particular one has an extra-special place in my heart, because I worked so hard to tweak the recipe with the goal of mimicking a simple, classic oatmeal cookie my husband remembers his Mom making. He affirms that this version nails it.
These old-fashioned oatmeal cookies have simple ingredients and no fancy steps. The centers are thin but buttery soft, while the edges are a bit lacy and delicate. We like them with a hint of cinnamon, which you can easily dial up or down to suit your taste, or add to with a pinch of nutmeg, cardamom, or another spice.
All in all, we believe these are old-fashioned in all the best ways.
Ingredient Notes
Best oats for oatmeal cookies
Using old-fashioned oats, also known as rolled oats, is crucial to success with this recipe. Quick oats absorb a different amount of moisture and simply don’t hold shape and texture in the same way when mixed into cookie dough and baked.
Fortunately, old-fashioned oats are very easy to find. They are in most grocery stores in canisters or large bags next to the quick and steel-cut oats, as you’d expect. I consider them a pantry staple for not only breakfast but also making granola, snack bars, and cookies like these!
How To Make Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies
This is an overview. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Set the butter out well in advance. It bears repeating: for consistent results with this cookie, it’s important that your butter be truly room temperature when you start.
If the butter is at all melted or even has a few very soft spots — as can easily happen when you try to rush it along in the microwave — the dough will look and taste good, but the cookies will spread out too much as they bake. Room temperature butter is your friend.
Preheat and prep pans. Warm the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Whisk together the dry ingredients. Combining these separately first helps to ensure they are evenly distributed without needing to over-mix the dough at the end.
Cream together butter and both sugars. It’s important to beat well at this step, until the mixture is not only thoroughly combined, but also takes on a light and fluffy texture.
Finish the dough. Beat in the egg and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl at least once, then beat in the dry ingredients, followed lastly by the oats.
When the mixture is visually even, stop mixing.
Scoop and roll smooth. Use a cookie scoop, or two spoons, to portion the dough into balls that are about 1.5 to 2 Tablespoons each. Roll smooth between your palms and arrange on baking sheets with several inches between them. These cookies do spread out; leave ample room.
Bake. These should take 12-15 minutes in a 350°F oven. They are done when the edges develop a golden brown tinge. The middle will still be tender but firm up a touch more as they cool on the baking sheet.
Storage and Freezing
These old-fashioned oatmeal cookies will keep well tightly-covered at room temperature for at least 3-4 days.
It is also possible to freeze the shaped dough balls, then bake directly from frozen, just adding 2-3 minutes onto the baking time. Voila: fresh oatmeal cookies on demand!
Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, see note
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 14 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature (1 and 3/4 sticks)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 and 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. 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.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 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.14 Tablespoons butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low to combine.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Gradually add the oats and mix just until evenly combined. Try not to over-mix.2 and 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- Scoop out mounds of dough that are 1.5-2 Tablespoons each. Gently roll into smooth balls. Place the cookies at least 3 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
- Flour: For thicker, less lacy cookies add 2-3 Tablespoons of additional flour. This changes the texture of the cookies very slightly but helps prevent excessive spreading, so it can be especially helpful if you think your butter is overly warm, etc.
- Butter: For consistent results with this cookie, it’s important that your butter be truly room temperature when you start. If it is melted or has very soft spots, as is possible when you try to rush it by microwaving butter, the dough will look and taste good, but the cookies will spread out more as they bake.
- Storage: Cookies will keep well at room temperature at least 3-4 days.
- Oats: Do not sub quick cooking for the old-fashioned rolled oats; they absorb a different amount of moisture and will not yield the same texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
If you like this recipe, you may also enjoy my mini oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, blueberry oatmeal cookies, and apple cinnamon oatmeal cookies. Yes, we really like this combination!
Other favorite quick treats include super soft chocolate chip cookies, bakery-style chocolate chip cookies, and my family’s favorite Amish sugar cookies.
You can also FOLLOW me on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, and FACEBOOK for more great recipes and ideas!
This post was originally published on September 26, 2018 and has been updated with new photos, more detailed ingredient information, and troubleshooting tips to help ensure your cookies have the right consistency.
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.