Best Oatmeal Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What kind of oatmeal is best for baking cookies? ›

Go for old-fashioned oats or rolled oats (they're the same thing, but sometimes go by one name or the other). They result in the perfect chewy cookie.

Oatmeal raisin cookies contain whole grain oats with complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber. These carbohydrates provide long-lasting energy keeping you full for long periods of time. This slow-burning type of energy in oatmeal raisin cookies prevents spikes in blood sugar which is important for diabetics.

The best oatmeal cookies, like the kind we're sharing here, are soft and chewy through the center with crispy edges.

Compared to chocolate chip, peanut butter and sugar cookies, oatmeal cookies are marginally more nutritious. Comparing cookies of similar size, an oatmeal cookie has fewer calories than peanut butter or sugar cookies. Oatmeal cookies contain less fat and more protein, fiber and calcium than the others.

Old Fashioned: Also called rolled oats, old fashioned oats are flat and flakey. They absorb more water and cook faster than steel-cut oats — usually in about 5 minutes — and are the oat of choice for granola bars, cookies, and muffins.

What happens if I use quick oats in oatmeal cookies? It will make the texture less chewy. They'll still be delicious, but if you want to uphold the texture, use those old-fashioned oats.

Overbaking: Overbaking is a common culprit for dry cookies. Make sure you follow the recommended baking time and temperature in your recipe. Typically, oatmeal cookies should bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 10-12 minutes. The cookies continue to cook after being removed from the oven due to residual heat.

Baking soda helps cookies spread outward and upward while cooking. Adding too little can cause flat, lumpy cookies. Adding too much can lend a bitter taste to the cookies.

Keep Them Sealed

The key to keeping cookies fresh and soft is to seal them in an airtight container, like a resealable freezer bag. And here's a nifty little trick: add a piece of bread to the bag.

Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

Should oatmeal cookies be refrigerated before baking? ›

As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. More than that, and you won't see a noticeable difference in the final product. Once the dough has chilled, let it warm up at room temperature until it's just pliable (about 5 to 10 minutes).

They really are fantastic. Basically, for Laura Bush's Famous Cowboy Cookes you take traditional chocolate chip cookie dough and stuff it with oats, coconut, pecans and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Resulting in these oh-so-chewy, flavorful and delicious cookies!

Nutrition Tip

Both the oats and the pumpkin in this recipe provide fiber which is keeps your intestines healthy and can help relieve constipation. Pumpkin is also a great source of vitamins and some micronutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C, riboflavin, potassium, manganese and copper.

“These cookies are one of my favorite simple and digestion-friendly snacks because they only require mashed ripe bananas and rolled oats. Both are both gentle on the digestive system and provide a good amount of fiber, vitamins, and minerals,” Dr. Robbins says.

You can use quick cooking rolled oats in a baking recipe, but the texture will be a bit finer, which means if you're looking for something thicker or chewier, you're better off using regular rolled oats.

Quick Oats Quaker Quick Oats are also an excellent choice for baking as they are also made from 100% natural whole grains. They tend to add a slightly thinner texture than Old Fashioned Oats, as Quick Oats have been cut 2 to 3 times prior to steaming and rolling in order to cook in just 1 minute.

Quaker® Old Fashioned Oats are whole oats that are rolled to flatten them. Quaker® Steel Cut Oats are whole oats that have not been rolled into flakes. Instead, they are cut approximately into thirds. Quick Quaker® Oats are simply cut into slightly smaller pieces so they cook faster.

For baking, regular rolled oats and quick-cooking are usually interchangeable in a recipe. If your recipe calls for quick-cooking oats and you only have old-fashioned rolled oats, pulse the old-fashioned oats in the food processor a few times.