Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Okay, these cookies are amazing! This is the best recipe for oatmeal cookies that I have ever tried! I did add in about 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts! Perfect! Thank you!

— Jane

I know… I say this about every cookie recipe I post, but these Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies just might be my favorites. Can you tell I’m a major cookie monster? Seriously, though, these have the best flavor and texture. They’re a MUST bake!

They bake up perfectly everytime and stay soft and chewy for days. They are incredibly thick, soft, chewy, and loaded with chocolate chips. Perfect for family gatherings, an after school snack or your holiday cookie tray!

Ingredients needed

The ingredient list is very simple and includes all of the ingredients that you’d expect to find. It’s the ratio of ingredients that’s important! Here’s everything you’ll need:

• Butter. I always use unsalted butter, so I can control the amount of salt going into a recipe. Be sure your butter is softened to room temperature, so that it combines properly with the sugars. Room temperature butter is still a bit cool to the touch and it should indent slightly when you press on it with your finger. Take butter out of the refrigerator about 1 hour before beginning your recipe.
• Sugars. We’re using a mix of brown sugar and granulated sugar to yield a softer, more flavorful cookie. The granulated sugar is necessary for spreading.
• Eggs. Two eggs will add structure, stability, and richness.
• Vanilla. Do NOT forget the vanilla. And use pure vanilla extract, not imitation. It’s worth it!
• Flour. All-purpose flour gives these a tenderness that you just won’t find when using other types of flour. We have not tried making these with a gluten-free flour.
• Baking soda. For the perfect rise and chewy texture.
• Salt. A small amount of salt is VERY important to balance the sweetness of baked goods.
• Quick oats. Oats provide a fabulously chewy texture and we’re using 3 whopping cups here. Use quick oats for best results.
• Chocolate chips. The quality of your chocolate truly matters. For best results, I recommend splurging on a quality brand. I always use Ghirardelli chocolate chips. We love semi-sweet mini morsels, but feel free to use your favorite baking chips.

How to make this recipe

1. Cream together the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, use a stand mixer or a hand mixer and beat the softened butter and sugars on medium speed until combined and creamy, about 2 minutes.
2. Add eggs, vanilla, oats and salt. Add the eggs and vanilla extract; mix on high until fully combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, as needed. Add the oats and salt and mix on low until just combined.
3. Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda so there are no lumps.
4. Add in the flour. Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually add the flour mixture to the dough.
5. Mix in the chocolate chips. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed and fold in the chocolate chips until they are evenly disbursed. At this point, you can chill the dough for about 30 minutes, so it isn’t so sticky.
6. Scoop dough balls. Use a large spoon or cookie scoop to make dough balls. Place them onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. The cookies, pictured, are about 2 tablespoons of dough. This will make approximately 37 medium-sized cookies.
7. Bake. Place in the oven and bake for about 10-13 minutes. Remove from the oven right when edges start looking set and golden. The centers may look slightly undercooked, but they will continue to cook even after they are removed from the oven.
8. Cool. While the cookies are still warm, press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops for presentation. Let them cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to continue to cool.
9. Enjoy! Serve while still warm and gooey. Or enjoy them after they’ve completely cooled. In my personal opinion, I love them even more after they’ve cooled. This is when the edges get a little crispy and the inside is super soft and chewy. Either way… yum!

Chilling the dough

This oatmeal cookie dough doesn’t necessarily need to be chilled before baking. As long as your butter is not too soft and your kitchen is not too warm, these will bake up just fine without being chilled.

When I was experimenting with this recipe, I tried baking without chilling the dough, chilling the dough for 30 minutes and chilling the dough several hours. The cookies were wonderful all three ways. However, I really enjoyed the ones that I chilled for several hours. I noticed that the longer I chilled them, the more thick and chewier they were.

You can chill the dough before scooping out dough balls or after you’ve placed the dough balls on the baking sheet. Refrigerate dough for approximately 30 minutes to 3 hours and up to 3-4 days. If you are going to chill dough any longer than 3 hours, I would suggest transferring it to an airtight container.

Customize this recipe 

This oatmeal cookie recipe is the perfect base for any fun add-in ingredient that you’re craving. Honestly, these are absolutely perfect as-is, but feel free to get creative and experiment with your favorite ingredients!

• Baking chips. Try using white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, peanut butter chips, toffee chips, mint chips, caramel bits, or any other fun baking add-ins.
• Nuts. I think adding in about 1 cup of chopped pecans would be amazing in these. You can also try adding walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pistachios, and/or macadamia nuts.
• Dried fruit. Try adding about 1 cup raisins, dried cherries, cranberries, chopped apricots, or chopped dates for an extra pizzaz of flavor.
• Sprinkles or M&M’s. Add in a handful of colored sprinkles or about 1 cup miniature or regular M&M’s, if you’d like to make these extra fun!

Baking tips

There are tons of tips and tricks for baking cookies, but follow the suggestions below and you’re sure to have the BEST oatmeal chocolate chip cookies of your life!

• Bake time + temp. Baking at 350ºF will guarantee your cookies melt at the perfect speed to get those crispy edges with a soft and chewy center. Bake for 10-13 minutes, depending how gooey you like the centers. Also, your bake time will vary depending on the size of your rolled dough.
• Don’t over mix. If you over stir the ingredients in this recipe you may end up with flat cookies that don’t have the optimal tender crumb.
• Don’t over bake. I recommend experimenting with a couple of cookies before baking the entire recipe. This will help you find that sweet spot when it comes to bake time in your oven and your preferred gooeyness level. My daughter really likes these baked for only 10 minutes because she likes a more doughy center. I like a soft, but more set center, so 12 minutes was perfect for me.
• Chill the dough. Not completely necessary, but we prefer the texture of these when the dough is chilled for 2 hours. The chilling process ensures they are extra thick and chewy.
• Bake on parchment or silicone. Parchment or a silicone baking mat makes for the most perfect cookies. Greasing the baking sheet creates an overly greasy foundation, which will cause the cookies to spread too much. Silicone baking mats will grip onto the bottom to prevent them from spreading too much. The mats also promote even browning.

Frequently asked questions

Storage recommendations

• Freezing the dough. Scoop out balls of dough. Flash freeze the balls on a pan for about 30 minutes and then place them in a freezer-safe baggie for up to 3 months.
• Thawing dough. When you’re ready to bake, remove the dough balls from the freezer, set them on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat and let them thaw. Once they are close to room temperature (after about 1-2 hours) bake as directed in the recipe.
• Bake from frozen. Baking from frozen will work just fine. The tops of your cookies may darken a bit more, but they will still be delicious. Follow all of the cooking instructions, but add a minute or two onto the bake time.
• Make ahead dough. If you are wanting to prep just several days ahead, you can keep batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Freezing baked cookies. Store in a freezer-safe container or baggie and freeze for up to 3 months.
• Storing. Leftover cookies will keep in an airtight container or zip-top baggie for about 1 week, but I can’t imagine them lasting that long!

If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re cooking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.