Easy One-Bowl Oatmeal Cookies Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

  • Warm butter provides moisture to hydrate the oats, which thicken the dough after a short rest.
  • Dried cranberries or cherries balance the sweetness of the dough.
  • Traditional all-purpose flour offers the right starch and protein content for tender cookies that spread as they should, so steer clear of unbleached alternatives.

I'm absolutely indiscriminate about good cookies. Snappy, chewy, sandy, crispy—whatever it is, I'll take two. I like making macarons, and florentines, andOreos, and fussy cookies that take all day. I don't mind busting out a cloth cover to painstakingly roll out my aunt Donna'spepparkakor, and it's no bother to keep raw cane sugar on hand for absurdlyperfect gingersnaps.

Easy One-Bowl Oatmeal Cookies Recipe (1)

And yet, I find myself making oatmeal cookies more than any other. When I'm at home, everything else seems like Schrödinger's cookie: an interesting possibility. But oatmeal cookies are so real I can smell them, and once I've got that butterscotch-y aroma in mind, I can taste them. Warm and soft and chewy and crisp around the edges.

Easy One-Bowl Oatmeal Cookies Recipe (2)

When it gets to the point that I'm fantasizing about imaginary cookies, I'm halfway to the kitchen.

The wild and unpredictable onset of my craving has taught me a lot about oatmeal cookies, because it makes me impatient. On the one hand, it's helped me develop a one-bowl recipe that comes together as quickly as I can scale the ingredients. On the other, it's shown me that certain corners refuse to be cut.

When Is Butter Melted Just Right?

The first is melted butter, and little baby Goldilocks has to have things just right. Too cool, and the grainy dough refuses to spread. Too hot, and it's an oily mess that oozes in a puddle (though said puddle istasty, all butterscotch-y and crisp). But when the butter is warm and fluid, about 105°F (41°C), give or take five degrees, everything's perfect.

Sugar dissolves a bit in the warmth, while rolled oats and flour soak up the water, making a dough that's smooth and easy to handle. The cookies themselves bake up chewy and crisp, though the first tray has always looked more irregular than the second, which never bothered me at all. I figured it had something to do with dough temperature, and the urgency of my cravings cared nothing for aesthetics. So far as I was concerned, it was a cook's treat: those funky, unpresentable bits that are always scarfed while you stand at the stove. I kept the uglies for myself and sent the beauties to friends and neighbors.

Most of the time.

Resting the Batter Is Key

Eventually, my oatmeal cookie fascination got the better of me, and I stole a bite from the second tray. A light shone all around, and I basked in the glory of revelation: It wasn't the dough temperature, it was the oats!

Whether old-fashioned or thick-cut, rolled oats are made by roasting and steaming whole oat groats, then sending them through a roller. (Obscure knowledge bomb—instant oats are made the same way, but with steel-cut oats.) Anyhow, steam does something interesting: It pre-gelatinizes the starch, making rolled oats soluble in cold water.

That lets them swell up with moisture from the dough, and when grains swell, they soften. So the oats in the second batch get tenderer, the dough gets thicker, and everyone but me gets a better cookie. Oh, the irony of my impatience!

Since then, I've learned that perfect oatmeal cookies are worth the wait. Twenty-five minutes (roughly the time that passes between adding the oats and getting my second tray in the oven) of resting time is enough to see a distinct improvement; 45 is even better. After an hour, the baking soda starts to lose its strength, but you still won't notice any negative effect on your cookies until about the 90-minute mark. Holding the dough overnight is out of the question.

That's okay, though. You'll be making them again soon enough.

PS: Swap out traditional raisins for tart dried cranberries or cherries. They balance out the sweetness of the cookies so much better.

December 2015

Recipe Details

Easy One-Bowl Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

Prep10 mins

Cook15 mins

Active10 mins

Resting Time35 mins

Total60 mins

Serves30 cookies

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces unsalted butter(1 1/2 sticks; 170g), fluid and warm—roughly 105°F (41°C)

  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) vanilla extract

  • 1 large egg, cold (about 50g)

  • 7 ounces light brown sugar(3/4 cup, gently packed; 200g)

  • 7 ounces white sugar (1 cup; 200g)

  • 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt; half as much by volume if using table salt (7g of either kosher or table salt by weight)

  • 1 teaspoon (3g) ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon (3g) baking soda

  • 7 ounces old fashionedrolled oats—not quick-cooking or instant (2 cups; 200g)

  • 6 ounces all-purpose flour, not unbleached (1 1/4 cups; 170g)

  • 7 ounces dried cranberriesor cherries (1 1/4 cups; 200g)

Directions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position, preheat to 350°F (180°C), and line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment (not wax paper).

  2. Combine butter, vanilla, egg, brown sugar, white sugar, kosher salt, cinnamon, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Stir until no lumps remain, then fold in rolled oats, followed by the flour and dried cranberries or cherries. Divide into 30 one-ounce portions with a roughly 2-tablespoon scoop and arrange on prepared baking sheets. Let stand at room temperature for at least 25 minutes, no more than 75 minutes.

    Easy One-Bowl Oatmeal Cookies Recipe (3)

  3. Bake until pale gold around the edges, but still puffed and steamy in the center, about 15 minutes. Cool directly on baking sheets until firm, about 10 minutes. Enjoy warm, or store in an airtight container up to 3 days at room temperature.

    Easy One-Bowl Oatmeal Cookies Recipe (4)

Special Equipment

#30 or #40 cookie scoop, 2 rimmed baking sheets

Notes

If the temperature drops below 70°F (21°C) in your kitchen, the cookie dough may solidify as it rests. If possible, set the trays of cookie dough on the stovetop, where heat from the oven will knock off the chill.

Due to the melted butter that brings the baking soda in contact with brown sugar, this dough will not keep overnight in the fridge.

In this recipe, unbleached flour will prevent the dough from spreading as it should.

Easy One-Bowl Oatmeal Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is in cowboy cookies? ›

As with most things in Texas, Bush's Cowboy Cookies are enormous and wholly stuffed with so many mix-ins: oats, coconut, pecans, and of course, chocolate chips. They're sure to win over any crowd.

Why are my homemade oatmeal cookies hard? ›

There are a few reasons why your oatmeal cookies may be too hard. Perhaps you left them in the oven a couple of minutes too long. To rectify this, simply bake the next batch for less time. Another reason could be the density of the dough.

Why can't you use instant oats for oatmeal cookies? ›

I don't recommend using quick oats because the cookies won't have as much texture and you want a nice and chewy oatmeal cookie that is hearty with lots of texture going on. Quick oats also absorb liquid differently and you don't want to end up with dry cookies.

How do you keep oatmeal cookies from falling apart? ›

How do you keep oatmeal cookies from crumbling? You need to let them rest a bit on the pan before transfering them too a cooling rack. Watch your ratios as too much flour or oats will make them dry and crumbly, experiment and find thay perfect balance. You can also add some rehydrated raisins.

What are Snoop Dogg cookies? ›

Snoop Dogg's peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe - His original cookie features creamy peanut butter and semisweet chocolate morsels, making it the perfect indulgence this holiday season. #

What is Alabama State cookie? ›

A yellowhammer cookie is a type of stuffed drop cookie containing peanuts, pecans, oats, honey and peanut butter. Invented for a school baking competition, it became the official state cookie of Alabama later that year. The recipe includes locally relevant ingredients and is named after Alabama's state bird.

What is the secret ingredient to keep cookies soft? ›

Light corn syrup is another ingredient that you can add to cookie dough that will help it stay softer longer. The corn syrup you buy at the grocery store is not the high-fructose corn syrup that soft drinks are made with; it's a sugar that is liquid at room temperature and helps other sugars say liquid at high heat.

How do you moisten oatmeal cookie dough? ›

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.

What makes oatmeal cookies spread too much? ›

An oven that hasn't reached the correct baking temperature causes the fat in the dough to melt before the cookie bakes through. As a result, cookies spread too much. Heat the oven for at least 10 minutes. A good rule of thumb is to turn the oven on just before you begin measuring ingredients.

Can I use Quaker oats instead of rolled oats? ›

That's because rolled oats and old-fashioned oats are the same thing, according to the Quaker Oats website. So you should feel free to sub one for the other. Rolled oats get their name from being flattened with rollers.

Is it better to use quick oats or old-fashioned oats for oatmeal cookies? ›

The difference in texture might help you decide which type of oat you should use in a recipe. Rolled oats hold their shape well and give things a nice chew. This makes them perfect for baked goods and cookies. Quick oats are better for blending into recipes.

Can I substitute old-fashioned oats for quick oats in oatmeal cookies? ›

When it comes to the two types you probably already have in your kitchen—rolled oats and quick oats—you can use them in recipes interchangeably. If you need quick oats, but only have rolled oats, just pulse the rolled oats a few times in the blender to get the textural effect your recipe needs.

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).

Do you have to refrigerate oatmeal cookie dough? ›

The cookie baked from room temperature, being thinner, has a more uniform texture, while the one baked straight from the fridge. is thick enough to accommodate a softer interior. and crispier exterior. No contest. Generally speaking, you should chill your cookie dough before baking it.

Should you let oatmeal cookie dough rest? ›

The primary reason for a brief resting period to redistribute the liquid in the dough. While the dough sits, turning from loose and soft to drier and more scoopable, the flour is hydrating, yielding cookies that will bake and brown more evenly.

What is in the Cowboy Cookie at Crumbl? ›

Can we get a yeehaw for COWBOY COOKIE 🤠 A warm oatmeal cookie filled with tasty semi-sweet chips, sweetened shredded coconut, and crunchy toasted pecans.

Why are they called cowboy cookies? ›

The origins of "cowboy cookies" are unknown although they have been variously attributed to Texas or the Old West. The story that describes them in originating in the Old West claims that they were eaten by cowboys as a high energy snack that could be easily carried.

What are the flavors of cowboy cookies? ›

Cowboy cookies have been a classic favorite for decades. The blend of coconut, pecans, and, most importantly, chocolate chips, gives these cookies a unique and delightful taste.

What is cookies made out of? ›

Recipes for cookies are highly variable. Probably the most popular cookies in the United States are those that are based on a simple dough of flour, butter, sugar, and egg, to which a variety of flavouring and texturizing ingredients, such as chocolate chips, oatmeal, raisins, or peanut butter, may be added.

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