Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

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If you like your oatmeal cookies soft, chewy, and absolutely full of oats, you’ve come to the right place today.

These oatmeal cookies are all of those things – making them my perfect oatmeal cookies!

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine texted me in dire need of an oatmeal cookie recipe. Happy to oblige a cookie emergency, I sent him my Rolo stuffed Oatmeal Cookie recipe. That’s a great recipe and I love it a lot and until now, it was my go-to recipe. But that recipe got me to thinking more and more about the perfect oatmeal cookie, and how I hadn’t come up with one that met all my requirements yet.

You see, I absolutely love oatmeal cookies. I actually think, if pressed, that they’re my favorite kind. But I’m really, really picky about them.

First, they cannot be crunchy. (If it was up to me there would be no crunchy cookies. I like soft batch all the way!) To make these perfectly soft, I used lots of brown sugar, less baking soda, 2 eggs, and I chilled my dough. I bake the dough cold, so it stays puffier and the cookies stay soft.

Second, they must be chewy. The chewiness is, in part, from all of the oats in the cookie. These cookies are loaded with oats to satisfy my chewy cookie requirement. Just looking at them you can see they scream oatmeal – and that was my goal.

The extra oats also fulfill my third requirement: they must have lots and lots of oats! I want you to know they’re oatmeal cookies when you eat them. I used old-fashioned oats in these cookies. Old-fashioned oats don’t break down as fast as quick-cook ones too, which leaves you with a more hearty cookie. They’re chewier and have a thicker texture because of the old-fashioned oats.

If you prefer using quick cook oats, you can most likely substitute them in this recipe. I haven’t done it yet, but I have in others.

And finally, fourth, they cannot have raisins.

I know, I’m strange. I’m not a huge raisin fan. *Hangs head in shame*

I enjoy raisins in trail mix. I enjoy them in cereal. I’d probably even eat a box of them for a snack if I was hungry enough. But in baked goods? No. I’d rather have chocolate.

My desire for chocolate and oatmeal cookies is what led me to add M&Ms to these. M&M’s in cookies are the best, but if you’re a diehard oatmeal raisin fan, no worries. You can add raisins in addition to (or instead of) the chocolate.

Plus the M&M’s make them prettier. And, well. Chocolate.

These cookies satisfy all my requirements for the perfect oatmeal cookie. I know they’ll satisfy yours too!

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Servings: 2 dozen cookies

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

Soft and full of oats, these oatmeal cookies are chewy and perfect for your oatmeal cookie craving.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter — softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 2/3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup M&Ms — chocolate chips, nuts, or raisins, plus more for the tops

Instructions

1. Note: this dough needs to be chilled. Plan ahead!
2. In a medium bowl, whisk cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and flour. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (You can also use a large bowl and a hand mixer.) Cream until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla, beat until smooth.
4. Gradually mix in dry ingredients until smooth, being careful not to over mix. Add oats and mix, then stir in 1 cup of M&M candies (or your desired mix-ins).
5. At this point, you can chill your dough for 3-4 hours, however I like to scoop the cookie dough out first to cut my chilling time. Scoop 2 tablespoon sized balls of dough and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 1/2 hours.
7. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat and place the cookie dough balls 2” apart. Press a few more M&Ms (or other mix-ins) on the top of the cookies. This is optional, but makes them look prettier!
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the bottom is slightly golden. Cool on cookie sheets for 10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
9. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days. They can also be frozen in an airtight container or ziploc bag for up to 2 months.

All text and images © Dorothy Kern for Crazy for Crust. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be accurate.

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