Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thie best recipe for soft and chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. These are made with brown sugar, a hint of cinnamon, rolled oats, & lots of chocolate chips for the perfect bakery-style cookie. They have the perfect combo of crispy edges and chewy centers for an oatmeal cookie that’s impossible to resist.

**This post was updated August 31, 2020 with new photos & recipe tips**

These oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are easy to make and the perfect recipe if you love large, flavorful, thick and chewy cookies. I’ve shared my favorite Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and these delectable Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies – so I figured it was time to combine the best of both worlds. Now, I realize some people have an aversion to oatmeal cookies. But I think these might change your mind. 

So What Makes these Cookies Delicious?

• We’re using melted butter to make them extra soft. Melted butter, softened butter and cold butter all act differently in baking – since this recipe was developed with melted butter, make sure to use it.
• A higher ratio of brown sugar to white sugar creates a caramel undertone. Brown sugar also adds moisture for softer cookies.
• Adding a little honey to the batter is a secret ingredient for super chewy cookies.
• We’re using lots of vanilla and cinnamon for flavor.
• Using old-fashioned oats adds tons of texture. I really prefer old-fashioned oats in this recipe because they add more texture than quick oats.
• Chilling our cookie dough creates extra-thick cookies. It’s necessary to reduce the risk of spreading.
• Adding chopped walnuts & tons of chocolate chips. The chopped walnuts are optional – but I definitely recommend them.

How to Make Soft Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is very similar to most cookie recipes:

1. First, we whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. This helps for even distribution of the cinnamon and baking soda.
2. In a separate, very large bowl, beat together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Technically, you could do this by hand with a wire whisk. But since you’ll need your electric mixer for later steps – I tend to just use it here too.
3. Then beat in the honey, vanilla extract and egg. The honey really improves the texture – so please don’t leave it out.
4. Carefully, with the mixer on low speed beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
5. Then beat in the rolled oats. It will look like there’s a lot of oats but don’t worry, they’ll mix in. The dough will feel thick, but also sticky.
6. Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.
7. At this point in time – it’s time to chill the dough. You’ll form the dough into balls of about 3 tablespoons of dough each, place on a plate, and wrap the plate with plastic wrap. The cookies chill for at least 2 hours before baking.
8. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven, place the cookies on a lined cookie sheet – and bake for 12-14 minutes at 350F or until the tops look just set.

Pro Tip: I always dot a few extra chocolate chips on top of each cookie as soon as they come out of the oven. This gives the cookies that “eat me” look.

Questions, Tips & Substitutions

• This recipe calls for large, rolled oats – sometimes called old-fashioned oats. I highly, highly, highly recommend using old-fashioned oats for the best results. Do not use instant oats or steel-cut (sometimes called Irish oats). Using quick oats is ok if you’re really in a pinch.
• For smaller cookies, form the dough into balls about 1 – 1.5 tablespoons of dough each. Bake for 8-10 minutes (after chilling the dough), or until the tops look just set.
• Why did my oatmeal cookies spread too thin? Usually, it’s one of a few things. Either not quite enough flour, too much butter, not chilling the dough for long enough,  placing the cookies in an oven that’s not fully preheated, or not lining the cookie sheets.
• Why did my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies turn out dry and crumbly? This is usually caused by too much flour. It’s VERY important to measure the flour correctly. First, whisk the flour. Then spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the top. Or better yet – use a scale. 1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour weighs 166 grams or 6 ounces.
• To freeze cookie dough, form the dough into balls and chill in the fridge as directed in the recipe. This helps the dough balls firm up. After about 30 minutes, place the dough balls in a freezer bag, remove the air, and freeze up to 2 months. Bake as directed from frozen – just add 1-2 minutes longer to the baking time.

Seriously – if you love thick, super chewy, extra soft, cookies that are full of flavor  – don’t miss out on these! And make sure to watch the video showing you exactly how I make these delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies:

If you love these soft & chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, make sure to check out these other classic cookie recipes:

• Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Double Chocolate Cookies
• Snickerdoodle Cookies
• Shortbread Cookies

Print Recipe

4.80 from 68 votes

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These soft and chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are made with brown sugar, old fashioned oats, chopped walnuts & lots of chocolate chips for the perfect bakery-style cookie. You'll love how easy they are to make

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time12 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oatmeal Cookies

Servings: 20 Cookies

Calories: 261kcal

Author: Fiona Dowling

Equipment

• Baking Sheets

Ingredients

• 1 and ⅓ cup all-purpose flour*
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ to 1 teaspoon cinnamon to taste
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled to room temperature
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar light or dark
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 2 and ¼ cups old-fashioned oats*
• 1 and ¼ cup chocolate chips your favorite kind
• ½ cup chopped walnuts optional but recommended

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda & salt. 
• In a separate bowl beat together the melted butter and sugars using an electric mixer.
• Beat in the honey, vanilla and egg until smooth.
• Turn the mixer down to low and carefully beat in the flour mixture into the butter mixture until almost combined.
• Add in the oats and beat on medium speed until combined. 
• Then turn off the mixer and stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips and the chopped walnuts.
• Form the dough into balls about 3 tablespoons of batter each . Flatten slightly, set on a plate and cover with clingfilm. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and place the cookies at least 2 inches apart. 
• Bake 1 cookie sheet at a time for 12-14 minutes until the tops of the cookies look almost set.
• Remove from the oven and dot the tops of the cookies with the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips.
• Allow to cool on the cookie tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Notes

1. Measure the flour very carefully - otherwise the cookies can get dry. Whisk the flour first, then spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the top. Or use a scale. 1 and ⅓ cup all-purpose flour weighs 166 grams or 6 ounces.
2. I highly recommend using old-fashioned oats in this recipe. If you're really in a pinch, you could use quick oats. I recommend only using 2 cups quick oats as a substitute. Do not use instant oats or steel-cut oats. 
3. To freeze cookie dough, form the dough into balls, place on a plate, cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until the dough balls feel firm. Then place them in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F and line your cookie sheets. Place the frozen dough balls on your cookie sheets and bake from frozen. They will need 1-2 minutes longer than the recipe directs.
4. For smaller cookies, form the dough into balls of about 1 - 1.5 tablespoons of dough each and bake for 8-10 minutes at 350F. 
5. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Baked and cooled cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months.
6. Nutrition information is an estimate only. It is based on 1 cookie (with walnuts), assuming the recipe yields 20 equal-sized cookies. 

Nutrition

Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 251IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg