With oats, butter, and mostly all brown sugar, you are guaranteed a soft and chewy oatmeal
cookie. Use this perfect oatmeal cookie as the base for other add-ins such as raisins, dried
cranberries, and nuts. Cinnamon and a touch of molasses add that little something extra.
To prevent the cookies from over-spreading, don’t skip the brief dough refrigeration in step
4.
Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 Tablespoon (15ml) unsulphured or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap;
I prefer Grandma’s brand)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups (255g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
1 and 3/4 cups (315g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
optional: flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together.
Set aside.
In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle
attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on
medium-high speed until combined and creamed, about 3 minutes. Add the
eggs, molasses, and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined, about 1
minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again as
needed to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until
combined. Beat in the oats and chocolate chips. Dough will be thick and
sticky.
Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 45 minutes in the refrigerator (and
up to 4 days). If chilling for longer than a few hours, allow to sit at room
temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the
dough will be quite firm.
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or
silicone baking mats. Set aside.
Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough, about 2 Tablespoons
(40g) of dough per cookie, which is a heaping cookie scoop-ful, and place 3
inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 13–14 minutes or until lightly
browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5
minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. While the
cookies are still warm, I like to press a few more chocolate chips into the tops
and sprinkle with flaky sea salt—both are optional!
Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it
in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. See step 4. Baked cookies freeze well for up to
3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake
frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and
tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer
(Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper |
Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
Molasses: 1 Tablespoon of molasses helps give these cookies incredible flavor.
Be sure to use unsulphured or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap; I prefer
Grandma’s brand). If you don’t have any, simply leave it out. Do not replace with
anything else. Likewise, cinnamon adds flavor as well. Not necessary, but it sure
is tasty!
Different Size Cookies: Use 1.5 Tablespoons (30g) for regular-size cookies, 2 T.
(40g) for large cookies (what is pictured), or 3 T. (60g) for XL cookies. The bake
time will be a minute or so shorter for regular-size and a minute or so longer for
XL cookies.
Can I Add Raisins or Chopped Nuts? Yes, you can add either. I recommend 1 cup
(180g) chocolate chips and 3/4 cup either raisins (110g) or chopped walnuts or
pecans (100g).
