My Best Chewy And Crispy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

About My Best Chewy And Crispy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

My best oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe makes cookies that are chewy in the middle, crisp in the edges, and filled with lots of crunchy oatmeal and pools of melted chocolate! The oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are also flavored with a generous amount of cinnamon to stay true to the classic “oatmeal raisin” cookie taste. But don’t worry—if you’re not a fan of raisins, you won’t find any in this recipe! Instead, I’ve swapped out the raisins with puddles of dark chocolate.

Think of this cookie as similar to your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, but loaded with crunch and texture from the oatmeal.

For more delicious cookie recipes on Hummingbird High, check out my Cookie Recipe collection! Popular recipes include this Snickerdoodle Recipe Without Cream of Tartar and these Lavender Earl Grey Cookies. And if you’re looking for a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, check out My Best Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (No Stand Mixer Or Chilling Required!).

Ingredients and Substitutions

Now that I’ve convinced you to make my best oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe, here’s your shopping list:

Shopping List For My Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

• all-purpose flour
• ground cinnamon
• baking soda
• kosher salt
• brown sugar
• granulated sugar
• unsalted butter
• large eggs
• pure vanilla extract
• old-fashioned rolled oats
• dark chocolate (between 60% to 70% cacao), from whole fèves or high-quality chocolate bars

And let’s talk about some key ingredients and their potential substitutions:

Rolled Oats versus Steel Cut Oats versus Instant Oats

Now, let’s talk about all the three main varieties of oats. But first things first: all oats start off as whole, unbroken grains known as “oat groats”. When completely unprocessed, oat groats look a little bit like unpopped popcorn kernels.

After oat groats, the least processed kind of oat are steel-cut oats. Steel-cut oats are also known as “Irish oats” and “Scottish oats”. They are made by chopping the whole oat groat into several small pieces; as a result, they look a little bit like short grain brown rice. Because they aren’t heavily processed, steel-cut oats take a long time to cook. And even after cooking, the oats tend to be toothsome and extremely chewy thanks to their original texture.

On the other hand, manufacturers processed rolled oats by rolling the oat groats through a machine to flatten them. The resulting oats look like flat, oval discs. Because of their shape, they cook faster than steel-cut oats and absorb more liquid.

And finally, we have instant oats. Instant oats are processed in the same way as rolled oats, but pressed to be even more thin than rolled oats. Instant oats cook the fastest out of the three main varieties.

Can I use steel cut oats or instant oats in this oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe?

No, please don’t. Using steel cut or instant oats will result in oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with dramatically different textures and Bake Times!

I mentioned above that steel-cut oats are the least processed of the three main varieties. If you use steel-cut oats in these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, the cookies will come out gritty. Steel-cut oats are more suited for recipes with long cook times (like porridge!).

Conversely, if you use instant oats in this recipe, the cookies will come out with an unpredictable texture. Instant oats cook up faster than its two other counterparts. The cookies might end up too crunchy if you keep the Bake Time as written. Alternatively, the cookies might end up weirdly mushy. Why? In general, instant oats retain less of their texture after being cooked.

Like I said, it’s best to stick with old-fashioned rolled oats!

How To Make Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here are the basic steps to make my best oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe from scratch:

1. First, prep your ingredients. (Prep Time: 5 to 10 minutes)
   Prep for this oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe is easy! All you need to do is measure out the ingredients beforehand. That’s it! If you’re using whole fèves like I recommended, there’s no need to chop them up beforehand. As a result, your prep time will only be about 5 minutes. However, if you’re chopping up chocolate for the recipe, your prep time will be 10 minutes.
   
   
2. Then, make the cookie dough. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
   The dough comes together really quickly! First, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Next, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, then add the egg and vanilla. Finally, add the dry ingredients, oats, and chocolate. That’s it!
   
   
3. Next, assemble the cookies. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
   The fastest and easiest way to make picture-perfect cookies is to invest in a cookie dough scoop. These handy tools scoop the dough into dough balls that bake into perfect cookie circles every time. In general, I use a 3-Tablespoon or 4-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to make my cookie recipes. Doing so makes perfect 3- to 3.5-inch wide cookies.
   
   
4. Finally, bake the cookies. (Bake Time: 15 minutes)
   The oatmeal chocolate chip cookies need 15 to 17 minutes in the oven. When done, the edges should be set. However, the centers will still look a little soft. That’s normal! In fact, that’s the secret to a perfect cookie with a chewy center.

Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ

I’m looking for a classic oatmeal raisin cookie. Can I replace the chocolate with raisins instead?

Yes! Instead of using the chocolate, use 1 cup (5.5 ounces or 156 grams) raisins to make a classic oatmeal raisin cookie.

If you want a combination of chocolate AND raisin in these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, use half of the chocolate (4 ounces or 113 grams) and combine it with 1 cup (5.5 ounces or 156 grams) raisins.

Help! I made these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies but they don’t look like your cookies. My chocolate stayed mostly in tact. They didn’t melt and pool throughout the cookie like yours did. What did I do wrong?

First things first: did you use chocolate chips? If you did, they’re the likely culprit.

I mentioned earlier that chocolate chips are made with stabilizers like more cocoa solids and paraffin wax to ensure that they keep their shape when baked. They won’t melt and pool into puddles like chopped chocolate bars. That’s why I always recommend using chopped chocolate if you’re looking for a picture-perfect, Instagram-ready cookie!

However, if you did use chopped chocolate, it’s likely that you chopped your chocolate up too finely. You want to keep the pieces fairly big—think: ½ inch to 1 inch pieces. Bigger pieces will get more melty and molten!

Can you freeze oatmeal chocolate chip cookies?

You can freeze my best oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe in the following ways:

1. Freeze the UNBAKED oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough.
   Follow the recipe instructions to make the cookie dough and scoop them out into cookie dough balls. Place the cookie dough balls in a small sheet pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour, or until the cookie dough balls are frozen solid. Transfer the cookie dough balls to a zip-top bag and freeze for up to 1 year.
   
   To bake the frozen cookie dough balls, follow the recipe instructions to preheat the oven. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the edges have set but the centers are still gooey.
   
   
2. Freeze the BAKED oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
   Individually wrap any leftover oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in two layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. The aluminum foil will prevent the cookies from absorbing any other flavors or odors in the freezer. When ready to serve, transfer to the refrigerator to chill overnight. Rewarm in the microwave or in the oven at 350°F for 5 minutes before serving.