Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Everyone needs a classic oatmeal cookie recipe in their baking repertoire collection, and this old-fashioned version with chocolate chips might just become your new favorite. These cookies are soft and chewy, with nutty oats, buttery dough, and melty chocolate chips in every bite. The rolled oats give them a hearty texture with a wholesome and comforting taste, and the aroma will take you back to afternoons of walking into your house after school with a plate of warm cookies waiting for you on the kitchen table. Best of all, they are made with simple pantry staples and only take 20 minutes to bake. They are fancy enough to serve at a party, and easy enough to make on a whim.

Recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe and says, "This batch makes quite a few cookies, so sometimes I freeze half of the cookie dough so it's ready to make another day. You can wrap the dough in plastic wrap, place it in a freezer-safe container, and freeze it for up to 3 months. Another option is to scoop out the dough into individual cookie portions, lay them out on a tray, and freeze them, then place the frozen cookies in a freezer bag."

To make this recipe, pick up some unsalted butter and eggs. We're using rolled oats in this recipe, which are heartier and less processed than quick oats. Then check your pantry for brown sugar, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, baking soda, vanilla extract, and salt. You'll also need chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 350 F

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Add the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to a large bowl.

Using a hand mixer, beat the mixture for about 3 minutes.

Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again for 1 minute.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Stir in the rolled oats and stir well.

Fold in the chocolate chips

Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart (about 15 cookies per baking sheet).

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set and lightly golden brown.

Cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

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There are several substitutions you can make for the ingredients in this recipe if you want to use what you have on hand. To start, for the unsalted butter, you can use salted butter, in which case there is no need to add the salt listed in the recipe. You can use melted coconut oil in place of the butter — a refined coconut oil is the best choice, because it won't add coconut flavor to the cookies. For the sweetener in the cookies, you can replace the brown sugar with additional granulated sugar, which will result in a crispier cookie. If you want to make the cookies vegan, use dairy-free butter and flax eggs. To make 2 flax eggs, mix 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds with 5 tablespoons of water. Once mixed, let it sit for 10 minutes to gel up. If you are going for vegan cookies, you'll also want to use dairy-free chocolate chips. For a slightly less chewy cookie, you can use quick oats but be sure to avoid steel-cut oats.

You can also add a variety of mix-ins to customize the cookies. Mixing in nuts like chopped walnuts or pecans will add some crunch and nuttiness. Add about ½ cup at the end when you fold in the chocolate chips. Dried fruit is another good option. Dried cranberries, cherries, or raisins would all be nice.

Even though the cookie recipe is an easy one, we have a few tips to ensure they come out perfectly. It is important that the butter is softened, but not too soft or melted. Let the butter sit on the counter for 30-60 minutes to soften. It's ready when it's soft enough that your finger will make a small indent when you press it lightly. If you forgot to take it out and you want to speed up the process, you can cube the butter and lay it out in a single layer, and it should only take about 5-20 minutes to soften sufficiently. Or try this mesh-strainer trick for bringing the butter to room temperature quickly.

When combining the wet and dry ingredients, don't overmix the dough. Just mix until everything is combined — using your hands is an effective method. When laying out the cookies on the cookie sheets, be sure to space them about 2 inches apart because they will spread during the cooking process.

You'll know the cookies are done when the outer rim is golden brown. The cookies will firm up when they are cooling, so there is no need to keep them in the oven any longer. In fact, to do so would dry them out and make them crispy instead of chewy.

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