These soft, chewy, incredibly easy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are made in one bowl with no mixer required, using simple ingredients like old-fashioned oats, melted butter, brown sugar, and cozy spices. No chilling needed for this simple 30 minute oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe. Use chopped chocolate for extra chocolatey puddles, and don’t forget a sprinkle of sea salt on top!
A one bowl, no mixer, 30 minute recipe
For years, my easy chocolate chip cookie recipe has been one of the most popular recipes on this website, and so many of you make it over and over again just like I do. It’s not hard to see why – a one bowl, no mixer, no chill recipe for 24 cookies in 30 minutes? You just can’t beat it.
So it was only a matter of time before I created an oatmeal chocolate chip version of the recipe. It took several months to refine the ratios in recipe development and testing, but now — now, it’s perfect. And way better than oatmeal raisin cookies, in my opinion!
These oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are:
- soft and chewy in the middle, with slightly crispy edges
- full of chocolate pockets, and cozy from a blend of warming spices – cinnamon and nutmeg
- SMALLER BATCH – just 24 cookies
- EASY – did I mention one bowl, no mixer?
- QUICK – no chilling the dough means this recipe takes less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients
We’re keeping it simple with the ingredients here because when you want cookies at 9 p.m. on a Tuesday, you’re not messing around with browning butter and sifting flour and doing all the things. No siree.
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar – light or dark will work!
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Baking soda
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
- Old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats (but NOT steel cut oats!)
- Chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or chopped chocolate (it melts into glorious chocolate pools in the oven!)
- Sea salt on top if you’re feeling fancy
How to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (the easy way)
Like other recipes in my easiest baking recipe series, these chocolate chip oatmeal cookies are made in one bowl and no mixer is needed. Here are the step by step instructions — spoiler alert, it’s a short list:
- Melt the butter in a large bowl (or melt separately and pour into a large bowl), then whisk in wet ingredients: brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and baking soda and spices until well-combined and smooth.
- Stir in the dry ingredients (flour and oats) until a dough is formed. It’s a soft dough – don’t be concerned!
- Fold in the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.
- Scoop or spoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (I recommend this cookie scoop!). Add extra chocolate chips or chunks on top of each dough ball to make them look like my photos.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes on parchment paper lined baking sheets.
- Sprinkle sea salt on top after baking, to taste. Cool on a wire rack and devour!
Recipe Tips
- Weigh your flour using a food scale. This is my most important tip for success for chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (and all cookie recipes). I cannot stress enough how important it is to accurately measure your flour for consistent, excellent results, and weight is the most accurate way.
- NOTE: A cup of flour weighs 125 grams, and when you measure it using a scale, it will always be 125 grams. Different brands of measuring cups are slightly different sizes. Plus, it’s too easy to pack the flour into a measuring cup, making your cup 140 or 150 grams — which could lead to dry cookies instead of chewy cookies. And what a sad day that would be.
- Use old-fashioned oats (aka rolled oats) in oatmeal cookie recipes, not steel cut oats. Steel cut oats will not cook through during baking and your cookies would be inedible! Quick oats will work in a pinch, but won’t have the same chewy texture as rolled oats.
Storing & Freezing Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Room Temperature: Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Not that they’ll last that long, if my house is any indication.
- Refrigerator: store cookies in an airtight container for up to 10 days in the fridge.
- Freezer:
- Baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies can be frozen, tightly wrapped in plastic and stored in a freezer bag, for up to 3 months. Simply thaw at room temperature for an hour or heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to serve.
- Oatmeal cookie dough can also be frozen and baked later: scoop dough onto a flat surface like a plate or baking sheet, and place in the freezer for an hour. Then store frozen cookie dough balls in a freezer-safe bag to be baked whenever cookie cravings strike! Bake from frozen for 12 minutes at 350 degrees F, or 14 minutes if you like them crispy on the edges.
I like to keep cookie dough on hand in the freezer for cookie emergencies. It’s a real thing.
Additions & Substitutions
- Spices: you can omit the spices entirely, or add 1/4 tsp of others like ginger, cloves, or cardamom for a spicier flavor
- Mix-ins: feel free to substitute 1/2 cup (~85g) raisins or dried cranberries, chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans would be great), or a mixture of all in place of the chocolate chips. I like to use both chocolate and nuts sometimes!
- Egg: can be replaced by 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 2.5 tablespoons water) or 1/4 cup applesauce or yogurt
- Gluten-free: you can replace the all-purpose flour with an equal amount of oat flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour (1 and 1/4 cups or 155g).
- Vegan: use plant-based butter, and use a flax egg in place of the chicken egg. Make sure to use a vegan chocolate too.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
- The Easiest Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies
- Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Anzac Biscuits – the oatmeal cookie’s cool Australian cousin!
- S’mores Chocolate Chip Cookies
The Easiest Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
These soft, chewy, incredibly easy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are made in one bowl using simple ingredients: old-fashioned oats, melted butter, brown sugar, and cozy cinnamon and nutmeg for spice.
Servings: 24 cookies
Equipment
- 2 cookie sheets lined with parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/4 cups (155g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (86g) old-fashioned (rolled) oats
- 1/2 cup (85g) chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (plus more for tops if desired)
- Coarse or flaky sea salt (optional, for sprinkling on top)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, spices, baking soda and salt.
- Stir in flour and oats until a dough is formed. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Drop by tablespoons (a #40 cookie scoop is perfect for this) onto parchment lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart, then roll into balls in your hands if you want the cookies to bake up perfectly round. Add extra chocolate chips to the tops of each dough ball if desired.
- Bake for 10 minutes! Sprinkle sea salt on top after baking if desired.
- Let cookies cool on sheet for at least 5 minutes, then cool completely on a rack. Store, tightly covered, at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
Storage: baked cookies keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature, and up to a week in the refrigerator.
Freezing cookies and cookie dough: baked cookies can be frozen, tightly wrapped in plastic and stored in a freezer bag, for up to 3 months. Simply thaw at room temperature for an hour or heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to serve. Cookie dough can also be frozen and baked later: scoop dough onto a flat surface like a plate or baking sheet, and place in the freezer for an hour. Then store frozen cookie dough balls in a freezer-safe bag to be baked whenever cookie cravings strike! Bake from frozen for 12 minutes at 350 degrees F, or 14 minutes if you like them crispier on the edges.
Note on measuring flour: for best results, please either weigh your flour using a food scale, or spoon flour into the cup and then level it off, rather than scooping directly from the bag. The spoon and level method produces a lighter cup of flour, while scooping from the bag produces a packed, heavier cup that will prevent the cookies from spreading as they should.
Substitutions:
- Spices: you can omit the spices entirely, or add 1/4 tsp of others like ginger, cloves, or cardamom for a spicier flavor
- Mix-ins: feel free to substitute 1/2 cup (~85g) raisins or dried cranberries, chopped nuts, or a mixture of both in place of the chocolate chips. I like to use both chocolate chips and chopped nuts sometimes!
- Egg: can be replaced by 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 2.5 tablespoons water) or 1/4 cup applesauce or yogurt
- Gluten-free: you can replace the all-purpose flour with an equal amount of oat flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour (1 and 1/4 cups or 155g).
Tried this recipe?
Please consider leaving a rating and review!Like this oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe? Please leave a STAR RATING and REVIEW, and sign up for my email list to receive my recipes straight to your inbox every time I post! You can also tag me on Instagram @katiebirdbakes!
I made these cookies for a snack tray I took to a meeting. I followed your directions except for the scoop size, mine was a bit larger than what you recommended, so I increased the time by 2 minutes. Absolutely perfect and a total hit. Thanks for such a good recipe.
thank you so much! love the bigger cookies
Thanks for the recipe! Question: can we use quick dry oats instead of the old fashioned rolled oats?
Sorry not super knowledgeable about the different types of oats!
Hi Barbara – yes, quick oats would work, just not steel cut oats!
Hi, just recently found your site. Tried your peanut butter cookies, and they were perfect. Ive tried a lot of other pnut butter cookies on different sites, but these were simple and delicious. Left a yummy taste in your mouth that made you want more. Very good !
Thanks . Keep up the good work. Im impressed with brown butter recipes. Please send more.
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for the review!
We loved these cookies!
For next time: do you think I could spread the dough into an 8×8 pan and bake as brownies?
Thanks for your fabulous recipes!
Hi DV – yes, I think you could do that but haven’t tried it myself. I’d try baking for 25-30 minutes as a starting point – let me know how it turns out!
Yum. Added in walnuts, very happy with the decision. Super easy, turned out great!
Thanks so much!
Tasty! Easy recipe (no room temp butter, no refrigerating, no mixer). Heavy on the nutmeg but I like that, especially for colder weather baking. Maybe I’ll add walnuts next time 🤔
Tasty! Easy recipe (no room temp butter, no refrigerating). Heavy on the nutmeg but I like that, especially for colder weather baking. Maybe I’ll add walnuts next time 🤔
Glad you enjoyed it! Nuts would be delish!
Can I substitute the melted butter with oil?
I haven’t tried it but I think it would work!
Wow these cookies are delicious! Fast & simple to make and so good. (I added a handful of toasted pecans & dried cranberries.) Mine were perfectly done in 12 minutes. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Love those add-ins! So glad you enjoyed and thank you for the review 🙂
LOVED this recipe, the one bowl method made everything so much more easier! i was worried my partner wouldn’t enjoy the nutmeg in it, but he loved them. This was the first time baking cookies where you leave them as balls and pop them in the oven, i was SO worried they would spread into each other – but they didn’t, and they looked picture perfect! I can’t wait to make them again with dairy free butter so i can enjoy them
LOVED this recipe, the one bowl method made everything so much more easier! i was worried my partner wouldn’t enjoy the nutmeg in it, but he loved them. This was the first time baking cookies where you leave them as balls and pop them in the oven, i was SO worried they would spread into each other – but they didn’t, and they looked picture perfect! I can’t wait to make them again with dairy free butter so i can enjoy them
Wow, thanks for the amazing review Charon! Hope you get to enjoy them soon!
Another 5/5 easy cookie recipe to the fray, specially because normal oatmeal cookies are my favorites.
This one tho, it was different than the others. The taste was capable of remind me of some nights that i spent in a relative’s house when i was a child. On these nights, we usually had some amazing oatmeal cookies while playing some card games, and it was there that my love for oatmeal cookies bloomed.
There’s not many foods that can remind me of my childhood and i’ll admit that i was surprised that this one did it.
The child on me really thanks you for this recipe Katie, another killer one.
Now, i have to come back to my backlog and try out your peanut butter ones.
But i’m SUPER interested in a blondie. Never eaten one, so i really don’t know what i’ll do next, lol.
Cheers from Brazil!
Thank you so much Yuri!! You made my week with this comment 🙂
This is another great addition to your series of easy cookie recipes. It’s simple, the ingredients are usually already on hand, and when you just NEED to have a cookie, your wish is only a short time away. I am always a big fan of anything that can be made quickly and without having to drag out and clean up the mixer. (also a big fan of the no chill factor which just prolongs your wait for the cookie you are so anxiously awaiting to chow down on.) Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks so much Phoebe! So glad you love this one as much as we do!
So yummy and so quick to make! The perfect late night craving cookie.
I love that description 🙂 thanks Erin!
Best oatmeal cookies
Thank you Andrea!!
Oh my god. I saw this recipe in my inbox and I happened to have all the ingredients on hand, so I made them in less than half an hour and they are PERFECT. I love the chew from the oats and I used chopped chocolate so I’d have chocolate puddles throughout the cookie 🙂 SO GOOD. thanks Katie!!
Thanks so much Lauren!!