Extra Easy Oatmeal Cookies
- PREP
With this easy oatmeal cookies recipe, you will have less dishes to clean, there’s no time required for softening butter, chilling the cookie dough is optional, and the batter can be frozen for cookies another day. These just might be the best oatmeal cookies ever! If you have an extra five minutes to spare when making these cookies, try browning your butter before adding it to the cookie batter. Browned butter adds a nutty richness to the cookies. (Here’s our tutorial for browning butter and we provide instructions below.)
You Will Need
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, optional
10 tablespoons (140 grams) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (100 grams) packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (150 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup (70 grams) raisins or dried fruit
1/2 cup (60 grams) chopped nuts, optional
Directions
Prepare the Butter
You can use regular melted butter or browned butter for this cookie recipe.
For regular melted butter, melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove, and then cool. When cool to the touch, use the melted butter in the recipe below.
For browned butter (our favorite), melt the butter in a light-colored skillet over medium heat. Swirl the pan occasionally to be sure the butter is melting evenly. As it melts, the butter will begin to foam and the color will change from light yellow to golden, and finally to brown. This only takes a minute or two.
When the browned butter smells nutty and the butter is a light golden brown, transfer the browned butter to a heatproof bowl to cool. When cool to the touch, use the browned butter in the recipe below.
Prepare Cookie Batter
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom together. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the sugars, whole egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and the melted butter or browned butter together.
Switch to a large rubber spatula, and then add the flour mixture in 3 parts, stirring gently until they disappear. Fold in the oats, dried fruit, and nuts.
Bake Cookies
Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (160C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Roll cookie dough into balls (about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough) and place onto baking sheets. Leave 2 inches between the cookies to allow for spreading. (For larger cookies, use 3 to 4 tablespoons of dough and space them apart by 3 inches.) Gently press the tops of the cookies down a little to help them spread more evenly in the oven.
Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time and rotate once during cooking, for 9 to 15 minutes. The cookies should be light golden brown around the edges but look almost wet in the middles. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store the baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to a week in the refrigerator.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Browning Butter: A full tutorial is found here to help you out.
- Substitute Coconut Oil: We love coconut oil in these cookies. For a light coconut flavor, use unrefined coconut oil. For cookies without the coconut flavor, use refined coconut oil. After mixing the batter together, set it aside for 20 minutes to give the oats some time to absorb the oil.
- Vegan oatmeal cookies: Use vegan butter or coconut oil as a substitute for the butter and flax eggs as a substitute for the eggs. See the article above for exact amounts.
- Gluten free oatmeal cookies: Your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend should work nicely in these cookies.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste