Need a simple recipe for the best old-fashioned oatmeal cookies made from scratch? These are soft and chewy, just like Grandma used to make! It is also made from everyday ingredients and ready to enjoy while still warm in 30 minutes!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- An old-fashioned chewy cookie just like Grandma used to make!
- Just as easy to make as Chocolate Chip Cookies!
- Soft and chewy, not hard and crispy like prepackaged cookies.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Quick Cooking Oatmeal - Quick oats are not the same as instant oats. If all you have is rolled oats or old-fashioned oats, just pulse the oats a few times in a food processor or blender until they look like quick-cooking oats, and go ahead and substitute them for the quick-cooking ones. Steel-cut oats are not recommended for this recipe.
- Shortening - no, do not substitute butter for the shortening. Shortening keeps the flavor "clean," so the oatmeal taste is the dominant flavor.
- Flour - Use all-purpose flour, never self-rising flour.
- Variations - For oatmeal raisin cookies, mix in 1 cup of raisins with the flour.
- For butterscotch oatmeal cookies, mix in 1 cup of butterscotch chips.
A Couple Things You'll Need!
Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly spray your cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray or line them with parchment paper.
- Measure the shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar into a large bowl or the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream them together.
- Add the eggs, water, and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Add the baking soda and salt. Mix well.
- Add the quick oatmeal and flour. Mix well.
- For best results, allow the cookie dough to sit for 10 minutes to give the oatmeal time to absorb the extra moisture in the dough. Then, if the cookie dough is too wet, add a little bit more flour. Add more flour with caution, however, because too much flour results in dry cookies.
- Scoop the oatmeal cookie dough out by the tablespoonfuls onto a prepared baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes.
- The edges will be lightly browned, but the tops will not be. Don't overbake these!
- Cool on a wire rack.
- Once cool, store these cookies in an airtight container.
- To freeze, place the cooled cookies in a freezer bag and pop them in the freezer.
Recipe FAQs
The most common mistake when it comes to oatmeal cookies comes when the dough is first mixed up. It seems like it needs more flour. However, the oatmeal will continue to absorb the moisture in the dough as it sits, so if you add more flour, your cookies may end up dry and tough. If you are concerned that the dough is too wet, let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then give it a stir and see if it is still too wet. Then add a little more flour if needed.
I don't recommend it. Butter not only changes the flavor, it makes these oatmeal cookies spread out very thin. The purpose of the shortening in these cookies is to produce a soft and tender oatmeal cookie that doesn't flatten out. Butter takes away all these qualities.
Related Cookie Recipes
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Soft Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup Shortening
- ½ Cup White Sugar
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar
- ¼ Cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 3 Cups Quick Cooking Oatmeal
- 1 ½ Cups Flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheets by spraying them with non-stick cooking spray or lining them with parchment paper.
- Cream the shortening and sugars together.
- Add the water, vanilla extract, and egg. Mix well.
- Stir in the baking soda and salt.
- Stir in the oatmeal.
- Stir in the flour.
- Let the dough stand for 10 minutes to let the oatmeal absorb the extra moisture.
- Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes. The bottom edges will have turned very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack and eat!
Notes
- When the dough is first mixed up, it may seem like it needs more flour. However, the oatmeal will continue to absorb the moisture in the dough as it sits, so if you add more flour, your cookies may end up dry and tough. If you are concerned that the dough is too wet, let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then give it a stir and see if it is still too wet.
Nutrition
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Charlie
Thank you so much for posting. These cookies are wonderful. I was looking for a good recipe for soft oatmeal cookies. The next time I make them, I'm thing about adding a dash of cinnamon and clove. Also, I can't wait to make your chocolate chip cookies.
Mindee
You're welcome!
Tony
What about Becel margarine instead of Crisco?
Mindee
I have never tried that brand but I never recommend using margarine for baking as it has a distinct flavor.
Linda
How about using coconut oil instead of Crisco? It is solid at room temp like crisco but healthier?
Mindee
You can sub coconut oil. You may need a bit more flour and the cookies will spread a bit more because while coconut oil is solid at room temp it melts to a liquid at 76 degrees and shortening melts at 117 degrees which gives time for the cookie structure to set more before it melts.
Amanda
I have tried this recipe before and loved it. I am now diabetic, so I did try substituting the sugar with monk fruit sweetener because I found one that measures cup for cup like sugar. I doubled the batch and used monk fruit for the white sugar and half golden monk fruit and half regular brown sugar for the brown sugar. They are definitely acceptable and will do in a pinch if you can't have the original recipe! I really wanted a good oatmeal cookie, so thought it couldn't hurt to try it.
Jeff
One of my favorite cookies!!
Kathryn
This recipe only calls for one egg, is this correct? Other recipes say to use two eggs.
mindeescookingobsession
Other recipes? Yes, only 1 Egg.
Kathryn
Thanks! Making them today.
Sherri
Recipe says 2 eggs.
Wendy
Hi, Can I use coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar and monk sugar in place of white sugar.
Also, substitute almond flour for the AP flour?
Thank you.
mindeescookingobsession
This recipe would not turn out making those substitutions. Subbing the almond flour for the all purpose flour typically would require the addition of additional eggs which changes the balance of ingredients. The small amount of monk sugar that would be used in place of the sugar would remove a large amount of substance from the batter which would put the other ingredients out of balance. Coconut sugar lacks the moisture that brown sugar has which is an important part of this recipe. Swapping out both sugar would surely leave these cookies really dry and probably dense as well.
Christy
Could you use butter crisco?
Mindee
You could but it will alter the flavor significantly.