The “perfect” cookie texture—crisp edges with a gooey center—finally meets oatmeal. Double chocolate chips, old-fashioned oats, and extra brown sugar give this cookie dynamic flavor, while the 48 hours of chilling give it the perfect texture. You can make a small or large batch now, make a few each day, or even freeze pre-formed dough to make single servings whenever you’d like!

The story

It feels a little strange to be writing about cookies right now. Before, when covid was my biggest concern, I could give out recipes as a form of therapy, a moment of joy in a difficult time. Need to eat your feelings today? Trying to bake for one or two? Here ya go! But now? In the midst of a very important time for Black Lives Matter? Yeah I don’t have a recipe for that.

But I do believe that change needs to happen on all levels. And personal, individual levels can be important, because none of this would even be an issue if our collective, societal mindset were different. If each of us focused on embracing, celebrating, and promoting diversity, systemic racism would die. As long as there is a pervasive mentality of white privilege and racism, no policy change will be enough. We need the heart of America to be one of anti-racism. And that starts by each of us checking our hearts and our actions and making changes in our daily lives.

I truly believe loving your neighbor can be impactful. And if you hadn’t guessed, baking is one of my love languages. So I’m sharing these cookies in hopes that you find a way to bake a batch for someone who’s different than you or as a way to spread love where racism is trying to take root.

These cookies are what hooked me on baking almost 20 years ago. Partly because they gained me quite a lot of praise (what can I say, I’m human). Partly because they honestly are one of my favorite cookies. Oatmeal for health, chocolate chips for taste, with butter and sugar for good measure.

I love the texture of these cookies. They’re slightly crispy on the edges and chewy inside. This comes from two things. First, they have slightly more sugar than the average cookie. I figure, YOLO. Plus the extra brown sugar creates a more dynamic flavor and that soft, chewy texture.

The other thing that gives them this perfect texture is the chilling time. It gives the flour and oatmeal time to absorb the liquid and the flavors meld together. Plus, baking chilled dough is key in getting that classic taste and texture.

I did an experiment this time to see what the perfect chill time was. Inspired by David Leite’s quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie, I made cookies after two hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours. Basically, I made 2 cookies every day for 4 days. My life is so rough. 😂 For my experiment, 48 hours seemed to be perfect. There was a nice shape to the cookie, with that elusive ring of crunch around the edge. But the inside was soft, chewy, and just slightly under baked.

If you like a crispier, fully-baked oatmeal cookie, you can bake these without chilling. But I encourage you to try them chilled!

How to make this recipe

So, yeah, this is your basic cookie recipe. Whisk flour, salt, and sifted baking soda. Set aside.

Beat softened butter for about 30 seconds or so, until smooth.

Mix in sugars one at a time, beating 1-2 minutes after each addition to fully incorporate.

Once the mixture is light and fluffy, add egg(s) one at a time, beating 30-60 seconds after each egg (this recipe is written as a half batch, which only calls for one egg). Add vanilla and beat another 30 seconds.

Mix flour in on low until fully incorporated.

Stir in oatmeal until fully incorporated.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Chill covered for 2-48 hours. Roll into golf ball sized portions (larger cookies allow for that varied texture and soft center). Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on the pan to set the cookies (since we’re slightly under baking them).

Enjoy!

Tips for this recipe

Double the recipe for a standard batch

This is a half batch, because SIP has me being practical. 🙄 Depending how big you make your cookies, you’ll get around 18, give or take. Most traditional cookie recipes make 36 (or 3 dozen), so if that’s what you’re expecting, double this recipe.

Keep in fridge up to 72 hours

Because of the raw egg and lack of preservatives, it’s not safe to keep the dough longer than 72 hours. But you can freeze any extras! Just see my next note.

Freeze shaped dough for single servings!

I loved making just a few cookies every day. But I still had extra dough at 72 hours. So I rolled them up, put them in a freezer safe bag, and froze them! Frozen dough can be baked straight out of the freezer. I’ve found they only need a minute or so extra, and sometimes bake just 10-12 minutes.

Chill 24-48 hours for soft cookies with crisp edges

As I said above, 48 hours yielded my version of a perfect cookie. The oatmeal was able to soften just a bit, which can be a tricky with old-fashioned oats. But even just 2 hours of chilling was delicious.

Bake immediately for crispy cookies

Do remember that your ingredients won’t have come together as well and the oatmeal will be firmer. You’ll also get a slightly flatter cookie. But I know some people prefer it that way! So if that’s how you want your cookie to crumble, bake without chilling.

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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (half batch)

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 10-12 minutes

total time: 20 minutes, plus chill time (2-48 hours)

Servings: 18 (depending on how large/small you make each cookie)

Ingredients:

1 cup flour, sifted

½ teaspoon sea salt (¼ if using fine-ground)

½ teaspoon baking soda, sifted

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted, room temperature butter (if all you have is salted, cut salt in recipe in half)

⅓ cup granulated sugar

½ cup packed light brown sugar (dark will work, too)

1 egg, room temperature

½ tablespoon (or 1 ½ teaspoons) pure vanilla extract

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1 cup chocolate chips, semi-sweet are ideal

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional, I almost never add nuts to my cookies)

Instructions:

Sift then whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter with a handheld mixer on high until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, beat on high 1-2 minutes, until it begins to look fluffy. Scrape sides then add the brown sugar and beat on high another 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Add egg(s), beating about 30 seconds until smooth. If making a full batch, add eggs one at a time, beating between each egg. Add vanilla and beat another 30 seconds until smooth.

Scrape bowl. Add flour mixture and mix on low until fully incorporated. Shake excess dough off beaters (or eat it, no shame there!). Stir in oats with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Stir in chocolate chips until evenly distributed (this took me nearly a minute). Stir in chopped nuts, if using.

Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 72, with 48 being ideal. See note for keeping dough beyond 72 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 for at least 15 minutes. Lime a baking sheet with parchment or silicone baking mat. Scoop out golf ball sized (give or take) portions of dough and roll into a ball. Place on prepared baking sheet at least 2” apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, checking at 8 minutes to be safe. Cookies are done when the edges are golden brown (if using a smaller oven or toaster style oven, the tops may brown first—you’re looking for about a quarter-ish of the cookie to be golden brown).

Let cool on the pan to set the cookie, since it’s softer and may fall through a cooling rack.

Enjoy! Baked cookies should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container and will last 2-3 days. See notes for storing frozen dough.