Chewy Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

Name: Chewy Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 24 min
Total time: 44 min
Yield: 24 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup (2 sticks) (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into tablespoon-size pieces; 1 cup, packed (200 g) light or dark brown sugar, packed; ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar; 2 large (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature; 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract; 1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled; 1 teaspoon (5 g) baking soda; 1½ teaspoons (4 g) ground cinnamon; ¾ teaspoon (4½ g) fine salt; 3 cups (270 g) old-fashioned rolled oats; 1 cup (150 g) raisins, chocolate chips or chopped walnuts, nuts roughly chopped if using (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Thick, chewy oatmeal cookies with crisp golden edges, soft centers and a warm cinnamon-vanilla flavor. Chilling the dough keeps them from spreading too thin, and a short rest after baking sets the centers.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 24 min
Wait: 1 hr 45 min
Total: 2 hr 29 min
Makes: 24 cookies (about 3 inches / 7.5 cm wide)

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Ingredients

24 servings

1 cup (2 sticks) (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
1 cup, packed (200 g) light or dark brown sugar, packed
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
2 large (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled
1 teaspoon (5 g) baking soda
1½ teaspoons (4 g) ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon (4.5 g) fine salt
3 cups (270 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup (150 g) raisins, chocolate chips or chopped walnuts, nuts roughly chopped if using (optional)

Equipment (8)

Large mixing bowl
Electric hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle
Medium bowl
2 rimmed baking sheets, about 13×18 inches (33×46 cm)
Parchment paper
Medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons) or tablespoon measure
Wire cooling rack
Kitchen scale (optional)

Steps

Before you start

Take the butter and eggs out 1 hour ahead so they reach room temperature (butter should dent easily but not be greasy).
Plan for at least 1 hour of dough chilling before baking.
Use old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick oats or steel-cut oats, for the best chew.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

1
Prep the pans
- Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature.
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Ready when: Pans are lined and ingredients are measured.
Tip: Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling; scooping packs in too much and makes dry cookies.
2
Whisk dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until the cinnamon is evenly distributed with no streaks.
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Ready when: Mixture is a uniform beige color.
3
Cream butter and sugars
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl once, until the mixture is pale, fluffy and looks like wet sand turned creamy.
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Ready when: Mixture is lighter in color and visibly fluffy.
Tip: Do not melt the butter; softened butter gives structure and prevents greasy spread.
4
Add eggs and vanilla
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing about 30 seconds after each, then add the vanilla.
- Scrape the bowl and mix 10 seconds more.
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Ready when: Batter is smooth and glossy with no streaks of egg.
5
Mix in flour and oats
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until a few floury streaks remain.
- Add the oats (and raisins, chocolate chips or nuts, if using) and mix on low or fold with a spatula until evenly combined.
- The dough will be thick and sticky.
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Ready when: No dry flour pockets remain and oats are evenly coated.
Tip: Overmixing after adding flour makes cookies tough.
6
Chill the dough
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 48 hours.
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Ready when: Dough is firm and scoopable, not sticky.
Tip: Skipping the chill gives flatter, crispier cookies.
7
Preheat the ovenOven 350°F / 175°C
- About 15 minutes before baking, position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat to 350°F (175°C).
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Ready when: Oven reaches 350°F (175°C).
Tip: An oven thermometer helps if your oven runs hot or cool.
8
Scoop the cookies
- Scoop heaping 2-tablespoon portions (about 45 g each) onto the prepared sheets, spacing them 2 inches (5 cm) apart, about 12 per sheet.
- Gently press each mound down slightly with your palm.
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Ready when: Twelve evenly sized mounds per sheet.
Tip: If baking in batches, keep the remaining dough in the fridge and use cooled pans.
9
Bake the cookiesOven 350°F / 175°C
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 11 to 13 minutes, switching and rotating the pans halfway through.
- Bake until the edges are golden brown and the centers look set but still slightly soft and puffy.
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Ready when: Edges golden brown, centers set but slightly soft.
Tip: Pull them when centers still look a touch underdone; they continue to cook on the hot pan.
10
Cool and set
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer with a spatula to a wire rack to cool completely, about 15 minutes more.
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Ready when: Cookies lift off cleanly and feel firm underneath.

Good to know

Tips

Weigh ingredients with a kitchen scale for the most consistent results.
For extra chew, bang the baking sheet on the counter once right after removing it from the oven to deflate the cookies slightly.
Bake one test cookie first; if it spreads too much, chill the dough 30 more minutes.
Toast the oats on a dry sheet at 350°F (175°C) for 8 minutes and cool for a nuttier flavor.

Make ahead

"Dough can be refrigerated up to 48 hours, or scooped into balls and frozen up to 3 months; bake frozen balls straight from the freezer, adding 1 to 2 minutes."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature in an airtight container up to 5 days. Freeze baked cookies up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes, or warm at 300°F (150°C) for 5 minutes to refresh."

Substitutions

unsalted butter → salted butter. Reduce the fine salt to ¼ teaspoon.
old-fashioned rolled oats → quick-cooking oats. Cookies will be softer and less chewy; texture is less hearty.
light or dark brown sugar → coconut sugar. Use the same amount; cookies will be slightly drier and less caramel-like.
all-purpose flour → 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. Use oats labeled gluten-free; dough may be slightly stickier.