This recipe for soft and chewy oatmeal cookies is a good one for a few reasons. There’s something nostalgic and cosy about cookies. They’re the bake we turn to when we offer our thanks to someone, when we want to cheer someone up or give them a cookie “hug”. We share them with neighbours. But also, most definitely always eat our fair share of them first. We post them to people afar, give them to children after school and pair them with hot chocolate and afternoons on the sofa. They’re the bake that stay in for the night, that whisper “I’m here” from their boxes. They comfort us during trying times and wrap us in love and affection. They’re modest and understated, as opposed to their fancy counterparts – meringues, celebration cakes and opulent tarts – that shout “look at me, look at me”.
This recipe for soft and chewy oatmeal cookies is the perfect base recipe that can be adapted with three (yes, THREE!) different additions – all of which melt in your mouth! Each combination is homely and comforting, with a crunchy golden exterior and perfectly chewy interior. I recommend using good-quality butter for a rich, creamy flavour and chunky oats for good texture.
Choose from 3 different flavours:
If you LOVE an oatmeal cookie, you’ll love these variations on a classic staple:
- Raisin. An obvious choice, but an addition that many turn their nose up at. Add an extra chew to the bite!
- White chocolate. Delicate white chocolate chunks pair perfectly with the vanilla flavours and chunky oats.
- Pistachio and cranberry. Flavoured with juicy dried cranberries and crunchy chopped pistachios.
If you can’t decide between the flavours, simply divide your cookie batter up and make all three flavours!
What do you need to make these soft and chewy oatmeal cookies?
- Flour. This recipe calls for plain flour, which is usually used for its versatility in recipes.
- Spices. I like my oatmeal cookies with a little warmth, so I’ve incorporated cardamom and ginger, alongside cinnamon and nutmeg, into this recipe for a little kick.
- Butter. Choose a high-carotene butter. You can definitely make this recipe entirely with unsalted butter but I personally like the addition of 50g of salted.
- Sugar. The mixture of light brown sugar and granulated sugar is the perfect match or gentle caramel tones.
- Oats. Choose rolled oats if you prefer a less chunky texture, or jumbo oats for that craggy look.
- Vanilla. I personally like using vanilla bean paste in this cookie recipe for depth of flavour, but essence or extract can be used as a substitution.
- Flavour additions. Use dried fruit, and high-quality chocolate and nuts for a luxurious cookie that screams to be eaten.
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Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 190 g plain flour
- 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 120 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 50 g salted butter at room temperature
- 150 g light brown sugar
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1 large free-range egg at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 150 g rolled oats
For the raisin variation
- 100 g juicy raisins
For the white chocolate variation
- 100 g white chocolate roughly chopped
For the pistachio and cranberry variation
- 50 g pistachios roughly chopped
- 50 g dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F and line three baking trays with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cardamom.
- In a large bowl, beat the butters with an electric whisk until smooth and creamy – this should take about 1 minute. Add your sugars and beat again for 5 minutes until pale, light and fluffy.
- Crack your egg into the bowl, along with the vanilla bean paste then whisk again, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as you go to make sure everything is nicely combined.
- Add the oats and continue mixing on a low speed. If you're making the raisin variation, add the raisins too.If you're making the white chocolate variation, add the chopped chocolate too.If you're making the pistachio and cranberry variation, add the chopped pistachios and dried cranberries too.Mix until well combined.
- Using a size 20 cookie scoop, form the dough into balls and place them onto your prepared baking sheets, leaving adequate space between each one. N.B. A size 20 cookie scoop is usually about 50-55g of dough if you need to weigh and shape by hand.
- Bake one pan at a time in the centre of your oven, turning halfway through the baking time. They should take about 12-14 minutes to bake and be beautifully golden around the edges but lighter and slightly undercooked in the middle. (They'll continue to cook a little while they cool on the baking tray).
- Flatten the tops if they've puffed slightly with the back of a frying spatula, then sprinkle immediately with the flaky sea salt and leave to cool completely on the trays.
Notes
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