Chewy Soft Oatmeal Cookies

Chewy Soft Oatmeal Cookies

This oatmeal cookie recipe makes perfect soft and chewy oatmeal cookies! They’re warmly spiced with cinnamon and filled with rich flavor from butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. And though I often make this recipe with raisins, it works well with a variety of mix-ins. Fold in walnuts, dried cranberries, or chocolate chips! Another reason to love this oatmeal cookie recipe? You don’t need a mixer to make it. The dough is easy to mix up with a spatula and basic pantry ingredients whenever a cookie craving strikes.Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled*
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup unsalted butter, melted**
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups whole rolled oats
¾ cup raisins or chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts, optional

Directions:
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, whisking vigorously.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir in the oats, raisins, and walnuts, if using, folding into a tight batter. Set the dough aside for 20 minutes while the oven preheats. 

(Note: If your dough seems too wet to become scoop-able, chill it in the fridge for this 20 minutes and it'll firm up. If your dough is too crumbly, stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons water.)

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough, heaping your scoops slightly to get 20 to 22 balls of dough. Roll lightly in barely damp hands to make them round. Spread out onto the prepared baking sheets and press down lightly on the tops of the dough balls.

Bake until puffed, golden, and a touch underbaked-looking, 10 to 11 minutes. Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes
*Note: These cookies are fairly thick and puffy. If you prefer thinner cookies that spread more, use a scant cup of flour instead of a full cup. I find that cookies made with less flour need an extra minute in the oven.

**Butter substitution: Use melted coconut oil to make these cookies dairy-free.