Chewy Oatmeal Cookie Recipe (No Quick Oats!) – Soft, Buttery, and Easy to Bake at Home

Here is the recipe and step-by-step process for the chewy oatmeal cookies.

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter (softened)

1¼ cups packed brown sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup raisins (or chocolate chips/nuts optional)

In a bowl or mixer, beat softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy (2–3 minutes).

Mix in the egg and vanilla until fully blended.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Slowly add the dry mix into the butter-sugar-egg mixture until just combined.

Gently fold in oats and raisins (or any tasty mix-ins).

Scoop golf-ball sized dough balls onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, spacing around 2 inches apart.

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until edges are golden, centers slightly soft—keep them chewy!

Let cookies cool on the tray for a few minutes, then move to a wire rack to fully cool.

Oats matter: Use old-fashioned rolled oats—not quick oats—for the ideal chewy texture.

Brown sugar: Packing it ensures proper moisture—crucial for that chewiness.

Don’t overbake: Edges should be set but centers still soft; cookies firm up as they cool.

Creaming 2–3 min Until fluffy and light

Mixing dry + wet 1–2 min Mix just until no streaks

Baking 10–12 min Edges golden, centers soft

Cooling 5–10 min Tray → wire rack

These cookies balance golden-chewy edges with soft centers—perfect for dunking with milk. Enjoy!