Oatmeal cookies from scratch; You can easily make these delicious plain oatmeal cookies from scratch and impress your family.
You guys? It’s 2014. Exactly how did that happen? 2013 was kind of a blur for me. A hard working, always blogging blur.
I’m hoping this year I can take some time to smell the roses, so to speak. Or smell the cookies. That would be more appropriate, especially given that the roses in our yard haven’t been doing too well, but we have had cookies a-plenty.
I don’t often purchase cookies (with the possible exception of Oreos, because yummmm!) but there is one I buy on rare occasions. It comes from a local bread store, where the pumpkin chip bread is divine, the breakfast sandwiches are all that and a bag of chips, and the cookies are as big as your face. When I need a quick gift or want to treat myself to something special, I buy a half dozen of their plain oatmeal cookies.
You have to know that I’m the world’s biggest fan of chocolate chips, but these plain cookies are to die for. Seriously.
I decided to try to recreate the experience at home. I didn’t hit the mark exactly, but I came pretty close. This cookie is not quite as sweet as some others on this site, and that coupled with the absence of chocolate chips makes it a lovely choice for January. Something simple after December’s abundance of sugar and butter.
Are you making resolutions this year? One of mine is to eat less sugar.
Don’t misunderstand me. If you are looking for an applesauce cookie recipe, you are looking in the wrong place. We will have none of that on this blog.
But, I believe in simplicity and clarity, and I think this Plain Oatmeal Cookie is just the dessert to embody those qualities.
Here’s to simplicity in 2014!
Plain Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 2 1/2 cups quick oats
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, vanilla, and water, and mix well.
- Add salt, soda, and cinnamon and mix well. Add flour, and mix just until combined. Add oats and mix just until combined.
- Drop spoonfuls onto a greased or lined baking sheet, and bake at 350F for 8-11 minutes.
I love oatmeal cookies! Soft and simple. Yum! I can’t wait to make these. Thanks, Jen!
“If you are looking for an applesauce cookie recipe, you are looking in the wrong place. We will have none of that on this blog.” Thank God! You almost gave me a heart attack with the whole “eat less sugar” thing 😉 Seriously though, I agree with you. I already decrease the sugar in almost all the recipes I make. I’m always going on and on to my husband that I’m going to eat better. Maybe this will be the year I actually put my money where my mouth is. I’ll start with these oatmeal cooks because oats = healthy, duh. Gorgeous cookies, Jen. Happy New Year!
I just love a perfect oatmeal cookie! This one looks amazing!
I made this recipe tonight and the cookies were amazing!
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Just made these today…so yummy!!!! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Jen,
This recipe looks great and I will be making 300 – yes, 300 (!!!) cookies this weekend. I just want to double check that this recipe really does yield 5 dozen cookies. It seems to good to be true! Thanks for your feedback!
I got 1.5 dozen out of it. The cookies are wonderful. If you drop by the spoonful you will get just over a dozen
Ughh, and because I’m a grammar nut, I have to re-comment and say “too good to be true.” Goodness. 🙂
Rebecca, I will say that yield always varies based on (mostly) how big you make the cookies. I made these kind of small-ish, which is how I ended up with more than 4 dozen, and nearly 5 dozen cookies. If you are making that many cookies, you might want to make one batch, and count your yield based on what size you tend to make them, and then you will have a more accurate count for you. If you are serving them to a crowd, you might want them a touch bigger anyway. Thanks for being a grammar nut, and good luck with all your baking!
I tried the recipe and i have no complaints but i’m looking for a crispy oatmeal cookie recipe. Anyone have any suggestions?
I made these with a small cookie scoop and barely got 4 dozen. With a large scoop it made exactly 2 dozen bakery sized cookies. Good recipe though.
I’ve made these twice and added pecans. My coworker are addicted to them! These is a keeper recipe. Thanks!
Can I use old fashioned oats in place of the quick cooking oats?
Amy, sure, rolled oats are fine. Just realize that the texture will be a bit different, and they will be more crumbly. But to tell you the truth, I’ve done it before, when I was in a pinch!
I added a 1/4 tsp of maple flavor for an added sweetness! Yum!
I just got these out of the oven. I couldn’t resist, I had to add the chocolate chips. What can I say, I’m a chocoholic! lol.
My kids and I love this recipe. We added coconut, walnuts, and chocolate chips when we made ours. When I was making up the batter I accidently grabbed my peppermint extract instead of vanilla (I still added vanilla) but it still didn’t taste too bad.
Oh no, Katrina! I’m glad they were still edible!
The ad-ins sound delicious, I love all of those! It’s actually really difficult for me to make these plain, I always want to add stuff in.
I just tried your recipe…!! They`re probably the best oatmeal cookies I`ve ever tasted. They just have that perfect cruch I was looking for! Thak you so much for charing
My only issue is that they’re too dry. So I just add more water and they’re great! My husband says they taste like snickerdoodles!
Wants to make these oatmeal cookies with my kids but a virgin with baking things. Hehe. So…. what is the ‘T’ in “1 T water”. Tq Jen.
I should have made that clearer. “T” means tablespoon. I’ll edit the recipe now! Good luck!
Tq Jen. Already made them. My kids exact words “Awesome”. Hehe. Made 2 batches that day and finished them the same day cos their cousins were here too. Will have to do again end of month. Tq again. Will glance through your blog for some other awesome recipes…..
So glad to hear it! They disappear fast at my house too.
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I just made these cookies and mine are flat and chewy how do i get mine to look like yours?
Gina, did you use quick oats or rolled? Rolled oats are a little larger and can sometimes change the texture. Also, using butter instead of shortening can make the cookies a bit softer too.
Baked these cookies with chocolate chips and they were p great, thank you!
is it salted butter or unsalted butter??
Thanks for always having just the right cookie recipe for me! I make cookies for my husbands lunches each week and try to mix it up- but he likes the classics, so I have made so many of yours for him- the brownie cookies are our favorite but trying this one today!
Made them yesterday! Easy recipe and delicious.
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Just made it and we LOVE it!
I used your recipe last night and my family loved them!! I’ve now added it to my recipe collection, and plan to bake them again for Christmas. Thank you!!
OMG!! What a great cookie. I love them! I love that they didn’t spread out much, little crisp on the outside and perfectly soft and gooey on the inside. So easy to work with too. I got 22 (3 inch across) cookies using a 1.25 ounce (medium) cookie scoop. Baked for 10 minutes. I couldn’t help myself and added walnuts and white chocolate chips but these would be fantastic without anything added. Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful recipe!!
Hmm, overkill on the sugar. Brown sugar along with rasins should suffice.
My favorite oatmeal cookie from childhood came from a 1957 Betty Crocker Child’s Cookbook, which is lost. To make it from this recipe, eliminate the cinnamon. Near the end of cooking time, top each cookie with a marshmellow and it will make a sombrero cookie. Delicious.
Added crazins and dark chocolate chips. Yum!