Best Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Cookies

These are the BEST soft and chewy chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies! Inspired by the Quaker oatmeal cookies recipe on the box (but BETTER!), these cookies vanish before they cool!

Believe it or not, the best chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies recipe ever was originally on a box of Quaker Oatmeal.

Crazy, right?! 

Honestly, until this past year, I never considered putting oatmeal and cookies together in a sentence, let alone a recipe!

But ever since I first tested this oatmeal cookie recipe in the Crumbs kitchen, it has been a huge hit! Many oatmeal cookies recipes have come through the oven doors since then. Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are another favorite, and we love gluten-free Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies!

But when it comes to the original oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, this recipe is the winner.

CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP AND OATMEAL COOKIES

Apparently, there are cookies out there made with oatmeal and raisins. That is what the classic oatmeal raisin cookies recipe on the Quaker box called for. I automatically turned my nose up to the raisin idea and substituted chocolate chips.

I do not regret that decision!

The combination of oats and chocolate chips in a cookie is out of this world! Mr. Crumbs likes to call these “vanishing oatmeal cookies.”

These chocolate chip oatmeal cookies not only taste amazing, but they’re also:

• Made with frugal ingredients, like old-fashioned oats and flour.
• Make a big batch. This delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies recipe makes 6 dozen cookies, which means you’ll have plenty for now and plenty for later or to share with friends!
• Freezer friendly. Freeze extra cookies after they have cooled completely or freeze scoops of cookie dough to enjoy freshly baked cookies another day.
• Perfectly chewy and delicious. These cookies get just slightly crisp on the edges while keeping that yummy, chewy middle.

INGREDIENTS FOR CHEWY OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

If you just throw oatmeal and chocolate chips in a pan, you will not get cookies. There are a few other ingredients you need to make the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies ever.

• Butter. I’m a big fan of using butter in cookies. It really makes them taste great!
• Coconut oil. I really like the flavor of these cookies when using both butter and coconut oil.
• Sugar. My family has made great strides to quit eating sugar, but cookies are one exception. I use Turbinado sugar instead of white sugar since it is less refined.
• Molasses. I never thought to add molasses to chocolate chip cookies before. But it gives a rich depth of flavor that works really well with the oatmeal. If you don’t have molasses, you can use brown sugar in place of the molasses and granulated sugar.
• Eggs and vanilla extract. The usual suspects for cookie baking.
• Flour. I use a mix of all-purpose flour and whole-grain flour in this recipe (both spelt and whole wheat flour will work). The all-purpose flour gives the cookie a light taste while the whole grain flour ups the healthy factor.
• Oatmeal. Old fashioned oats are the best for baking. Besides steel-cut oats, they are the least processed and bake well. You can also use quick oats if that’s what you have on hand.
• Baking soda and salt. Psst! Not all salts are made the same! I love Ava Jane’s Kitchen because it doesn’t have microplastics (gross, right?) and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!).
• Cinnamon. Cinnamon tricks your taste buds into thinking something is sweeter than it is, and it’s one way we get away with using less sugar in baking.
• Chocolate chips. Dark chocolate chips or chips with raw cacao have less sugar in them than regular milk chocolate chips. I recommend chocolate chips that are at least 70% cocoa for that rich chocolatey flavor. You could also mix a few different kinds of baking chips, chocolate chunks, or semi-sweet chocolate chips. Or add some chopped nuts as a mix-ins!

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP AND OAT COOKIES

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Do not use cooking spray.

Step 2. In a large bowl (or stand mixer bowl), beat butter, coconut oil, sugar, and molasses on medium until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat wet ingredients well.

Step 3. Add dry ingredients: flours, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and stir just until combined. Fold in the oats and chocolate chips.

Step 4. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons or using a cookie scoop onto the lined baking sheets. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are just golden brown. If necessary, rotate the pan partially through the baking time to ensure even baking.

Step 5. Cool the chocolate chip and oat cookies for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

WHAT MAKES THESE HEALTHY OAT AND CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES?

You might be wondering why this oat and chocolate chip cookies recipe is considered “healthy” when you read butter and sugar in the ingredients.

There are actually quite a few reasons to eat butter. The best butter comes from grass-fed pastured cows. If that’s not in your budget, that’s okay! Conventional butter still has a lot of benefits. Use the best you can for now.

Sugar is not a healthy type of food. Yet, you do have to determine what’s going to be realistic for your family. We choose to eat some sugar in moderation (aka cookies!).

Our choice is less refined sugar. Turbinado sugar comes in larger granules, making a full cup of sugar “less” than a cup of white refined sugar.

It may seem silly to get nit-picky about the size of the granules of sugar. However, in the world of budgeting, I’ve learned that every little bit counts! The same is true for our health!

Determining food priorities is the first lesson in my course, Grocery Budget Bootcamp (enrollment is currently closed, but you can join my FREE Fight Inflation Challenge and start saving money on groceries tomorrow!). Sometimes it is hard to sort through all the terminology of healthy eating. And it’s easy to think we have to have an all-or-nothing approach. Knowing where to start is the first step!

WHAT KIND OF OATMEAL DO YOU USE FOR COOKIES?

Oatmeal comes in a lot of shapes and sizes. Here’s a quick rundown:

• Steel-Cut Oats. Steel-cut oats are made in a machine that spins really fast to separate the oat groat from the husk. In the process, many oat groats break into small pieces, creating steel-cut oats.
• Old Fashioned Rolled Oats. Large oat groats are rolled in between large pins and flattened into rolled oats. The result is considered old-fashioned oats. These are my favorite to use for just about everything calling for oatmeal.
• Rolled Oats. Old-fashioned oats are steamed and lightly toasted to aid in the cooking process at home. These are called rolled oats.
• Quick Cooking Oats. These are old-fashioned oats that were cut into smaller pieces before steaming and toasting, making them cook even faster at home.
• Instant Oatmeal. These oats are pre-cooked and then dried before packaging. Typically, you will find them with added sugars and flavors. Not ideal for the real food family on a budget!

Old-fashioned oats are your best choice for baking. Since the oats are minimally processed, they won’t cook too fast as your cookies are baking.

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