Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies
These thin and crispy oatmeal cookies are absolute perfection! Crispy, buttery, and completely addictive – I dare you to eat just one!
I am a soft and chewy cookie fan all the way, but there is something about these thin and crispy oatmeal cookies that is absolutely irresistible.
They are so classic and so delicious!
Key to a Crispy Cookie
The cookie dough for these oatmeal cookies is very straightforward. Nothing fancy about it!
The reason the cookies end up being thin and crispy instead of soft and chewy are due to a couple of reasons:
- higher butter to flour (and eggs) ratio
- more granulated sugar, less brown sugar
- old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick oats
- slightly longer baking time (don’t underbake!)
The dough can be mixed in a stand mixer or in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer.
The key is to not over mix the dough once the dry ingredients are added.
Old-fashioned Oats vs Quick Oats
The recipe for these thin and crispy oatmeal cookies calls for old-fashioned rolled oats.
Subbing in quick oats will change the texture and outcome of the cookies. They’ll likely be thicker and puffier instead of thin and crispy. (It also doesn’t work to sub in steel cut oats.)
It’s important to use old-fashioned rolled oats for the best outcome!
A Tried-and-True Favorite
It goes without saying that these delightful oatmeal cookies are delicious dipped in a glass of cold milk. YUM!
This recipe has over 1,000 5-star reviews for a reason! So many of you have fallen in love with them, too.
Grace says: This is my all time favorite recipe I’ve used for years, after trying this you won’t be able to go back to any other oatmeal cookie recipe and all other oatmeal cookies will taste inferior. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
MM says: Amazing cookies! I’m afraid to make them again because I ate 18 cookies in 4 days. They’d be good with chocolate chips in them too. Maybe I’ll try it when I get better at sharing… ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sara says: OK. I didn’t think these would be as good as they are. I’ve had oodles and oodles of oatmeal cookies and these are now our favorite. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Linda says: These are wonderful..Buttery, chewy and crisp. I’m eating them with a glass of cold milk. I baked them 16 min. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
FAQs for Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies
Yes, the dough freezes great!
I use salted butter.
I usually store them in a covered container but if you want them to stay extra crispy, you can try storing them uncovered.
In this recipe, you definitely want to use old-fashioned rolled oats. If not, the cookies won’t spread the same and the texture could be completely off.
Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 14 tablespoons (198 g) butter (I use salted), softened but still slightly cool
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (53 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups (250 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl (of a stand mixer or with a handheld electric mixer), beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together until just combined, about 20 seconds. Increase the mixer speed to medium and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute longer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low until well mixed, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add the flour mixture and mix until barely incorporated, 10-20 seconds. It's ok if there are a few dry spots.
- Gradually add the oats and mix until well-combined, about 30 seconds to 1 minutes. If needed, give the dough a final stir with a wooden spoon to ensure that no flour pockets remain and that the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Scoop out about 2 tablespoon-sized mounds of dough and roll them to form balls. Place the cookies about 2 1/2-inches apart on the baking sheet(s) – about 8 cookies per sheet. They will spread quite a bit. Lightly press each cookie to about 3/4-inch thickness (I found after baking one sheet of these that I didn’t need to press them at all so use your best cookie judgment).
- Bake 1 sheet of cookies at a time until the cookies are golden brown, edges are crisp, and centers are still very slightly soft, 13 to 16 minutes. Cooling the cookies completely on the baking sheet will yield crispier, more perfect cookies.
Notes
Recipe Source: adapted ever so slightly from The Cook’s Country Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen (used salted butter instead of unsalted)
Recipe originally published June 2013; updated November 2022 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.
I’ve been making these cookies for several years (since 2017) and they are ALWAYS a hit even with people who swear they don’t care for oatmeal cookies!
I have made a few minor tweaks over time but the original recipe is phenomenal as written.
My tweaks:
– ADD 1+ Tbsp of cinnamon to dry ingredients
– 3/4 cup granulated sugar
– 1/2 cup DARK brown sugar
– measure vanilla with your heart (about 1 Tbsp)
– anywhere between 2-1/2 to 3 cups OLD-FASHIONED oats (as noted in the recipe)
I do not flatten the cookies before baking since they tend to flatten as they cool.
Bake 14 minutes for softer cookies and 18 minutes for extra crispy (my favorite!).
These cookies are amazing with a cup of coffee or hot tea and make a great gift or bake sale contribution.
These are one of the most amazing oatmeal cookies I’ve ever made. I am making them as a Thankyou to the staff at Cancercare. I was a bit nervous about trying a new recipe, but wow! They are tasty and crispy and I used quick oats and after rolling the dough into balls I dipped the bottom of a measuring cup in flour and pressed down on each dough ball. I used the tip about after removing them from the oven to let them remain on the cookie sheet until they were almost cool before removing, which made them extra crispy. My new fave recipe that I will be sharing with many.
If I froze this cookie dough, do I just thaw it before baking and then follow instructions as written?
Yes, you can do that. Or you can bake from frozen (if the dough was rolled into balls prior to freezing). If doing that, I’d recommend reducing the oven temperature by 10-15 degrees and adding a few minutes to the baking time.
This is the best cookie recipe I have ever made. My family and friends have asked for your recipe.
Thank you very much, just great!!!
I finally tried this recipe after trying over a half a dozen within just the last few weeks and I must say I finally found the one! I usually love a nice oatmeal cookie full of spices and lots of brown sugar and cinnamon but these simple yet buttery oatmeal cookies I have quickly become my top favorite! So addictive! I do enjoy taking them out one minute early so they don’t cool off and get too too crispy and all I added was a quarter teaspoon of almond and coconut extract and it was a subtle addition but it tastes amazing with The Buttery oats!
Made these with a broken arm and I’m so glad I did. Excellent texture and crispiness!
Doubled the recipe but single recipe value of both sugars, used total 14 T coconut oil + 7 T soy milk, half old fashioned oats, half 1 minute oats, only had one egg, didn’t have vanilla.
(sorry about all the changes, decided to share to give hope if you don’t follow it exactly you can still turn out a good cookie!)
baked 1 T scoop flattened 14 minutes, cooled completely on pan, great crisp
baked 2 T scoop flattened 16 minutes, cooled completely on pan, edges slightly crisp, soft and chewy.
It would be helpful for me if you put the butter measurements in 1/4 or 1/2 cup instead of tbsp. which means I have to take the time to measure out 14 tbsp. of butter.
1 tablespoon= 15ml. 12×15=180mL. 1 cup = 250mL. therefore, the recipe calls for 3/4 cup.
4 tbsp = 1/4 cup so, 14 tbsp is 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp
Made them for years….