Small Batch Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These small batch oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are a soft and chewy twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie. Whole rolled oats give them a heartier texture and nutty flavor that is perfect with chocolate chips and a hint of cinnamon.

This recipe makes 6 delicious, buttery cookies! For more small batch recipes, try these small batch brownies, small batch chocolate cupcakes, and small batch blueberry muffins.

If you're anything like me, there's nothing better than sinking your teeth into a warm, freshly baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. The combination of chewy oats and melty chocolate chips is just heavenly, don't you think?

But I get it, you don't feel like making a huge batch of cookies. I've definitely been there and have the perfect solution: small batch oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!

This recipe makes the perfect amount of cookies for smaller households or single people, yielding about 6 large 3-tablespoon cookies or 10 1.5-tablespoon cookies. That's enough cookies for everyone to have seconds or to satisfy your own cookie cravings throughout the week. The dough freezes incredibly well if you want to save some for later too.

These cookies are similar to oatmeal raisin cookies but are made with chocolate chips. They're thick, chewy cookies with crisp edges and chocolatey, gooey centers. And they couldn't be easier to make in just one bowl without a mixer! Let's get baking!

Jump to:

• Ingredient Notes
• Substitutions
• Helpful Equipment & Tools
• Step by Step Instructions
• Expert Baking Tips
• Additions and Variations
• Storage and Freezing
• Frequently Asked Questions
• More Cookie Recipes to Try
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Ingredient Notes

Here are some notes about the ingredients used. For quantities and full instructions, see the recipe card below.

• Melted unsalted butter- Butter without salt allows us to have the most control over the flavors. You can use salted butter if needed; just omit the additional salt. Melting the butter helps chocolate chip cookies get those delicious crispy edges.
• Granulated sugar- Granulated white sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness. Caster sugar and cane sugar work as substitutes.
• Brown sugar- This ingredient adds a deep flavor and makes cookies chewy and thick. You can use dark or light brown sugar- dark will have a more prevalent molasses flavor. Make sure it's moist and fresh; we don't want dry brown sugar!
• Egg- A large egg binds the ingredients together. It needs to be at room temperature so it mixes into the batter evenly, so take it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before you start baking.
• Pure vanilla extract- Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste rounds out the flavor profile.
• Whole rolled oats- These oats (also known as old fashioned oats) make the cookies chewier and add a sweet, nutty flavor. I don’t recommend using instant, quick cooking, or steel cut oats as a substitute.
• All purpose flour- All purpose flour gives cookies a tender crumb while keeping them chewy and hearty. Remember to measure it accurately with a kitchen scale.
• Baking soda- Baking soda interacts with the acid in the brown sugar, producing carbon dioxide that helps cookies rise and spread. Make sure your baking soda isn't expired and do not use baking powder since it isn't as strong!
• Ground cinnamon- This adds a warm, cozy flavor the contrasts the chocolate and compliments the oats.
• Sea salt- Cookies need a pinch of salt so they aren't cloyingly sweet. Use finely ground salt.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips- I tested this recipe with milk chocolate chips and they were way too sweet. Semi-sweet is a great compromise between milk and dark chocolate.

Substitutions

• Butter: Substitute with vegan butter sticks to make dairy free cookies.
• All purpose flour: Substitute measure-for-measure gluten free all purpose flour if you're making these gluten free.
• Sea salt: You can substitute fine Kosher salt or pink Himalayan sea salt. Add an additional ¼ teaspoon if your salt isn't finely ground.
• Chocolate chips: You can use whatever form of chocolate you like, including a chopped chocolate bar, mini chocolate chips, or chocolate chunks. If you prefer, you can use dark or white chocolate.

Helpful Equipment & Tools

• You'll need a large mixing bowl to combine the ingredients in.
• A whisk and rubber spatula are needed for mixing and folding the ingredients.
• Half cookie sheets: If you live in a small space and have a mini oven, use quarter baking pans. Line them with parchment paper for easy clean up.
• I like using a medium cookie scoop that holds 1.5 tablespoons. The cookies will be large but won't spread into each other. Using a medium scoop makes 10 cookies, but you can use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop to make 6 big cookies.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are the steps to make small batch oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! Before you start, preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.

STEP 1: First start by melting the butter in a large heat-proof mixing bowl and let it cool for about 3 minutes. Then, whisk in the granulated sugar and brown sugar until well combined.

STEP 2: Vigorously whisk in the egg and vanilla extract until the consistency is homogenous and looks similar to a paste.

STEP 3: Dump the oats, all purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into the bowl. Next, use your rubber spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones, scraping around the sides of the bowl and pulling through the center. Fold until just a few dry pockets of flour are left.

STEP 4: Add the chocolate chips to the bowl of cookie dough. Fold them in until they're evenly distributed and no dry streaks of flour are left.

STEP 5: Use 3 or 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop 6-10 cookie dough balls on to your baking sheet, placing them a couple inches away from each other. After that, place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes. This allows all the flavors to meld together so don't skip it!

STEP 6: When 20 minutes are up, pop the baking sheets into the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are lightly browned and set. The middles will be puffy and look slightly underbaked.

STEP 7: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the hot tray before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Let them cool for 30 more minutes to reach room temperature, sprinkle with flaky salt, and enjoy!

Expert Baking Tips

• Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is way more accurate than using cup measurements. You can find measurements in grams in the recipe card. If you don't have a scale, gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup without packing it in and swipe off the excess.
• Use room temperature ingredients. Using a room temperature egg creates a smooth, fully blended batter that bakes up evenly.
• Don't overmix the dough. Mix the dough just until you can't see any dry streaks of flour. Overmixing the dough makes gluten overdevelop, causing tough and gummy cookies.
• Underbake them the cookies. Cookies will continue to bake on the hot tray after they're removed from the oven. Because of this, take the them out of the oven when the edges are set and the centers are slightly undercooked.
• How to make perfectly round cookies: Right when the cookies come out of the oven, grab a bowl, cup, biscuit cutter, or round cookie cutter that is slightly larger than your cookies. Place it over one of the cookies and gently swirl, scooting the edges of the cookie to make it perfectly round.

Additions and Variations

There are tons of different ingredients you can add to customize this small batch cookie recipe to your liking! Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Nuts: Chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts add crunch and a nutty flavor.
• Fruit: Raisins, dried cranberries, and chopped dried apricots add chewiness and a tangy flavor. You even try fresh fruit a la these raspberry chocolate chip cookies.
• Coconut: Add some shredded coconut or toasted coconut flakes to the cookie dough for a tropical twist.
• Candy: Mix in some M&M's for a colorful, festive cookie. You can also add chopped up pieces of your favorite candy bar, like Snickers or Milky Way, for an indulgent treat.
• Caramel: For a gooey, sweet surprise, add some caramel bits to the cookie dough.
• Chopped pretzels: Make your cookies sweet, salty, and crunchy by mixing in chopped pretzels.
• Espresso powder: Add a couple teaspoons of espresso powder to the dough for a subtle coffee flavor.
• Chopped ginger: Add some chopped crystallized ginger for a spicy sweet twist.
• Add a filling: Sandwich a dollop of peanut butter or Nutella between two cookies for a delicious surprise inside.

Storage and Freezing

Store baked oatmeal cookies in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 5 days. Make sure they're cool before you store them since hot cookies will create condensation in their storage container and get soggy. Don't put them in the refrigerator because the lack of humidity will dry them out.

Freezing

Freeze baked, room temperature cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Make sure to thaw them on the counter for a few hours before enjoying.

You can freeze the cookie dough balls too! Scoop the unbaked dough onto your cookie sheet and chill in the freezer for a couple hours until the balls are frozen solid. Transfer them to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. You can bake them straight from the freezer, just add a few extra minutes on to the bake time.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Cookie Recipes to Try

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