Homemade Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal cookies are a staple in our house – almost as much as chocolate chip and sugar cookies.  They’re just as versatile and can be made in so many different combinations. And just like other varieties, we’ve usually got everything on hand to throw a batch together.  Use this recipe to make your own homemade oatmeal cookies today.

 

Cooking Making Supplies

Because it’s not just me in the kitchen anymore, I have a variety of kitchen supplies on hand.  Mixing bowls, wooden spoons, cookie sheets, and cooling racks are our basic staples for making a batch of oatmeal cookies. To help make sure our cookies are roughly the same size (so they’ll all bake evenly), we use a cookie scoop so the dough balls are pretty uniform in size.

Add Ins

Probably the most common add in for oatmeal cookies is raisins.  I’m not a huge raisin fan myself, but will add them to a batch of oatmeal cookies every now and again.  One of my favorite things to add to oatmeal cookies are butterscotch chips.  They don’t have an overwhelming flavor and they’re a nice sweet treat when you bite into one.  You can also add in things like chocolate chips or chocolate covered candies or even sprinkles to add in a bit of color.

If you’d like to try some different combinations without adding them to your entire batch, divide your batch into smaller mixing bowls.  This will let you try several different combinations to see what you like best.  It’s also a great way for the entire family to make their “favorite” without having to make several different batches of cookies.

Big Batches and Freezing Your Cookies

Now of course if you’re up for the challenge, you can double (or triple) your batch.  If I’m making extra cookie dough to freeze, I’ll double my batch.  (This is a great way to help get ready for the busy holiday baking season.) I just scoop out my cookies onto some parchment paper on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer to harden.  Once they’re pretty firm, I layer them into a big zip top bag for storage.  I’ve learned from my mistakes and don’t just throw them into the bag anymore.  Now I try to layer them and separate them with some parchment or wax paper.  It helps to keep them from forming one giant dough ball while they’re in the freezer.

I don’t usually let them defrost before baking – just straight from the freezer to the cookie sheet and into the oven.  Of course that’s mainly because I remember I have cookie dough in the freezer and decide I want cookies! (I have no patience…) 

Gifting Your Delicious Oatmeal Cookies

These oatmeal cookies would be a great gift.  Put them on a pretty plate as a hostess gift or even a simple “thinking of you” gift.  Cookies are also a great way to welcome a new neighbor or little one. 

Another way to gift these cookies is in a jar.  Measure all the dry ingredients together and add a tag with directions on the wet ingredients to add and how long to bake.  You can add ribbon or something else to the jar to make it a bit more festive for gift giving.  Be sure to use a plastic container if you’ll be shipping your gift.  Add another layer of protection by putting your container inside a plastic zip top bag to make sure the dry ingredients don’t spill out of the container.

One other way to gift these cookies is to gift someone the frozen cookie dough balls you made.  Of course this would have to be given to someone you know will be able to put them back in the freezer fairly quickly.  It can be so helpful to have cookie dough in the freezer for unexpected guests, after school snacks, or just because you need a cookie.

Ready to start making your homemade oatmeal cookies?  The wait’s over! Here’s the recipe: 

Ingredients 

• 2 Cups Quick Oats
• 2 Egg Whites
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Melted Butter
• 1 Tbs Cinnamon 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To start your homemade oatmeal cookie dough, add the oats, egg whites, brown sugar, and melted butter into a mixing bowl and mix well.   

Use your cookie scoop to scoop your batter onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.  You can leave your oatmeal cookies in a ball shape (the middle will be a little more gooey with crunchier edges) or flatten them out a bit with the back of your scoop or the bottom of a cup (this will help your cookies to bake a little more evenly).  Let your cookies bake for 10 – 12 minutes.  Just keep an eye on them so you can pull them out when they reach the doneness you prefer.

Let them cool off just a bit on a cooling rack before you enjoy them.  Leaving them on the cookie sheet to cool will continue to bake your cookies from the heat held in the pan and can make it harder to get the cookies off the cookie sheet once they’ve cooled.  

If you don’t eat all of your homemade oatmeal cookies right away, store them in an air tight container on your counter (or in your pantry).