My brown butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are soft with crisp edges and gooey centers, full of chewy old-fashioned oats and plenty of chocolate. Browned butter and a touch of cinnamon add a deep, toasty flavor that lifts these cookies above a typical bakery version. This recipe reflects years of bakery experience and many rounds of testing to achieve balanced texture and flavor.
Using browned butter is uncommon in large commercial bakeries because browning pounds of butter is time-consuming and inefficient at scale. At home, however, you can take a few extra minutes to brown a cup of butter and gain a rich, nutty note that transforms the flavor of the dough. That little step is one of the ways homemade cookies can outshine store-bought or mass-produced bakery cookies.
These cookies are intentionally built for texture: chewy oats, tender centers, and crisp, caramelized edges. The dough benefits from chilling, which hydrates the oats and firms the dough so the cookies bake up taller and more even. A small sprinkle of flaky sea salt after baking balances the sweetness and highlights the browned butter and chocolate.
How to Make Them
1
Brown the butter over medium heat until it smells nutty and amber milk solids form on the bottom of the pan. Pour the browned butter into a bowl to stop the cooking and let it cool to about 90–100°F (32–38°C) before mixing into the dough.
2
Whisk the cooled browned butter with light brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until the mixture is glossy and smooth. This creates a stable, slightly aerated base that helps the cookies bake with a tender crumb and good structure.
3
Stir the dry ingredients—flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt—into the wet mixture until mostly combined, leaving a few streaks of flour. Fold in your chocolate: a mix of semi-sweet chips and bittersweet wafers gives a nice balance of melted pools and familiar chip texture, but use whatever chocolate you prefer.
4
Portion the dough with a 1.5 to 2 ounce scoop for large, bakery-style cookies. Move any large chocolate pieces from the bottom of the bowl to the tops of the dough rounds so they melt into visible pools when baked. Chill the scooped dough briefly until firm enough to handle, then refrigerate for 2–3 hours for best results.
Chilling the dough not only firms it, it hydrates the oats so they become chewy and tender in the finished cookie. If you chill the dough longer than a few hours, let scooped dough sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes before baking so the cookies spread similarly each bake.
When baking, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place 5–6 cookies per sheet with plenty of space between them and bake one sheet at a time for 10–13 minutes, until the edges are golden and centers are set but still soft. Immediately after removing from the oven, you can press extra chocolate pieces into the tops and sprinkle with flaky sea salt for a professional finish. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
These cookies keep well for a couple of days at room temperature in an airtight container. Rewarm gently to refresh the gooey centers if desired. They also freeze well: flash-freeze on a tray and then store in a sealed container for easy single-batch baking later.
My recipe tester said, “I got perfect oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with crisp edges and a soft, tender center! Chewy and delish. 5 out of 5 stars. I will be making them again!”
Enjoy!
— Cambrea 🫶🏻
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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted full-fat cultured butter
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (add 1 teaspoon if not using flaky finishing salt)
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 whole eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup bittersweet chocolate baking wafers (or extra chips)
- Flaky sea salt for finishing, optional
Instructions
- In a light-colored saucepan, cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the milk solids are deep golden brown and the butter develops a nutty aroma. Pour into a large bowl and allow to cool to 90–100°F (32–38°C). You should have about 185 grams of browned butter.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Whisk the cooled browned butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until smooth and glossy.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until almost combined, leaving a few flour streaks. Fold in the chocolate chips and wafers until evenly distributed.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 20–30 minutes, or until the dough is firm enough to scoop.
- Using a 1.5–2 ounce cookie scoop, portion the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for 2–3 hours. If chilling longer, allow dough to sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes before baking.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Arrange 5–6 cookies per sheet, leaving plenty of space. Bake one tray at a time for 10–13 minutes, until edges are golden and centers are set but still soft. Keep remaining dough refrigerated while each tray bakes.
- Immediately after baking, use a round cutter or bowl to gently round the cookies’ edges. Press extra chocolate on top and sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Measure dry ingredients properly: For best results, use the spoon-and-level method for cups or, preferably, a kitchen scale. Accurate measurements prevent dense or dry cookies.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days. Cookies can also be frozen for longer storage.
Chocolate wafers: Any good quality bittersweet baking wafers or chopped chocolate will work.
Nutritional Information (estimate)
Serving: 1 cookie — Calories: 394 kcal; Carbohydrates: 48 g; Protein: 5 g; Fat: 21 g; Saturated Fat: 13 g; Sugar: 29 g. Nutrition data are approximate and provided as an estimate only.
This recipe was created and tested by a real person
Hand-tested recipes deliver reliable texture and flavor. I test and adjust to make recipes you can reproduce at home.