Easy, classic iced oatmeal cookies recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Loaded with cinnamon and nutmeg. Perfect soft and chewy texture in the center with slightly crispy edges. Topped off with old fashioned crackly vanilla icing.
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Christmas and even Thanksgiving won't be complete until I bake a few batches of these cookies and share them with my family and friends along with my Classic Spritz Cookies and Classic Snickerdoodles Cookies. The 2 key ingredients that truly enhance the softness of today's cookies are brown sugar and molasses, which add so much moisture. Also, if you haven't noticed by now, I love using oats in desserts, which you can probably tell by these Healthy Breakfast Cookies, Homemade Granola and even these Chocolate Oatmeal Bars (Crumb Bars). This ingredient adds so much texture to your recipes without affecting the flavor.
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Key ingredients
- Old fashioned rolled oats- It is important to use this kind as opposed to quick oats.
- Flour- There is no need to use anything fancy, just your classic all-purpose.
- Baking powder and baking soda- Act as rising agents.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg- Use these in powder form to bring in the warm flavor profile.
- Butter- Use unsalted for best results.
- Sugars- You will need both brown and granulated sugar for this recipe.
- Eggs- Be sure they are large and at room temperature.
- Molasses- Brings in that classic flavor and chewy texture.
- Vanilla extract- Compliments the warm flavors of the cookie.
- Icing- Simply made with powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.
Variations
- Raisin version- Just stir in ¾ cup raisins into the dough.
- Make ice cream sandwiches- Fill vanilla ice cream between 2 cookies to a more delicious treat.
- Add in chocolate chips- You can use milk, semisweet, or white. You can even try peanut butter or toffee chips.
- Add sprinkles on top- Before the frosting completely sets. This can add a fun texture and color variety, especially during the holiday season.
- Sprinkle coconut flakes- On top for extra texture and coconut flavor. You can use unsweetened or sweetened, depending on your personal preference.
- Cookie sandwiches- You can put any kind of filling between these cookies, including frosting like Chocolate Ganache Frosting or Homemade Whipped Cream, even Strawberry Jam.
- Drizzle it on- Use Homemade Caramel Sauce, Easy Chocolate Ganache, Nutella Syrup, or melted white chocolate instead of, or in addition to, the regular icing.
- Dip in chocolate- Dip half of the cookie in chocolate of your choice and allow to cool. It gives a delicious and pleasing look.
How to make iced oatmeal cookies?
- Pulse oats- Use a food processor to do this until you have a roughly and crumbly mixture.
- Whisk together flour, rising agents, spices- Separately, mix together these oats, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Keep aside.
- Prepare wet batter- In a large bowl, mix together butter, sugars, molasses, eggs, vanilla until smooth.
- Combine wet and dry batters- Dump the dry mixture into this wet mixture and mix until just combined.
- Bake- They will be ready when edges are firm and light brown but centers are still slightly soft.
- Cool- Let them cool in the trays at room temperature.
- Ice cookies- Mix together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla into a thick glaze. Dip tops of each cookie in this icing and let it set.
- Enjoy- Once the icing hardens, dig in.
Tips and Techniques
- All ingredients must be at room temperature- Because they blend together smoothly and evenly.
- You must chill the dough- This prevents over-spreading during baking and allows the cookies to hold their shape.
- Don't over mix cookie dough- Because that will yield very tough cookies. It's okay if there are some lumps in the dough.
- Adjust spices- This is based on your preference. I only used cinnamon and nutmeg but you can use a spice blend like pumpkin pie spice or a combination of other spices of your choice.
- Use old fashioned rolled oats- Those are not the same as quick oats or instant oats and cannot be used interchangeably in this recipe.
- Oats must be pulsed in a food processor- You cannot skip this step. because it helps create that chewy texture and compact cookie structure. Just pulse it a few times until the oats are rough and crumbly. Do not pulse them so much that they become oat flour.
- Measure properly- Baking is science. Don't eyeball anything. Use measuring cups and measuring spoons.
- Use unsalted butter- Because that prevents these cookies from becoming too salty. Also, don't replace butter with oil because that alters the texture dramatically.
- How to get that perfect crackled icing appearance? The icing consistency is very important for this. It should be thick. Also, don't dunk the entire cookie into the bowl of icing. Only lightly dip the top of the cookies and quickly tap off excess.
- Don't skip the icing- Because it really takes these cookies over the top, in terms of appearance and flavor.
- Molasses substitute- This is obviously my first choice because it tastes the best and adds a wonderful subtle earthy Fall flavor. Maple syrup would be my second choice.
- They taste the best next day- The icing has a chance to fully set, the spice flavors intensify and the texture is perfect- soft, chewy, firm!
Recipe FAQs
It's a simple sugar cookie icing or sugar cookie glaze. There are no egg whites or meringue powder in this recipe. It's made by mixing together powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract until thick, smooth and creamy.
This icing dries hard at room temperature, just like royal icing, allowing cookies to be stackable. This will take a few hours and timing varies, based on humidity in your area.
The consistency is very important. If the icing is too thin, it will drip off the cookies. It needs to be thick, smooth and creamy. But don't make it too thick (almost glue-like) or it may be clumpy and won't stick to the cookies properly. Adjust the powdered sugar and milk ratio to get the right consistency.
Storage
- Make ahead- You can make them 2-3 days in advance. They are also stackable and perfect for shipping during Christmas holidays.
- Room temperature- Store iced cookies in a cookie jar for up to 2-3 days.
- Refrigerate- Place in a sealed container for 3-5 days.
- Freeze- Make cookie dough balls and freeze them up to 1 month. When you are ready to enjoy them, simply bake and ice them. Since they would be frozen, your baking time may be a few minutes longer. You can also freeze baked cookies without icing in a sealed container for up to 1 month. Just ice them when you are ready to enjoy them.
More Classic Cookies
- Chocolate Spritz Cookies
- Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
- Easy Sugar Cookies Recipe (Soft and Chewy)
- Best Shortbread Cookies (3 Ingredients)
- Easy Gingerbread Cookies (With Cake Mix)
Recipe
Iced Oatmeal Cookies
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Ingredients
- 2 cups Old fashioned rolled oats Not quick oats
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon powder
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg powder
- 1 cup Butter Unsalted, Room temperature
- 1 cup Brown sugar
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- 2 Eggs Large, Room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Molasses
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Icing
- 2 cups Powdered sugar
- 2-2.5 tablespoon Milk Whole or 2%, Can also use heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon Vanilla extract Use clear extract to prevent any discoloration
Instructions
- In a food processor, add oats and pulse a few times until you have a rough and crumbly mixture. It should NOT be a smooth oat flour!
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, molasses, vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- Gradually, add the flour and oat mixture and and mix until just combined. Don't over-mix!
- Cover and chill dough in the fridge for at least 30-40 minutes to make it easier to handle.
- Scoop out small portions of the dough and roll into balls.
- Place them on a cookie tray, lined with parchment paper. If you prefer flatter cookies, you can gently flatten the balls with palm of your hands.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until edges are light brown and firm but centers are still slightly soft.
- Remove cookies from oven and let them cool in the trays to allow them to cook a bit further.
- While they are cooling, prepare the icing by mixing together powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract in a small bowl until thick and smooth. You can add a little more milk, if you like but remember the icing cannot be runny but it can also not be super thick because then, it won't stick to the tops of the cookies.
- Now, dip only the tops of the cookies very lightly into the bowl of icing and let excess drip. Place iced cookies on a tray and let the icing set at room temperature so that cookies can easily be stacked later. This can take a few hours. Enjoy.
Notes
- Make sure your butter is unsalted to keep the cookies from becoming too salty.
- All ingredients must be at room temperature.
- Please line your baking tray with parchment paper to prevent cookies from sticking to the pan.
- Both, brown sugar and granulated sugar, are used in this recipe. One cannot be replaced with the other.
- Don't skip chilling the dough because that prevents the cookies from over-spreading during baking.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days or at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Once the icing sets, cookies can be stored in a cookie jar at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can also be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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