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Easily make delicious and chewy Oatmeal Cookies with this small batch recipe, ideal for when you crave a treat but don’t want a full batch. This recipe is ideal for those baking for one or two, and offers flexibility with ingredient substitutions.
Looking for more small batch cookie recipes? You’ll love these Chocolate Chip Cookies, Ginger Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies, and Butter Cookies!
Why You’ll Love This Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
- Simplicity: No need for fancy techniques or tools. Just mix, scoop, and bake.
- Portion Control: Ideal for satisfying your craving without over-indulging.
- Versatility: Our recipe provides several easy substitution options.
- Quick: In under 30 minutes, you’ll have warm cookies ready to enjoy.
- Delicious: Perfectly chewy and flavorful, a treat you’ll make again and again.
Ingredients And Substitutions
- Butter: Gives the cookies a buttery richness. Substitution: Coconut oil or vegan butter for a dairy-free option.
- Sugar: Use granulated sugar and brown sugar. Sugar not only adds sweetness but also provides structure and tenderness. If you don’t have brown sugar, try our easy homemade brown sugar recipe.
- Egg yolk: 1 egg yolk is all that is needed in this small batch oatmeal cookie recipe. The egg yolk helps bind the ingredients together. Save the egg white and use it in a small batch of Meringues, or a mini Texas Sheet Cake, or in Two Vanilla Cupcakes.
- Vanilla extract: Imparts a sweet aroma and flavor. Substitution: Maple syrup or almond extract.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour which gives structure to the cookies. This recipe has not been tested with other types of flour.
- Baking soda: Provides the lift for the cookies. Ensure it’s fresh for optimal results.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds warmth and depth of flavor. Alternative: Nutmeg or allspice.
- Salt: Salt enhances the flavors in sweet baked goods.
- Oats: The star of the show. Use rolled oats for the best results. Substitution: Quick oats but reduce the baking time and be aware that the texture of the cookies will be different. Consider using leftover oats in a Blackberry Crisp, Baked Oatmeal, Butter Pecan Granola, or in a half batch of Texas Governor’s Mansion Cookies.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why I used them. For the full recipe please scroll down to the recipe box at the bottom of the post.
Recipe Variations
Sometimes, we all like to change things up a bit. Here’s how you can experiment with the basic oatmeal cookie recipe:
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies: Add chocolate chips or cocoa powder for a chocolaty twist.
- Tropical Oatmeal Cookies: Incorporate shredded coconut and dried pineapple bits.
- Oatmeal Walnut Cookies: Mix in your choice of chopped nuts – walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
- Spiced Oatmeal Cookies: Add a pinch of cardamom or cloves for a spiced flavor profile.
How To Make Oatmeal Cookies
These step-by-step photos and instructions help you visualize how to make a small batch of oatmeal cookies. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Heat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat liner.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well blended.
- Beat in the egg yolk and the vanilla extract until creamy. Set the bowl aside.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture until well blended.
- Stir in the oats.
- Use a medium-sized cookie scoop or 1 large tablespoon to scoop out the cookie dough. Place cookies 2-inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on a cookie sheet then transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Serving Suggestions
Cookies are versatile and pair wonderfully with various accompaniments. Here are a few ways to elevate your oatmeal cookie experience:
- Tea Time: Serve with a cup of your favorite tea, like Earl Grey or Chamomile.
- Ice Cream Sandwich: Use two cookies to sandwich a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Breakfast Treat: Pair with Greek yogurt and fresh berries for a delightful morning treat.
- Dessert Platter: Combine with other single serve desserts for a mini dessert buffet.
Expert Tips
- Measure the flour correctly: This is so important. To measure flour correctly, stir the flour in its container with a spoon. Then, use a spoon to scoop flour into a dry measuring cup and slightly overfill. Then, use the back of a knife or other straight-edged utensil to level the flour across the cup. Do not scoop the flour. When you scoop, the flour gets packed too tightly and you will end up with more flour than the recipe calls for.
- Line the cookie sheet: Use a baking mat or parchment paper to line your cookie sheet. I don’t recommend coating your baking sheet with butter or oil spray because it creates an overly greasy sheet that will make your cookies spread.
- Do not overbake: Remove the cookies from the oven when the edges begin to lightly brown.
- Portion out the cookie dough evenly: I use a cookie scoop that holds about 2 to 2.5 tablespoons of cookie dough. Using this size will yield 4-5 cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Old-fashioned rolled oats are the best oats to use when making oatmeal cookies. Do not use steel-cut oats, as they will be too hard, or instant oats which will become mushy.
Store oatmeal cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Although I don’t think these soft oatmeal cookies need a thing, you may like to add a drizzle of icing to yours. Here’s how to make the cookie icing:
In a small bowl stir together 1/3 cup of powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon of milk or cream. You may find you need to add more milk to get your preferred icing consistency. Spoon over cooled cookies. Allow the icing to set for 15-20 minutes before enjoying.
If you’d like to make a small batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, reduce the amount of oats to 1/4 cup and add 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Reduce the amount of oats to 1/4 cup and add 1/4 cup of raisins.
You might like to use our small batch oatmeal raisin cookie recipe.
More Small Batch Cookie Recipes
Looking for more petite batches of sweet delights? Explore our curated collection of small-batch cookie recipes.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
If you’ve tried these oatmeal cookies or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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Small Batch Oatmeal Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter , melted
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar , packed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup old fashioned oats
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat liner.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well blended.
- Beat in the egg yolk and the vanilla extract until creamy. Set the bowl aside.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture until well blended. Stir in the oats.
- Use a medium-sized cookie scoop or 1 large tablespoon to scoop out the cookie dough. Place cookies 2-inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on a cookie sheet then transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Measure the flour correctly: This is so important. To measure flour correctly, stir the flour in its container with a spoon. Then, use a spoon to scoop flour into a measuring cup and slightly overfill. Then, use the back of a knife or other straight-edged utensil to level the flour across the cup. Do not scoop the flour. When you scoop, the flour gets packed too tightly and you will end up with more flour than the recipe calls for.
- Line the cookie sheet: Use a baking mat or parchment paper to line your cookie sheet. I don’t recommend coating your baking sheet with butter or oil spray because it creates an overly greasy sheet that will make your cookies spread.
- Do not overbake: Remove the cookies from the oven when the edges begin to lightly brown.
- Portion out the cookie dough evenly: I use a cookie scoop that holds about 2 to 2.5 tablespoons of cookie dough. Using this size will yield 4-5 cookies.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I made the cookies exactly as stated, but included 1/4 c walnuts. They were delicious! I did cook them longer—probably 15 minutes in all. They were crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle—puffier than my go-to recipe, but perfect taste and texture. They may be my new favorite!
Hi Lori,
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies, thank you for your feedback!
Joanie
These cookies are delishhh i left out the raisins because i don’t like them but they are still sooo good, better than store bought 😋🙌
Experienced home baker here. Had every listed ingredient and followed the recipe to the letter; only got five 1-inch dough balls out of it that refused to bake in an oven that is fairly new and used often with no problem.
After being baked for the suggested maximum of ten minutes, they had not even begun to flatten out and resemble cookies. Left in for an additional five minutes, they had only just barely begun to flatten. After being left in for five more minutes, the dough balls had turned rock hard and burned. Ended up having to throw them away.
Hi Rose,
They didn’t flatten at all? I’m not sure what could have happened – were any ingredients substituted? Was the butter melted? We recently added a recipe video for these cookies which is now on the recipe post, maybe that can help to pinpoint what might have gone wrong.
Joanie
I only have Quick Oats. Will this work in the recipe. Thank you.
Hi Mabel,
Yes, quick oats will work.
Rolled oats will give the cookies a more chewy texture but either kind will work.
Joanie
Your recipe does not indicate when to add the egg mixture. I added mine to the sugar mixture then added the dry ingredients and baked them at 350F for 10 minutes. My yield was ten 2 inch cookies. The cookies came out fine and were pretty tasty!
Hi,
It’s in step 3, “Beat in the egg yolk and the vanilla extract until creamy…” – sounds like you added it at the right time 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the cookies.
Made these today. Super simple and tasty.
Looking foreword to making more small batch recipes. Thank you!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies!
I don’t know what I did wrong. I followed the recipe and my cookies didn’t come out right. At the 10 minute mark they were still dough, they hadn’t baked, at the 15 minute mark I took them out and they still fell apart.
Hi Irene,
I’m so sorry to hear that the cookies didn’t turn out. These cookies have been made by many readers with success, in fact I made them just the other day, so I’d love to see if we can figure out what went wrong. It sounds as if your oven temperature might be a little off, have you checked your oven temperature recently? To do this, use an oven-safe thermometer. Place the thermometer on a rack in the center of your oven. Pre-heat your oven to the temperature you’d like to test (350° F, or 177° C) is generally a good recommendation). Once the oven is preheated, check the temperature on the thermometer inside.
Another question, were any substitutions made? Did you use all purpose flour and did you use butter, not margarine?
these cookies are amazing. They are amazing for when i crave cookies but don’t want to make too much. oatmeal raisin cookies are my favorite and these are the best tasting!
Hi should i melt the butter until it becomes a liquid?
Vicky, Yes. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter either in the microwave or in a small saucepan.
Simply delicious! I just made these oatmeal cookies for Christmas. I have to be gluten free so used gf flour. I made a double batch and used quick oats and golden raisins. Using a small cookie scoop I got 1-1/2 dozen cookies. Just perfect for my Christmas. Tomorrow I’m baking a double batch of coconut macaroons! ❤️
Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoyed the oatmeal cookies and I’m so happy you shared that the gluten free flour worked for you. Our readers will appreciate that information. Hope you enjoy the coconut macaroons!
Joanie
These cookies are amazing!! Found myself looking through the kitchen for a sweet treat and having nothing on hand that was ready to eat. I usually keep a brownie mix or something stashed in the cupboard, but on this day I had nothing. Decided to check here before going to the store. So glad I found this recipe. It’s perfect in every way. So full of flavor. Buttery. Not loaded with sugar or overly sweet. Just right. I almost doubled it, but so glad I didn’t. I would have eaten them all!!
Shannon,
I’m so happy you enjoyed the cookies! They’re so easy to make and are perfect when a sweet craving hits. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know you loved the recipe.
Have a wonderful week!
Joanie