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Light brown sugar, molasses, and plenty of vanilla extract give these vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies a rich, caramel-like flavor. Pulled from the oven while the center is still soft, they come out with crispy edges and chewy, moist centers. Loaded with rolled oats and gooey chocolate chips!
These oatmeal cookies take the same foundation as my classic vegan chocolate chip cookies and add rolled oats to the mix.
The oats make them extra chewy (there are two whole cups for one batch!). And the combination of light brown sugar and molasses gives them a subtle caramel-like warmth. Add to that a splash of vanilla and a generous pinch of cinnamon, and you’ve got simply irresistible cookies that are crispy on the edges, super tender on the inside, and as chewy as it gets. Probably my fav cookies to date!
📙 What Makes Them So Good
- Two kinds of sugar. Light brown sugar makes the cookies moist and chewy, while white sugar makes them spread and gives them crispy edges.
- Slightly underbaked. Pulling them from the oven while the centers are still slightly undercooked gives them the satisfying soft-baked texture. They are neither dry nor cakey.
- More oats than other recipes. There’s actually more oats than flour going into the dough! That’s what makes them so chewy.
- Cookies that actually spread. No shaping required. These spread naturally from a ball into thick and even cookies.
🍫 Behind The Ingredients
These cookies rely on simple pantry ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Flour – All-purpose flour provides structure.
- Oats – Use rolled oats only. Instant oats are too fine and don’t retain their structure. You’ll need 2 cups of rolled oats for one batch – this is not a mistake.
- Sugar – Half light brown sugar for chew and moisture, half granulated sugar for crispy edges.
- Molasses – Light brown sugar already contains molasses, but I add an extra tablespoon for a deeper flavor and extra moisture.
- Vegan butter – Use a vegan butter with around 80% fat for the best result. I use Flora Plant Butter, but any similar brand works.
- Leaveners – Baking soda promotes spread and browning. Baking powder keeps the centers from being too dense.
- Chocolate chips – I like to use semi-sweet dark chocolate chips to get those gooey chunks of chocolate, but mini chips will work too.
- Vanilla extract – Use high-quality store-bought or homemade vanilla extract.
- Cinnamon – Optional. Ground cinnamon gives them that bakery-style flavor. Skip it if you’re not into cinnamon.
📔 Success Tips
- Don’t reduce the sugar. It can be tempting to reduce the amount of sugar for healthier cookies, but please don’t. The ratio of sugar to flour and butter shouldn’t be changed, as your cookies would not spread well or would not be as chewy.
- Measure the ingredients correctly. Either weigh the dry ingredients or use the spoon-and-level method to measure them.
- Chill for a maximum of 2 hours. Oats quickly absorb moisture from the batter. That’s why it’s best to chill the cookies for no longer than 2 hours. Chilling overnight, for example, will result in thicker cookies that won’t spread as much.
- Do not overbake them. Pull the cookies when the edges are set and golden brown, but the centers still look uncooked. The centers will finish cooking on the hot baking sheet.
- Give them a round shape. Cookie hack: As soon as you take the cookies out of the oven, grab a mug or large glass that’s wider than your cookies. Place it over a cookie and gently swirl it into a circular motion. Doing this will give your cookies a perfectly round shape!
- Press extra chocolate chips after baking. Straight from the oven, press a few chocolate chips onto each cookie for a visually pleasing look!
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
- Combine the butter and sugar. Add the diced butter, light brown sugar, sugar, molasses, and vanilla extract to a bowl.
- Cream the butter. Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the flour. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Mix again. Mix until the flour is completely incorporated.
- Add the oats and chocolate chips.
- Fold them in. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold the oats and chocolate chips into the dough. Do not overmix to keep the oats intact.
- Shape into balls. After chilling for about 2 hours, scoop out 3-tbsp-sized balls and arrange them on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 11 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Press more chocolate chips on top and let them cool for at least 30 minutes.
🥜 Tweak Them
- Add nuts: Crushed peanuts, almonds, macadamia, pecans, or hazelnuts. Add up to 1/3 cup to the dough.
- Play with the spices: Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground cardamom, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, and a pinch of cloves and nutmeg for chai-spiced cookies.
- Add dried fruits: Replace half of the chocolate chips with your favorite dried fruits. Chopped figs, raisins, or even cranberries!
❄️ Storing and Freezing
- To store: These cookies will stay soft for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
- To freeze: Freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter for a couple of hours.
💬 FAQs & Troubleshooting
Can you make these cookies gluten-free?
Yes. Substitute all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour mix.
Can I freeze the cookie dough?
I do not recommend freezing the dough. The oats will absorb the moisture, and your cookies won’t spread as much during baking.
My cookies didn’t spread well. What happened?
The most likely cause is that you didn’t measure the flour correctly or changed the ratio of flour, sugar, and butter. Use a kitchen scale to accurately measure the ingredients.
Why are my cookies too flat?
The dough was not chilled. It’s essential to chill the dough for at least 1 hour and 30 minutes before scooping it into balls and baking.
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Chewy Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Light brown sugar, molasses, and plenty of vanilla extract give these vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies a rich, caramel-like flavor. Pulled from the oven while the center is still soft, they come out with crispy edges and chewy, moist centers. Loaded with rolled oats and gooey chocolate chips!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp (17 g) molasses
- 2/3 cup (150 g) vegan butter (at room temperature, diced)
- 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) plant-based milk
- 1 and 1/2 cup (187 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 cup (240 g) rolled oats
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Cream the butter. Add the white sugar, light brown sugar, molasses, vegan butter, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl (or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds or until light and creamy. Add the milk and mix for another 10 seconds.
- Add the flour. Next, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix again on low speed for another 15-30 seconds or until it forms a sticky dough. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the oats and chocolate chips. To the bowl, add the rolled oats and dark chocolate chips. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold the oats and chocolate chips into the dough. Do not overmix to keep the oats whole. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour and 30 minutes (up to 2 hours).
- Preheat the oven to
350 °F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. - Shape into balls. Once the dough is firmer, scoop out 3-tbsp-sized balls and arrange them on a baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches (5 cm) between each.
- Bake for 11 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Do not overbake. The centers should still appear uncooked. Straight from the oven, press more chocolate chips onto each cookie and let them cool for at least 30 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.
- These cookies will stay soft for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Don’t reduce the sugar. It can be tempting to reduce the amount of sugar for healthier cookies, but please don’t. The ratio of sugar to flour and butter shouldn’t be changed, as your cookies would not spread well or would not be as chewy.
Measure the ingredients correctly. Either weigh the dry ingredients or use the spoon-and-level method to measure them.
Chill for a maximum of 2 hours. Oats quickly absorb moisture from the batter. That’s why it’s best to chill the cookies for no longer than 2 hours. Chilling overnight, for example, will result in thicker cookies that won’t spread as much.
Do not overbake them. Pull the cookies when the edges are set and golden brown, but the centers still look uncooked. The centers will finish cooking on the hot baking sheet.
Give them a round shape. Cookie hack: As soon as you take the cookies out of the oven, grab a mug or large glass that’s wider than your cookies. Place it over a cookie and gently swirl it into a circular motion. Doing this will give your cookies a perfectly round shape!
Press extra chocolate chips after baking. Straight from the oven, press a few chocolate chips onto each cookie for a visually pleasing look!
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment and rating below!
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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