These gluten-free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are the very best - whether you're gluten-free or not. They're perfectly chewy, full of oat-y texture, and loaded with chocolate chips. Plus, you only need one bowl (and less than 10 ingredients) to make them; it couldn't be easier!
Everyone has that one recipe that's been passed down through their family for years and years, and for me, it's these easy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. The recipe comes from my grandpa, who always had a batch of them on hand - because in his mind, no meal was ever complete without a homemade oatmeal cookie to polish it off. I've been making these cookies since the first time he showed me how, and I can still honestly say that I've never found a better recipe.
What makes this oatmeal cookie recipe special
- The right ingredients: These cookies start out with a rich base of salted butter and brown sugar, amplified with LOTS of oats and high-quality dark chocolate chips. They're also nut-free - a must for me! - though you can add nuts if you want them.
- Texture: Say goodbye to any pre-conceived notions you might have about gluten-free cookies! These oatmeal cookies are soft but perfectly chewy, with just a hint of golden, crispy edges. A 3:1 ratio of oats to flour gives them tons of texture without drying them out.
- Flavor: These are rich and buttery, with a complex, caramely-sweetness balanced by plenty of bittersweet chocolate and just the right touch of salt.
- Simplicity: Like my favorite chocolate pudding, sometimes the best recipes are also the simplest to make! You'll need less than 10 ingredients to make these gluten-free oatmeal cookies. The dough comes together in about 15 minutes, and you'll only need to dirty a single bowl.
- Gluten-free friendly: Although I grew up making these with regular all-purpose flour, I've found that a 1:1 swap with gluten-free flour works perfectly to turn this into a gluten-free oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe. Nobody can ever tell the difference, and unlike many gluten-free cookies, these never fall apart or fall flat.
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Cookie ingredients
Below are the ingredients you'll need to make these cookies. Keep reading for a few important notes!
- Butter - I highly recommend using salted butter here. Because this is such a simple recipe with minimal ingredients, the butter really plays a role in adding flavor to the dough, and unsalted butter just won't taste the same. This is also the time to splurge on good butter! European butters (like Kerrygold) have a richer, butterier flavor that I guarantee will improve the taste of your cookies.
- Brown sugar - You can use dark or light brown sugar for this recipe.
- Oats - Use old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick cooking or steel cut oats. To keep your chocolate chip oatmeal cookies gluten-free, make sure you stick to a brand of certified gluten-free oats. Bob's Red Mill, Quaker, Sprouts, and Trader Joe's all make their own varieties.
- Flour - As with all of my gluten-free recipes, the flour you use for these oatmeal cookies should contain some form of binding ingredient, such as xanthan gum or guar gum. Brands I normally reach for include Bob's Red Mill 1-1 Baking Flour, King Arthur Measure For Measure Flour, and Pamela's 1:1 All-Purpose Flour. This recipe can also be made with regular all-purpose flour if preferred.
- Vanilla extract - I always use pure vanilla extract for baking, but it's especially important here, since it's contributing to the overall flavor of the cookie dough in a significant way.
- Chocolate chips - Use good chocolate - I can't stress this enough! I prefer bittersweet chocolate chips for these oatmeal cookies. I'm partial to Ghirardelli's Bittersweet Chocolate Chips since it's what my grandpa always used, but Trader Joe's also makes fantastic (and relatively inexpensive) dark chocolate chips. Also keep in mind that this is a very chocolate-heavy cookie recipe. If you like a higher cookie-to-chocolate ratio, you can reduce the quantity to 1 ½ cups (9 ounces).
How to make gluten-free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
Step one - Cream butter and sugar: Using a large bowl and handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together softened butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until creamy and lighter in color.
Step two - Add egg and oats: Beat in the egg on medium speed, scraping down the bowl and beater with a spatula as needed to ensure all ingredients are evenly incorporated. Reduce speed to medium-low and beat in 2 cups (6 ½ ounces) of oats.
Step three - Add remaining ingredients: Sprinkle flour, baking soda, and salt over the cookie batter, and drizzle the vanilla extract on top. Fold in with a spatula or wooden spoon until mostly incorporated. Then, fold in the remaining 1 cup (3 ¼ ounces) of oats and chocolate chips, mixing just until everything is evenly combined. The dough will be very thick.
Step four - Roll into balls and chill: Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the dough into 2 ¼ ounce (measured by weight) or ¼ cup portions. Roll each portion into a ball and place on the cookie sheet to prep for chilling.
For extra thick and chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, chill your dough for at least a few hours before baking. At this point, you can also freeze the dough to bake at a later date.
Step five - Bake: Preheat oven to 350ºF with racks in the top and bottom-third positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or (preferably) silicone baking mats. Divide cookies between baking sheets (no more than 9 per sheet).
Bake cookies in preheated oven for 14-16 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Cookies are done when puffed up and beginning to turn golden - as always, be cautious not to overbake!
Step six - Cool: If desired, top each cookie with a few more chocolate chips immediately after baking (they will melt as the cookies cool). Cool on baking sheets for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Quick tips for the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
- For perfectly thick cookies, chill your cookie dough before baking, and line your cookie sheets with silicone liners instead of parchment paper. This is a trick I also like to use for my gluten free chocolate cookie recipe.
- If you prefer your cookies slightly thinner and crispier, bake them immediately rather than chilling the dough first.
- Measure your cookie dough using a kitchen scale or measuring cup to ensure your cookies are evenly-sized.
- Avoid overbaking! This will dry out your cookies and take away from their chewy texture.
- Top your cookies with a few extra chocolate chips before or after baking to enhance their appearance.
- For a variation on this recipe, try swapping some or all of the chocolate chips with nuts and/or raisins. You can also try my favorite oatmeal raisin cookie recipe, or these chewy cranberry oatmeal cookies.
Freezing cookie dough
One of my favorite things about this oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe is how well the dough freezes. I almost always freeze a portion of every batch I make so I can have freshly-baked cookies on hand at a moment's notice!
To freeze this cookie dough, roll it into individual balls first, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet or other tray. Freeze for one hour so the balls of dough get firm. Then, transfer to a zip-top, freezer-safe bag and freeze until ready to bake (up to 6 months).
Let the dough thaw slightly while your oven preheats, and then bake as normal. Your baking time will likely be closer to 16 minutes.
Storage and shelf life
These oatmeal cookies keep quite well; just store them in an airtight container or zip-top bag. They should stay fresh for at least a full week.
I prefer storing them at room temperature, but my grandpa always kept his in the fridge. Try it both ways and see what you prefer!
Recipe FAQ
Absolutely! This is a great cookie recipe to double since the dough freezes so well.
Although I haven't tested it myself, I do think you could make these cookies with dairy-free butter as long as you use the kind that comes in a stick. You'll also need to use dairy-free chocolate; Ghirardelli makes non-dairy chocolate chips!
Yes! I grew up making these cookies with regular all-purpose flour; just do a 1:1 swap.
Yes. Just make sure they're in a freezer-safe zip-top bag or other airtight container. They should keep well for up to 3 months. That said, I highly recommend freezing the dough instead; freshly-baked cookies are always best!
More chocolate chip cookie recipes you'll love
Here are a few other varieties of chocolate chip cookies that always get rave reviews!
Have you made this recipe?
If so, I'd love to hear your feedback; you can leave a rating and review in the comments section below! It's also so helpful if you help spread the word by sharing this post on your favorite social media channel. If you happen to snap a photo of what you've baked, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me (@brighteyedbaker) so I can give you a shoutout!
Gluten-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are the BEST oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, gluten-free or otherwise. They're perfectly chewy, full of oat-y texture, and loaded with plenty of dark chocolate chips. This easy recipe uses just one bowl, and can be prepped in 20 minutes!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chill Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 14 minutes (up to 16 minutes)
- Total Time: 34 minutes (up to 36 minutes)
- Yield: 18 cookies
- Category: cookies
- Method: baking
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 6 ½ ounces (12 tablespoons or 1 ⅝ sticks) salted butter, softened
- 7 ½ ounces (1 cup, packed) brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 9 ¾ ounces (3 cups) gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats, divided
- 4 ¼ ounces (1 cup, spoon and level) gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 12 ounces (2 cups) good-quality bittersweet chocolate chips or féves, plus extra for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar: In a the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric beater, beat together butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light in color and creamy.
- Add egg and oats: With mixer on medium speed, beat in the egg until fully incorporated, scraping down the bowl and beater as needed. Reduce speed to medium-low and beat in 6 ½ ounces (2 cups) of oats, again scraping down as needed.
- Add remaining ingredients: Sprinkle the flour, baking soda, and salt over the wet ingredients, and drizzle the vanilla on top. Fold in with a spatula just until mostly incorporated. Add the remaining 3 ¼ ounces (1 cup) oats and chocolate chips, folding in just until all ingredients are evenly combined.
- Roll into balls and chill: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the dough into 2 ¼ ounce portions (about ¼ cup each), and roll into balls. Place on cookie sheet and transfer to refrigerator to chill for at least a few hours (more is fine).
- Bake: Preheat oven to 350ºF with oven racks in the top and bottom-third positions. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. While oven is preheating, arrange cookie dough balls on prepared baking sheets, no more than 9 cookies to a sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 14-16 minutes, switching and rotating the cookie sheets halfway through. Cookies are done when puffed up and golden.
- Cool: If desired, top each cookie with a few extra chocolate chips immediately after baking. Let cool on cookie sheets for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Ingredient notes:
- Use a gluten-free flour blend that contains a binder such as xanthan gum or guar gum.
- Regular all-purpose flour and old-fashioned oats can also be used if you don't need your cookies to be gluten-free.
Recipe tips:
- Cookies can be baked immediately (without chilling) but may be slightly less thick.
- To freeze cookie dough, freeze rolled dough on cookie sheet for 1 hour before transferring to a freezer-safe zip-top bag or airtight container. Dough should keep in freezer for 3-6 months. When ready to bake, let dough thaw slightly while oven preheats. Baking time will likely be closer to 16 minutes.
Storage and shelf life:
- Baked cookies can be kept in an airtight container or zip-top bag at cool room temperature (or in the refrigerator) for about 1 week. Alternatively, cookies can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Sandra
As the daughter of Poppop, (the original baker of this family's favorite cookies). I will attest that these cookies are indeed incomparable in flavor, softness, chewiness and ease of making. Thank you, Alexandra, for your posting. They really are the best cookies ever. I use raisins as well. mmmmm!
AlexA
it tastes great just like these mouth watering pictures.
Alice
So tasty!
Melitta
These really are the BEST oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! They are now my go-to cookies whenever I feel like baking something and now I even get request from friends, family, and neighbors.
Emily Malone
I see mention of adding eggs one at a time, but the recipe only calls for one egg. Are those instructions in case you double the recipe?
alexandra
That's a typo and I just fixed it. 1 egg is correct. Thanks for pointing that out!
Laila
im just wondering if you have to use brown sugar or can you substitute it for something else?
alexandra
Hi Laila,
I would definitely use brown sugar. It adds flavor and moisture in a way that granulated sugar on its own can't. If you don't have any on hand but happen to have molasses and granulated sugar, you can use that to make your own brown sugar! My DIY Brown Sugar post has instructions. :)
Alexandra's Mom
Poppops' cookies were surely the best! I still go home and check Mom's freezer to make sure she's made them when I visit! I love them frozen. Now you know where I get that. :) Thank you so much for publishing this truly the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies recipe.