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These oatmeal cinnamon cookies are pretty magical. Enjoy them with a large glass of milk, or just straight on their own – you will find that it’s pretty impossible to eat just one. Plus, these cookies use oil instead of butter, so they are dairy-free and can be made without a mixer. Pretty neat.

There’s something about oatmeal cookies that brings back childhood memories. My parents used to buy packs of soft-baked chocolate chip cookies, and once in awhile they would buy soft-baked oatmeal raisin cookies from the same company. I actually liked the oatmeal raisin cookies better.
(I didn’t eat the raisins, though. Because raisins.)
At one point in high school, I baked oatmeal cookies with a friend at her house. It must have been two in the morning, and we were hyper and in the mood of cookie dough. So we made oatmeal cookies from the recipe on the Quaker package, baked them for like three minutes (so they were basically cookie dough on their own), and ate them straight out of the oven.
So when I became an adult and started doing adulty things like laundry and paying bills and baking (you know, all the important stuff), I naturally wanted to bake oatmeal cookies and recapture the magic of those childhood memories.
I tried the Quaker oatmeal recipe, and they just weren’t as good as I remembered. I got a recipe from my husband’s aunt which is apparently Hillary Clinton’s oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe (or, as my aunt put it, Hillary Clinton’s housekeeper’s recipe…), but they didn’t cut it. I tried some other recipes, and nope, nothing was quite meeting my expectations.
Until that one fateful day, when it all changed…
(insert ominous music here)
I decided that I wanted to try a different type of oatmeal cookie recipe, so I specifically looked for one with oil.
And I found a recipe. And it is pretty magical.
No, it is not the soft-baked oatmeal raisin cookies from my childhood, but these oatmeal cookies with oil instead of butter are delicious.
I recently made some huge, soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies, and my sister in law tasted them and said, “These are good, but I like the oatmeal cookies from last week better.”
I guess that’s proof that these oatmeal cinnamon cookies really are pretty amazing.

Some common oatmeal cookie questions:
Can I make these oatmeal cookies with old fashioned rolled oats?
I’ve found that recipes calling for quick oats work better with quick oats and recipes calling for rolled oats work better with rolled oats. Funny how that works… I am a big fan of experimenting in the kitchen and playing around with recipes, though, so if you feel like using rolled oats, go for it!
Can I make these oatmeal cookies with whole wheat?
Definitely! I’ve done that many times. I’ve also cut the sugar by a lot in order to make them even more healthy when I was on a diet. When I did that I would usually add extra cinnamon to make up for the missing sugar.
Why don’t you put raisins in your oatmeal cookies? Isn’t that traditional?
I don’t like raisins in oatmeal cookies (or ever), but feel free to add them, if you like. You can also add chocolate chips to these cookies, or any other add-ins your heart desires.
I’m thinking of skipping the cinnamon. Is that a good idea?
In a word: no. I think the cinnamon really adds to these oatmeal cookies and helps give them a depth of flavor. That being said, if you really don’t like cinnamon, you can feel free to skip (but I may just have to disown you).
Ready for the recipe? Let’s dive right in!
(Unfortunately, I found this recipe in the stone ages when I was still writing recipes on index cards instead of saving the URLs of the recipes in my computer, so I don’t have a recipe source to link to.)
Oatmeal Cookies with Oil Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
4 cups quick-cooking oats
Method
1. Mix oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until fully combined.

2. Add flour to the mixing bowl, and then pour the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon on top of the flour. Use a small spoon or your finger to mix the baking soda, salt, cinnamon into the flour, and then mix the flour into the rest of the batter.

4. Add the oats and mix until combined.

5. Preheat oven to 350C and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Use a teaspoon or small cookie scoop to form small cookies and place on baking sheets.

7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.

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If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure to share it with all your friends, relatives, acquaintances, and all the strangers on the street!
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like:
Whole Wheat Tahini Cookies
No Bake Peanut Butter Pie
Chocolate Hidden Vegetable Pancakes
Caramel Cheesecake
Pasta Alfredo with Mushrooms

Oatmeal Cookies with Oil
Deliciously cinnamony, delightfully chewy, these oatmeal cookies use oil instead of butter so you can have your oatmeal goodness without needing to whip out the mixer. Make them today, and enjoy your oatmeal cookies with your breakfast coffee or a large glass of milk. If you like this recipe (which of course you will), please consider leaving a five star rating!
Ingredients
- 1 cup oil
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 4 cups quick-cooking oats
Instructions
- Mix oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until fully combined.
- Add flour to the mixing bowl, and then pour the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon on top of the flour. Use a small spoon or your finger to mix the baking soda, salt, cinnamon into the flour, and then mix the flour into the rest of the batter.
- Add the oats and mix until combined.
- Preheat oven to 350F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a teaspoon or small cookie scoop to form small cookies and place on baking sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.
Notes
Want more cookie recipes made with oil? Check out these Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oil!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 30 cookiesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 151Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 67mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g
Have you tried making these as a bar type cookie?
I LOVE not having to blend butter, shortening, or margarine – also is healthier.
I am thinking to make these with what I have on hand: whole wheat flour and regular oatmeal.
Also I might try substituting one of the cups of oatmeal with Rice Krispies.
can I add chocolate chips to this recipe? would it after the baking time?
I’m not an expert– but I believe that would be fine without altering the baking time. Happy Holidays!
Damn girl!!! These cookies are so addictive!! You’re so right, I cannot stick to just one! I had given up oatmeal for a while because it’s boring but you put a great spin on it! I am not feeling guilty of eating cookies anymore! I almost ate the whole batch myself and I’m looking to get the next one going. These are going to be loved for a very long time. Thank you for sharing 🤗
I’m about the make these for my 21 month old daughter that has recently had to go dairy free. They are having oatmeal cream pies at daycare tomorrow and I think these will be perfect for making a cookie sandwich. Thanks for sharing
Yum they look delicious thanks for the recipe I will definitely give these a try!
Too much oil is not good for you. I substitute applesauce or apples liquified in the blender for half of the oil. The recipe seems to turn out the same with less oil.
Avocado oil or olive oil is not bad for you. They’re omega 3’s, which will clean out your arteries.
Quaker Oats actually changed the recipe for their cookies at some point-maybe that is why it just wasn’t the same. The old recipe was great. It used shortening and water in the original recipe-tip for those who want to find it. Thanks for this-I forgot to get butter for making Christmas cookies.
Interesting, I didn’t know that they changed the Quaker Oats recipe.
Ive only made cookies once before and they didn’t turn out too well at all! This recipe sounds pretty easy, and dare I say it, one that can’t go wrong… I’ll be saving this to Pinterest so I can try it out with my little boy 🙂 and I’m going to be checking out some of your other recipes too!
Great, enjoy!
Great and easy recipe. They tasted awesome. I teach baking to first-second graders do this was a great choice. I was especially looking for the option to use oil instead of butter. I’m assuming the oven temperature should be 350 degrees Fahrenheit and not Celsius? I made it on the assumption that it’s a typo in the recipe (I used 350F) and they turned out perfect.
Uh oh, did I write Celsius by accident? I’d better go change that… I’m glad you were able to make this with your students, though!
Thank you for the recipe! I made a vegan adaptation and it turned out great!
1 cup applesauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 flax eggs (2 TBS flax + 6 TBS water. Chill in fridge for 5 minutes. Can sub chia seeds)
4 cups rolled oats
A few handfuls of chopped pecans
A few handfuls of raisins
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your adaptation!
These look delicious! Cannot wait to try. And thanks for the helpful pics in the description.
I’m glad the pictures helped! Enjoy the cookies 🙂
It sounds and looks great. We’ll have to give it a try
Thanks, and enjoy!
I’m with you girl- no raisins thanks! Oatmeal cookies are so good when they are soft and full of that cinnamon goodness! Awesome recipe!!
I’ll never understand people who put raisins in oatmeal cookies (or anything…) Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I made these this weekend and they were really good! Thank you for a great recipe!
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I’ve gotten so used to saying no to cookies altogether, but these are some I can actually say yes to! I love creative ways to get more oatmeal into my diet, and I can feel good about these with the butter swap out!
Trust me, once you taste these you definitely won’t be saying no to them!
hmmm… you got me thinking! These sound just as good! I just might have to try them!
You definitely should try them! (Not that I’m biased or anything…)
I am going to give this a try instead of me always grabbing and store bought one with lots of sugar which makes me crave for more.
Yes, definitely try these. They are so much better than store bought!
These sound so delicious. I will be trying them over the weekend!
Thanks for another great recipe 🙂
You’re very welcome! Enjoy!
I have to try with oil! Butter can expensive here in Japan.
You definitely should try it! You won’t miss the butter at all.
I never thought to try oil instead of butter. These look delicious. I love oatmeal cookies. I saved this to try later. Thank you
You’re welcome! Enjoy the cookies 🙂
These sound good. I will have to try it out!
Yes, definitely try it. I hope you enjoy them!
Ok, these are the best oatmeal cookies ever..
I would love to add chocolate chips but the batter was stiff enough.
I didn’t have vanilla and only half c of brn sugar (the rest was white).
You didn’t specify what kind of oil (I always use grape seed oil)
In spite of the exclusions/alternatives, they were great!
I was able to get more than 30, maybe i made them too small?
Thanks for sharing.
P.S Can I freeze them?