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Oatmeal Cookies (with Oil instead of Butter)

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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.

Oatmeal cookies in a white bowl with a blue napkin
Oatmeal cookies (with oil instead of butter)

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.

Closeup of six baked oatmeal cookies
Aren’t you just craving these oatmeal cookies right now?

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.

Metal bowl containing fully mixed oil, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla
Mix the oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until they are 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.

Bowl containing mixed oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour
Add in the flour and mix it all up

4. Add the oats and mix until combined.

Completed oatmeal cookie dough in a bowl
And finally, the completed oatmeal cookie dough

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.

Parchment-paper lined baking sheet containing rows of oatmeal cookie dough balls
Oatmeal cookie balls, all ready to be baked

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

Baked oatmeal cookies on the same parchment-paper lined baking tray
The oatmeal cookies baked up nice and brown

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Now, while this is obviously not a vegan blog, those of you who are vegan shouldn’t have to miss out on oatmeal cinnamon deliciousness! Here’s a great option for you guys, courtesy of Megan Kerry: Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

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
Pinterest cover image for oatmeal cookies with oil

Oatmeal cookies in a white bowl with a blue napkin

Oatmeal Cookies with Oil

Yield: 30 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

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

  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.
  3. Add the oats and mix until combined.
  4. Preheat oven to 350F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  5. Use a teaspoon or small cookie scoop to form small cookies and place on baking sheets.
  6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.

Notes

Want more cookie recipes made with oil? Check out these Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oil!

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 30 cookies
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 151Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 67mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g

This Post Has 40 Comments

  1. Gail

    Have you tried making these as a bar type cookie?

  2. shirley a stirling

    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.

  3. Jeanne Gallagher

    can I add chocolate chips to this recipe? would it after the baking time?

    1. Pauline

      I’m not an expert– but I believe that would be fine without altering the baking time. Happy Holidays!

  4. Talkerblogger

    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 🤗

  5. Katy

    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

  6. Marie

    Yum they look delicious thanks for the recipe I will definitely give these a try!

  7. Robert Gillies

    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.

    1. Barbara

      Avocado oil or olive oil is not bad for you. They’re omega 3’s, which will clean out your arteries.

  8. Gayle

    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.

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      Interesting, I didn’t know that they changed the Quaker Oats recipe.

  9. Amy

    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!

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      Great, enjoy!

  10. Pris

    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.

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      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!

  11. Sam

    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

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      Awesome! Thanks for sharing your adaptation!

  12. Erin

    These look delicious! Cannot wait to try. And thanks for the helpful pics in the description.

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      I’m glad the pictures helped! Enjoy the cookies 🙂

  13. Robert

    It sounds and looks great. We’ll have to give it a try

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      Thanks, and enjoy!

  14. Megan Kerry

    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!!

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      I’ll never understand people who put raisins in oatmeal cookies (or anything…) Glad you enjoyed the recipe!

  15. Hollysbirdnest.com

    I made these this weekend and they were really good! Thank you for a great recipe!

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!

  16. Kristen

    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!

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      Trust me, once you taste these you definitely won’t be saying no to them!

  17. Becky

    hmmm… you got me thinking! These sound just as good! I just might have to try them!

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      You definitely should try them! (Not that I’m biased or anything…)

  18. dani

    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.

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      Yes, definitely try these. They are so much better than store bought!

  19. Alexandra

    These sound so delicious. I will be trying them over the weekend!
    Thanks for another great recipe 🙂

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      You’re very welcome! Enjoy!

  20. aisasami

    I have to try with oil! Butter can expensive here in Japan.

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      You definitely should try it! You won’t miss the butter at all.

  21. Judy

    I never thought to try oil instead of butter. These look delicious. I love oatmeal cookies. I saved this to try later. Thank you

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      You’re welcome! Enjoy the cookies 🙂

  22. Tara

    These sound good. I will have to try it out!

    1. Bee - Bites 'N Pieces

      Yes, definitely try it. I hope you enjoy them!

      1. Julia

        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?

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