These soft and chewy, old-fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies are the ultimate nostalgic treat! They're loaded with oats, full of cozy spices, and then "kissed" with a simple vanilla icing.
These iced oatmeal cookies are guaranteed to make your kitchen smell like heaven! Not only are they buttery and perfectly spiced, they have irresistibly soft centers and chewy edges. They get even softer the next day, which makes them perfect to add to your holiday cookie boxes!
Jump to:
♡ Why You Will Love Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Nostalgic. These iced oatmeal cookies taste just like Mother's Iced Cookies, but even better because they're homemade!
- No chilling required. After mixing the cookie dough, it just needs a quick 15 minute rest on the counter to hydrate the oats and flour.
- Perfect for cookie boxes. These cookies stay soft and chewy for days, which makes them great for gift-giving. Looking for more cookies to add to your cookie box, try these chocolate chip and toffee shortbread, brown butter pecan shortbread, macadamia nut shortbread and hazelnut baci di dama.
Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes about all the ingredients used in these old fashioned iced oatmeal cookies. Quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card below!
Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies
- Rolled Oats - Also called old-fashioned oats.
- All-Purpose Flour - I always recommend using a kitchen scale to measure your flour with for best results. Adding too much flour can make your cookies dry, rather than soft and chewy.
- Baking Soda + Baking Powder
- Cinnamon + Nutmeg - Adds cozy flavor.
- Salt - Balances the flavors.
- Unsalted Butter - Softened butter will make the cookies soft.
- Brown Sugar + Granulated White Sugar - We'll be using a higher ratio of brown sugar to white sugar for the perfect chewy texture and spread.
- Egg + Yolk - The extra yolk makes the cookies chewy.
- Vanilla - For flavor.
Vanilla Icing
- Powdered Sugar - Also known as icing sugar or confectioners sugar.
- Milk - You will only need about 2 tablespoons, as the icing should be on the thicker side.
- Vanilla Paste or Vanilla Extract - For flavor.
*See recipe card for quantities.
Ingredient Substitutions
Old Fashioned Rolled Oats - Although I have not tested these cookies with other oats, you can use quick oats in a pinch.
Spices - I'm using a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg. Feel free to substitute with other spices such as, cardamom, clove, allspice, or pumpkin pie spice.
Brown Sugar - You can use light or dark brown sugar.
Milk - Any milk will work. You can also use heavy cream.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Here are step-by-step photos and instructions on how to make these homemade Iced Oatmeal Cookies! Please find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1. Pulse Oats - In a food processor or grinder, pulse the oats until you have a variety of small to large pieces of oats.
Step 2. Combine Dry Ingredients - In a medium bowl, whisk together pulsed oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Step 3. Cream Butter & Sugar - Using an electric mixer, beat softened butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. About 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 4. Add Egg, Yolk & Vanilla - Next, beat in the whole egg, yolk and vanilla until combined. About 1 minute.
Step 5. Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients - In 2 additions, mix in the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix.
Step 6. Rest - Cover and let the dough hydrate on the counter for 15 minutes.
Step 7. Scoop & Bake - Using a large cookie scoop, drop 6 dough balls, 3 inches apart onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Step 8. Bake - Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF (180ºC) for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not over bake.
Step 9. Glaze Cookies - Lightly dip the tops of cooled cookies with the vanilla icing. Let the glaze set and enjoy!
💡 Tip
For perfectly round cookies, try this hack. Right when you pull the cookies out of the oven, place a large round biscuit cutter/bowl over the cookie (it should be a bit bigger than the cookie itself) and make several circular motions. As the edge of the cookie touches the inside of the biscuit cutter, it will round out any irregular edges.
Storage
- Baked Cookies at Room Temperature - Store in an airtight container on the counter for 3 to 4 days.
- Baked Cookies in the Freezer - You can store baked cookies in a freezer-safe bag for 1 to 2 month. Thaw at room temperature before eating, about 40 minutes.
⭐️ Tips for Chewy Iced Oatmeal Cookies
Use a kitchen scale to weigh all your ingredients. Baking in grams, rather than volume, is the best and most accurate way to bake! All my recipes include gram conversions based on King Arthur's Weight Chart.
Be sure to pulse the oats. Pulsing the rolled oats will give the cookies better texture.
Cool the cookies completely before glazing. The icing will set quicker if the cookies are cooled properly.
Make a thick glaze. A thicker glaze will set more white, rather than opaque on the cookie.
FAQ
Yes, pulsing the oats will make your cookies more chewy. I made a test batch with whole oats and the texture wasn't the same.
The usual culprit is adding too much flour. Be sure to use a kitchen scale for accuracy. Using less sugar than what the recipe calls for can also be a reason.
Yes, I actually prefer freezing baked cookies for prolonged storage because they thaw beautifully! They stay chewy and taste as fresh as the day you baked them!
Store the cookies in freezer-safe bag for 1 to 2 months and thaw at room temperature before eating, about 40 minutes.
Sure! Keep it plain, or add raisin, nuts or chocolate chips to the dough.
You May Also Like...
♡ Did you try this recipe?
Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review below. This provides helpful feedback to myself and other readers. Thank you so much!
📖 Recipe
Ice Oatmeal Cookies
Equipment
- Digital Kitchen Scale
- Food Processor or Grinder
- Electric Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Silicone Spatula
- Large Baking Sheet
INGREDIENTS
Oatmeal Cookies
- 1 ¾ Cups (155g) Rolled Oats coarsely ground
- 1 ½ Cup + 1 Tablespoon (187g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ¼ Teaspoons Cinnamon
- ¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- ¾ Cup (170g | 12 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter room temp
- ¾ Cup + 2 Tablespoons (175g) Brown Sugar
- ¼ Cup (50g) White Granulated Sugar
- 1 Whole Egg + 1 Yolk room temp
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract
Vanilla Icing
- 1 ¼ Cup (142g) Powdered Sugar
- 1.5 to 2 Tablespoons Milk
- ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract
Instructions
- Pulse Oats - In a food processor or grinder, pulse the oats until you have a combination of small/fine to large pieces of oats.1 ¾ Cups (155g) Rolled Oats
- Combine Dry Ingredients - In a medium bowl, whisk together pulsed oats, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt.1 ½ Cup + 1 Tablespoon (187g) All-Purpose Flour1 ¼ Teaspoons Cinnamon¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg½ Teaspoon Baking Soda½ Teaspoon Baking Powder¼ Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- Cream Butter & Sugar - Using an electric mixer, beat softened butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. About 2 to 3 minutes.¾ Cup (170g | 12 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter¾ Cup + 2 Tablespoons (175g) Brown Sugar¼ Cup (50g) White Granulated Sugar
- Add Egg, Yolk & Vanilla - Next, beat in the whole egg, yolk and vanilla until combined. About 1 minute.1 Whole Egg + 1 Yolk1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract
- Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients - In 2 additions, mix in the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix. The dough will be thick and sticky.
- Rest the Dough- Cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough hydrate on the counter for 15 minutes.
- Preheat Oven - While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. I usually like baking cookies one tray at a time, but feel free to bake multiple trays.
- Scoop & Bake - Using a large cookie scoop (which holds about 3 tablespoons/50 grams), drop 6 dough balls, 3 inches apart on your prepared sheet.
- Bake - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not over bake. Cool the cookies on the tray for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Bake the rest of your cookies.
- Make Vanilla Icing - In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. The glaze should be on the thicker side. When you lift the whisk, you should see ribbons of the glaze slowly dissolve back into the mixture. Adjust with more powdered sugar or milk as needed.1 ¼ Cup (142g) Powdered Sugar1.5 to 2 Tablespoons Milk½ Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract
- Glaze Cookies - Lightly dip the tops of your cooled cookies into the vanilla icing. Let the glaze set for 1 to 2 hours before stacking or packaging. Enjoy!
Erika J. says
These turned out so good. Will be making again for our annual cookie exchange this weekend. Thank you for a great recipe.
Lisa Flinn says
Yay, I'm so happy you liked the cookies, Erika! I feel honored to be a part of your cookie exchange! ☺️ Happy baking and happy holidays!