Next Post
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
(Kind of like) Mom’s Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Homemade chocolate chip cookies made with browned butter, sweet brown sugar, and oats. A classic cookie made better with the addition of brown butter and, of course, plenty of melty chocolate. These cookies can be lightly sprinkled with sea salt for a salty-sweet cookie bite. Sometimes you just need to bite into the classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookie we all know and love.
I have so many memories of baking my mom’s oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. She’d make them once a week and even became a little famous for them. She certainly knew the recipe by heart! Oats, flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, canola oil, and a ton of chocolate chips.
Her recipe called for canola oil, which I prefer not to use. So basically what I’ve done with these cookies is replace the canola oil with browned butter.
I mean, brown butter? Canola oil? I’m going to pick brown butter 100% of the time!!
The details are simple
As with a lot of my cookie recipes, start with browning the butter.
I like to use a medium skillet and brown both sticks of butter over medium heat. Then simply let the butter cook until it bubbles up and foams on top. This is when I turn the heat off and continue to allow the butter to cook in the pan.
Little brown bits will form on the bottom of the pan. Those are the nutty little bits that will make your recipes extra delicious. Especially with the oats. I found the pairing to be really special.
When the butter has browned, the rest goes pretty much as you would think. I don’t use a mixer for these, just a good old-fashioned spatula will do the trick. Mix the butter with brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. The only difference from my mom’s recipe is that I nixed the granulated sugar completely.
I don’t think it’s needed for sweetness and I love the flavor brown sugar adds over granulated sugar. I will say that if you love a traditional really sweet cookie, you might want to add 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. It’s up to you, but we think the cookies are sweet enough as written!
So after you’ve got your wet ingredients (+ brown sugar) together, then add the dry. Flour, oats, baking soda, and a small pinch of salt.
Mix in the chocolate chips. Or do it like me and mix chocolate chunks with chocolate chips. I usually use 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chunks and 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Either way, it will be delish!
We love a flatter cookie, so I gently press the dough balls down, then bake.
While the cookies bake, you’ll smell the wonderful scents of rich butter and vanilla. All the scents we love most. I highly recommend enjoying a cookie straight off the pan with a sprinkle of sea salt.
Holy freaking yummm! So simple, so delicious, and the classics never go out of style!
Looking for back-to-school recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Cookies n’ Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vegan Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Healthier Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 279 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter
- 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups chocolate chunks or chips
- flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. Add the butter to a skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Let cool 5 minutes or so.3. To the brown butter, mix in the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Gently fold in the chocolate. 4. Roll the dough into rounded tablespoon size balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Gently flatten the dough down. Bake 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, rotate and tap the baking sheet on the counter 1-2 times to flatten. Bake another 2-3 minutes or until the cookies are just beginning to set on the edges.5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaky salt (if desired). Eat warm (highly recommended) or let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Can you clarify step 4? What does it mean “rotate and tap the baking sheet”?
Hi Ashley,
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and tap it on the counter and then rotate it in the oven so the cookies bake evenly. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
These cookies are fabulous and so easy to make, no mixer needed. I baked for 11 minutes exactly and they turned out soft and chewy, with very little browning around the edges. Will definitely make these again!
Hi Wendy,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:)
These are soooo yummy! I did add a little cinnamon and I think next time I might add walnuts! I love the sweetness of this cookie!
Hi Kimmie,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was tasty, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:) xTieghan
Oh my goodness…these are some of the most delicious cookies I’ve ever had! The little sprinkling of sea salt is just enough to give it sweet/salty taste that my hubs loves! You rock, Tieghan! Thanks so much!
Hi Teresa,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was tasty, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:) xTieghan
Meh. Not soft.
Hi Emily,
Thanks for trying these cookies, sorry to hear that they were not enjoyed. Please let me know if I can help in any way! xx
I made these with gluten free flour and they didn’t quite flatten out but otherwise they were delicious
Hi Monica,
Thanks for trying these cookies, I’m glad to hear that they were enjoyed! Happy Thursday! xTieghan
Hello!
Great recipe, I can’t wait to make it. However, I am trying to calm down on my gluten intake, could I make these cookies with almond flour or gluten free flour?
Thank you very much.
Hi Morgane,
Sure, you could use an equal amount of gluten free flour. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I’m not sure what I did wrong… My dough was sooooo runny when I mixed it. Like, almost like a cake batter instead of cookie dough. I added an entire third cup of flour and still, it seemed soft. Do you think the butter was too hot? I know I used 2C of both flour and oats (I used 250g of flour). It doesn’t look like others had this problem. Perhaps my scale is broken! I will say that the dough tastes absolutely AMAZING. We’ll see what happens in the oven!
Came back to say these turned out really delicious. I thought they’d be way too crispy and crumbly but they’re pretty much perfect. Delish! I don’t know what I did wrong that required an additional cup of flour, but hey… I avoided disaster *this* time! :-).
So glad to hear this!! Thanks again for making the recipe:)
Renee, I made 2 batches, the first I let the butter cool first, and the dough was perfect. The second batch I didn’t let the butter cool, and the dough was really runny. I let the dough set for about 30 minutes as it cooled and thickened. Then the dough was perfect. Definitely the butter temp was your issue.
Thanks so much Wendy!!
Hi Renee,
Ohhh no! So sorry to hear this!! The butter definitely could have been too hot. Also, what kind of oats did you use? Were they old fashioned? Let me know if there was anything else you may have adjusted! xT
These cookies were really delicious! The oats gave a really nice bite to it. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Hi Sakina,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! I am so glad it was enjoyed:)
Just a clarification on the oats: The recipe clearly says “old fashioned oats.” I only had a big container of “quick oats” in my pantry because so many of my recipes use them. So I just used the quick kind and the cookies came out okay but I bet the cookie would be a lot better with the regular old fashioned oats – not the quick ones.
Thanks for trying the recipe Mary:) Yes, the quick oats will definitely give a different result than the old fashioned oats, let me know if you try the recipe using those! xx
Hello. I wanted to clarify which works better regular semi choc chips or chocolate bar broken pieces ?
Hi Josie,
I like to use chocolate bars, but it’s really just personal preference! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
I made these tonight for a couples shower and they were a hit! I made two batches. The seconds batch the butter was still pretty warm and a few of the chocolate chips melted into the batter. Holy freaking yum! Both batches were delicious.
Hi Shanna,
Fantastic!! I am so glad to hear you enjoyed these cookies, thanks for making them! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Really good ! A hit !
I only had quick oats and it was really good , i froze some and will see how it will turn out 🙂
thank u for a new family favorite !
Hi Jessica,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making these cookies, I am so glad to hear that they were enjoyed! xTieghan
This recipe was so good! I froze some of the dough. Do you have a suggestion for how long to bake from frozen?
Hi Meghan,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for sharing your review and making it! I would bake as the recipe calls for and just watch them towards the end! xxT
I’ve made very good chocolate chip cookies. This is a VER GOOD, very good chocolate chip cookie. The oatmeal gives it a heartier texture and the brown butter takes it over the top. Make sure it’s brown and not just melted. That nutter flavor makes this cookie extra decadent. I like a warm-from-the-oven cookie but I think the brown butter flavor is more prominent after the cool. This is my fourth Half-Baked Harvest recipe and I’m not stopping anytime soon. Thank you!
Hi Maren,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for sharing your review and making it! xxT
I was also looking for the nutrition info (diabetic kido). They were really good, I was distracted when making them so I think I put too much flour in but the kids still ate them, lol.
I am going to try again this weekend. I also want to try them minus the oatmeal, is there a way to adjust it.
Love the sea salt.
Thanks for always putting good stuff out there.
Hey Mary,
Happy Friday! I am so excited to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out! If you don’t want to use the oatmeal, just use this recipe and brown the butter:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/giant-chocolate-chip-cookies/
?xx