These Iced Oatmeal Cookies are reminiscent of the ones found in the cookie aisle at your local grocery store. They have soft centers with chewy edges and are finished with a thin vanilla icing. Get a tall glass of milk and indulge.

Oatmeal Cookies.

If your mom wasn’t a fan of baking cookies or simply didn’t have time when you were growing up, you probably ate quite a few of those packaged cookies from the grocery store.

When we were kids, there were two kinds of packaged store-bought oatmeal cookies. The cheapest ones, hard with the hard thin white icing on top. There were many different generic brands to choose from. Then there were the soft ones that were quite an upgrade from the hard ones and more expensive. Archway was my choice if I did eat the store-bought ones.

This cookie recipe makes a soft cookie like the Archway cookies. They’re finished with a thin white icing that sets up in about an hour, but they’re great without the icing too.

How to make this recipe

Pulsing the oats (optional)

Old fashioned whole oats are rather large. They’re also great in big chewy oatmeal cookies. However, if you’re wanting to replicate the ones you find at the grocery store, you might want to pulse them a few times. They’ll still be the old fashioned chewy oats, just smaller.

If you choose to pulse them, simply pulse them a few times, and mix them in with the other dry ingredients.

Making the cookie dough

This cookie dough is on the sticky and soft side. It’s also made with 1 cup of butter, making the dough easy to spread. Make sure to refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before scooping it onto cookie sheets. I recommend using a silicone baking mat as well to help keep the cookies from spreading too much.

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Whisk in the oats regardless of whether or not you pulsed them.  Set aside.
  • Add the butter and sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer or use a hand mixer. Beat on medium-high speed for at least two minutes, until the mixture is very creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the molasses and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for a few seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix for a few more seconds just long enough to incorporate the dry ingredients.
  • Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour. 
  • Meantime preheat oven to 350 degrees. Adjust oven rack to the middle of the oven. Line cookies sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. I use silicone mats. They aid in preventing the cookies from spreading too much.  

Baking the cookies

  • Use a medium cookie scoop, (1.5 tablespoons) and leave at least 2 to 2 1/2 inches between them. I don’t suggest placing more than 8 per cookie sheet. You can lightly spray the cookie scoop with non-stick spray to prevent the dough from sticky to it.
  • Bake the cookies for approximately 12 to 13 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and set, and the centers are slightly sticky looking. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets for about 3 minutes and transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. 

Tips for making these cookies

  • I used light brown sugar in this recipe, because that’s what I had on hand. I do recommend using dark brown sugar if you have it. You can also use light brown sugar and two tablespoons of molasses instead of one. Brown sugar contains molasses. The dark sugar contains more molasses than light brown.
  • Don’t use black strap molasses in this recipe. It’s very strong. Use unsulphured molasses, such as Grandma’s brand.
  • Make sure to chill this cookie dough or the cookies will spread into one another and be thin.
  • If you decide to chill the dough overnight, I suggest rolling the dough into balls first, then placing them in the refrigerator. If not the dough will have to sit out for awhile before it will be scoopable, and you want cold cookie dough.
  • If you want a more crispy, crunchy cookie, bake the cookies until they are a dark golden color on top.

The Icing

The icing is made of 3 simple ingredients…

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

The icing is a little thicker than glaze, therefore it qualifies as a thin icing. Make sure to sift the powdered sugar before mixing it with the milk and vanilla.

To apply the icing, simply dip the top of each cookie very quickly and lightly in the top of the icing. Don’t dunk it, just coat the top.

Allow the cookies to set for at least an hour to allow the icing to set up.

FAQ’s

Can I freeze this cookie dough?

Yes you can freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator and scoop and bake as usual. You can also scoop the dough into balls, place them on a cookie sheet and freeze, then placing them in a one gallon freezer bag. Bake them straight from the freezer.

How long will this dough keep in the refrigerator?

If wrapped tightly, the dough will keep for up to one week in the refrigerator.

How long with the baked cookies stay fresh?

The cookies will stay fresh for up to 4 days if kept in an airtight container.

If you make this recipe please rate it, and leave a comment below on how you liked it. I love hearing from you!

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Oatmeal Cookies.

Iced Oatmeal Cookies

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  • Author: Cindy @mycountrytable
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 13 minutes
  • Total Time: 28 minutes
  • Yield: 23 cookies 1x
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

These Iced Oatmeal Cookies have soft centers with chewy edges and are finished with a thin vanilla icing. Get a tall glass of milk and step back in time.

Ingredients

Units Scale

FOR THE COOKIES

  • 2 cups old-fashioned whole oats
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled
  • 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup light or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon dark molasses
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

FOR THE ICING

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

FOR THE COOKIES

  1. Pulse the oats 8 to 10 times in a blender or food processor until you can see some oat flour mixed in with the oats. (Optional) Set aside. 
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Whisk in the oats regardless of whether or not you pulsed them.  Set aside.
  3. Add the butter and sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer or use a hand mixer. Beat on medium-high speed for at least two minutes, until the mixture is very creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the molasses and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for a few seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix for a few more seconds just long enough to incorporate the dry ingredients.
  4. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour. 
  5. Meantime preheat oven to 350 degrees. Adjust oven rack to the middle of the oven. Line cookies sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. I use silicone mats. They aid in preventing the cookies from spreading too much.  
  6. Using a medium cookie scoop, (1.5 tablespoons), drop scooped cookie dough onto the cookie sheets, spacing them at least 2 or more inches apart. You can also place each dough ball in your hands and roll them into a perfect ball if you prefer. 
  7. Bake the cookies for approximately 12 to 13 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and set, and the centers are slightly sticky looking. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets for about 3 minutes and transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. 

FOR THE ICING

  1. In a small bowl or 2-cup measuring cup, whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk and the vanilla. Add the rest of the milk if needed to make the perfect medium consistency, (not as thin as a glaze). 
  2. Dip the top of each cookie in the icing, but don’t dunk it into the icing. If you want the crackly look like the store bought ones, barely dip the surface. 
  3. Allow the cookies to set for at least 1 hour for the icing to set up. 
  4. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days.