These old-fashioned iced oatmeal cookies are soft and chewy in the middle and irresistibly crunchy at the edges, packed with brown sugar and cozy cinnamon. The sweet vanilla icing sets quickly and takes these classic oatmeal cookies over the top!
You can’t beat a classic cookie recipe. Try my easy sugar cookies, pinwheel cookies, and soft molasses cookies next.
These iced oatmeal cookies are old-fashioned in the best possible way, with buttery middles and crispy edges. They’re filled with warm spice and hearty oats, which I pulse a few times in the food processor to give the finished cookies a perfect, uniform texture and chewiness. The cookies are topped with a light coating of creamy icing that sets in about 30 minutes, so they’re ready for storing and gifting in no time!
What Makes These Iced Oatmeal Cookies So Good
- The perfect texture. Pulsing the oats is my secret to the BEST oatmeal cookies with a texture that’s compact, not crumbly.
- Minimal chilling. The cookie dough needs just 30 minutes in the fridge before baking. The result is soft-baked cookies that won’t overspread.
- Dipped in sweet icing. The contrast of a chewy oatmeal cookie and creamy vanilla icing is a classic combination, and so satisfying. The icing sets quickly, so you can stack the cookies or pack them into gift boxes.
Ingredient Notes
Here are notes on the key ingredients in this classic iced oatmeal cookie recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for the full ingredients list and amounts.
- Old-fashioned Oats – See photos for the ideal texture. You want a mixture of equal parts whole oats and fine oat flour.
- Spices – Cinnamon and nutmeg. You could also use a blend, like pumpkin pie spice.
- Brown Sugar – I tested with light and dark brown sugar, and they had the same results. The cookies with dark brown sugar had a richer flavor, which I prefer. It’s not a huge difference.
- Eggs – Since the dough will be chilled, cold or room temperature eggs will work.
- Milk – I used whole milk for the icing, but any type of milk will work.
How to Make Iced Oatmeal Cookies
Grinding the oats gives these cookies a uniform texture and even more oats in every bite. You will need to chill the dough, but only for 30 minutes (which is pretty quick by cookie standards!).
- Grind up the oats. First, pulse the oats in a food processor until you have a mix of whole oats and fine crumbs. This gives the oatmeal cookies the best texture!
- Make the cookie dough. Next, combine the oats with the rest of the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, cream the sugars and butter together, followed by the eggs and vanilla. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients to make a thick, sticky dough.
- Chill the dough. Place the oatmeal cookie dough in the fridge to chill for 30-45 minutes.
- Prepare to bake. While the dough chills, take out three cookie sheets and line them with parchment paper. Set these aside and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Scoop the dough. Using a medium cookie scoop, portion the chilled cookie dough into balls and drop them onto your prepared baking sheets. Leave about 2 inches in between each cookie to account for spreading.
- Bake. Bake the cookies at 350ºF, one sheet at a time, for 14-16 minutes per batch. Once all the cookies are baked, let them cool to room temperature before you ice them.
Add the Icing
Made with only three ingredients, this oatmeal cookie icing is similar to my easy sugar cookie icing and the glaze you’ll find on cinnamon roll casserole. Dipping the cookies is a quick way to ensure they’re evenly covered.
- Mix the icing. Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl and whisk in the vanilla and milk to make a smooth, thick icing.
- Dip the cookies. Lightly dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the icing, then set the cookies on a wire rack while the icing sets. After 30 minutes, your cookies are ready to eat or store!
Recipe Tips
- Make more or fewer cookies. I use a medium cookie scoop; if yours is a different size, you may end up with a different number of cookies.
- Don’t overbake. For a chewy texture, these oatmeal cookies should be just browned at the edges and puffed in the middle when they come out of the oven. The cookies will settle and set up as they cool.
- For a thinner icing, add an extra tablespoon of milk. For a thicker icing, add an extra tablespoon of powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.
- Let the cookies cool. The cookies need to cool completely before you dip them in the icing. Otherwise, it’ll melt off.
Storage Instructions
- Store the cookies before adding the icing. The plain oatmeal cookies can be stored airtight on the counter for up to 3 days. Otherwise, since the icing contains milk, store the iced oatmeal cookies in the fridge.
- Freeze. You can freeze the oatmeal cookies before icing. Store them airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before adding the icing.
More Oatmeal Cookie Recipes
Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chill Time: 40
- Cook Time: 14-16 minutes per batch
- Total Time: 1 hour 38 minutes
- Yield: 30 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These old-fashioned iced oatmeal cookies are soft, chewy, and crispy at the edges, packed with brown sugar and cozy cinnamon. They’re topped with a light vanilla glaze and so delicious!
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 2 cups (200 grams) old-fashioned oats
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (3.75g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5g) cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (160 grams) light or dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (95 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing:
- 2 cups (260g) powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) milk
Instructions
Cookies:
- Pour the oats into a food processor and pulse until the texture is mixed with fine crumbs and whole oats for the best texture in the cookies.
- Whisk the ground oats with flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the sugars and butter together until fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract. Gradually add the dry ingredients until everything is combined and the batter is thick, tacky, and sticky. Chill the dough for 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 3 cookie or baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop out 1 ½ tablespoons of cookie dough and drop them on the cookie sheets about 2 inches apart (12 cookies per sheet),
- Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, for 14-16 minutes or until they are brown around the edges and puffed up in the middle. Let the cookies cool to room temperature.
Icing:
- Stir the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk together in a small bowl until the icing is smooth and thick.
- Lightly dip the tops of the cookies in the icing and let them rest on a cooling rack until the icing sets, about 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Storage: You can store the cookies on the counter before adding the icing. Because the icing contains milk, you’ll want to keep the cookies in the fridge; otherwise, you can store them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Using a cookie scoop of a different size may yield a different number of cookies.
- For a thinner icing for the drizzle, add an extra tablespoon of milk. For a thicker icing, add an extra tablespoon of powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie
- Calories: 177
- Sugar: 16.1 g
- Sodium: 66.4 mg
- Fat: 6.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Fiber: 0.9 g
- Protein: 2.2 g
- Cholesterol: 28.7 mg
