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Kids Oatmeal–Chocolate Chip Cookies

By America's Test Kitchen Kids

Published on January 20, 2023

Time

40 minutes, plus cooling time

Yield

Makes 12 cookies

What Kids Are Saying

"It was a delicious cookie and I REALLY LOVED IT! It wasn't too hard to make it either." —Emma, recipe tester, age 10

Kids Oatmeal–Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

½ cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon baking soda ½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) light brown sugar ¼ cup vegetable oil 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 large egg ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1½ cups (4½ ounces/128 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats ¼ cup (1½ ounces/43 grams) chocolate chips

Before You Begin

Not all brands of rolled oats are the same—­some are denser than others (they weigh more). For these cookies, we had the best luck using Quaker old-­fashioned rolled oats. (We found that cookies made with Bob’s Red Mill old-­fashioned rolled oats spread out a bit more in the oven.) Don’t use quick, instant, or extra-­thick rolled oats in this recipe.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda.
  3. In large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, oil, melted butter, and cinnamon. Add egg and vanilla and whisk until mixture is smooth.
  4. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and use rubber spatula to stir until fully combined, about 1 minute. Add oats and chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed.
  5. Use 1-­tablespoon measuring spoon to drop dough onto parchment-­lined baking sheet in 12 mounds (about 2 heaping tablespoons each). Leave space between mounds. Wet your hand lightly, then use your damp hand to gently flatten each mound into 2-­inch-­wide circle.
  6. Place baking sheet in oven. Bake cookies until edges are set and lightly browned but centers are still soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
  7. Use oven mitts to remove baking sheet from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes.
  8. Use spatula to transfer cookies directly to cooling rack and let cool completely, about 15 minutes. Serve.
Kids Oatmeal–Chocolate Chip Cookies
Photography by Daniel J. van Ackere. Styling by Kendra Smith.

Kids Oatmeal–Chocolate Chip Cookies

Save

Time

40 minutes, plus cooling time

Yield

Makes 12 cookies

What Kids Are Saying

"It was a delicious cookie and I REALLY LOVED IT! It wasn't too hard to make it either." —Emma, recipe tester, age 10

Ingredients

½ cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) light brown sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups (4½ ounces/128 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup (1½ ounces/43 grams) chocolate chips

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

½ cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) light brown sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups (4½ ounces/128 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup (1½ ounces/43 grams) chocolate chips

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

½ cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) light brown sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups (4½ ounces/128 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup (1½ ounces/43 grams) chocolate chips

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

These cookies put a chocolaty spin on classic oatmeal cookies. Plus, they're easy to make (no mixer required!) and ready to eat—or pack in a lunchbox—in an hour. As kids help prepare the ingredients for the cookies, they can practice using a digital kitchen scale (if you have one) to weigh out the flour, light brown sugar, old-fashioned rolled oats, and chocolate chips. Weighing ingredients is easier, and often more accurate, than using measuring cups. Have kids turn on the scale and place a bowl on the scale. Then press the “tare” button to zero out the weight (that means the weight of the bowl won’t be included). They can slowly add their ingredient to the bowl until they reach the desired weight in ounces.

Before You Begin

Not all brands of rolled oats are the same—­some are denser than others (they weigh more). For these cookies, we had the best luck using Quaker old-­fashioned rolled oats. (We found that cookies made with Bob’s Red Mill old-­fashioned rolled oats spread out a bit more in the oven.) Don’t use quick, instant, or extra-­thick rolled oats in this recipe.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda.
  3. In large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, oil, melted butter, and cinnamon. Add egg and vanilla and whisk until mixture is smooth.
  4. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and use rubber spatula to stir until fully combined, about 1 minute. Add oats and chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed.
  5. Use 1-­tablespoon measuring spoon to drop dough onto parchment-­lined baking sheet in 12 mounds (about 2 heaping tablespoons each). Leave space between mounds. Wet your hand lightly, then use your damp hand to gently flatten each mound into 2-­inch-­wide circle.
  6. Place baking sheet in oven. Bake cookies until edges are set and lightly browned but centers are still soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
  7. Use oven mitts to remove baking sheet from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes.
  8. Use spatula to transfer cookies directly to cooling rack and let cool completely, about 15 minutes. Serve.

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