Small Batch Oatmeal Cookies

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The BEST Single Serve Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Reader said, These are the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had

This Small Batch Oatmeal Cookie recipe gives you chewy, chocolatey cookies with crisp edges to satisfy the cookie cravings without two dozen cookies left over!

Freshly baked small batch oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips scattered throughout, just out of the oven.

Small Batch Oatmeal Cookies

There are days when you need an oatmeal cookie, but you don’t need a whole batch of them. Okay, so I guess I never actually need a whole batch of cookies. But I will eat them if they are there. So small-batch sizes — that helps.

However, when you do need that big batch of cookies; you’ve got to try these plain Oatmeal Cookies or these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Those are my two favorite (full-batch) oatmeal cookie recipes.

But today, we’re talking about Small Batch Oatmeal Cookies. And this small batch of four big cookies is our absolute favorite. As they bake, these cookies spread out, giving you extra-crispy sugary edges, while the centers stay soft, chewy, and a little bit gooey; just about every single bite has pools of melty chocolate chips. Trust me when I say you’ll be glad you only have four cookies tempting you instead of two dozen! 

Wet and dry ingredients being mixed together in a bowl and then rolled into dough balls, ready to be baked.

Small Batch Oatmeal Cookie ingredient notes

  • Good quality chocolate: My favorite chocolate chips for these cookies are either Ghirardelli® or Guittard® (not sponsored).  When it comes to chocolate, quality matters. Lesser brands contain wax and additives that affect the flavor and texture.
  • Soft brown sugar: Make sure the brown sugar is soft and fresh or it won’t mix in nicely. I do not recommend dark brown sugar — it has too much moisture for these cookies and will cause them to spread too much.
  • Real butter: I don’t recommend margarine or other substitutes in this recipe. If using salted butter, don’t add any additional salt to the dough. If using unsalted butter, add 1/8 teaspoon of fine sea salt to the dough.
  • Fresh baking powder and soda. Here’s how to test the baking agents for freshness.
  • Oldfashioned oats. Stick to old-fashioned oats, not steel-cut or quick oats. Quick oats act like flour in cookie recipes, which will create drier, more cake-like cookies (not what we’re going for in this recipe!). Steel-cut oats won’t soften enough.
  • This small-batch recipe calls for one large egg yolk. Save the egg white to use in an omelet, to add to this Egg Skillet, or use in this easy Egg Wrap.

Dough balls for small batch oatmeal chocolate chip cookies on a baking sheet, followed by the cookies freshly baked and out of the oven.

QUICK TIP

What makes Oatmeal Cookies chewy? These Small Batch Oatmeal Cookies are intended to be soft and chewy. The number-one tip for keeping them that way is this: Do not overbake. Overbaked cookies lose their texture, chewiness, and a lot of flavor.

Tips

  • Do not melt the butter. While it’s a bit difficult to stir the butter and sugars, melting the butter will make these cookies flatten and burn in the oven. Take your time mixing the sugars and butter; I like to press them together against the side of the bowl with the back of the spoon until thoroughly mixed.
  • Add more chocolate chips on top. This is completely optional, but not only does it make your cookies beautiful, but it also ensures you’re getting chocolate in every single bite! Right after the cookies come out of the oven, you can press a few chips into the tops.
  • Use parchment paper or a silicone liner. Either liner prevents the bottoms of these cookies from getting too browned, which is especially important since they do flatten a lot at the edges.

Finished dessert, fresh out of the oven, golden brown with visible chocolate chips on top.

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Small Batch Oatmeal Cookies

5 from 13 votes
You won't be tempted to eat an entire batch of cookies with this recipe. Small Batch Oatmeal Cookies give you four chewy, perfect cookies to satisfy your cravings.
Freshly baked small batch oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips scattered throughout, just out of the oven.
Print Recipe

Small Batch Oatmeal Cookies

Freshly baked small batch oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips scattered throughout, just out of the oven.
5 from 13 votes
You won't be tempted to eat an entire batch of cookies with this recipe. Small Batch Oatmeal Cookies give you four chewy, perfect cookies to satisfy your cravings.
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword small batch oatmeal cookies
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 cookies
Chelsea Lords
Calories 228kcal
Cost $4.38

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 and 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature-- not melted (Note 1)
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla, optional
  • 1 large egg yolk (reserve whites for another recipe or discard)
  • 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
  • Small pinch fine sea salt
  • Small pinch ground cinnamon, optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup white all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Instructions

  • WET INGREDIENTS: Combine the brown sugar, white sugar, and room-temperature butter (not melted) in a bowl. This takes a bit of patience to mix together; press the butter into the sugars with the back of a spoon and gently mix until smooth. Add in the vanilla and egg yolk; stir to combine.
  • DRY INGREDIENTS: Stir in the oats, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Next, add the flour and chocolate chips; stir to combine.
  • FORM COOKIE BALLS: Using a cookie scoop or your hands, make four equal-sized balls of the batter (if using a scale, each ball weighs 45 grams) and place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
  • BAKE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once cookie dough has been in the freezer for 15 minutes, take the sheet pan straight from the freezer to the oven. Bake for 10-14 minutes (my oven takes exactly 12 minutes) or until lightly browned around the edges.
  • COOL: Remove from oven and let stand on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. If desired, press a few more chocolate chips into the top of the cookies as soon as they've been removed from the oven. Use a metal spatula to transfer to a cooling rack.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Butter: Do not melt the butter or the cookies will spread too much during baking.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings | Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 250IU | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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55 Comments

  1. Now you’ve ruined me for the day, Chelsea! lol. I’m really not a fan of cookies except for great homemade ones and all of yours look absolutely scrumptious! Wow – I’m going to do some baking this week. Thanks for the inspiration! (for the cookies and the upcoming extra workouts!) lo

    1. Hahaha!! You are so sweet thank you Robyn! I hope you enjoy these cookies … And those extra workouts 😉

  2. Chelsea, I have no words for this. I cannot wait to be back in my kitchen – I love single serve desserts, and I especially like oatmeal cookies. Pinning! It looks delicious !

    1. Thanks so much Mary! I love single serve desserts too that way I don’t eat the whole batch 🙂

  3. I love the oatmeal chocolate chips because they have both the chocolate flavor and the amazing oat texture. These look amazing!

  4. These cookies look SO soft and chewy, and with the perfect amount of choc chips (which are totally superior to raisins so nice call :P)—it’s a good thing this recipe is a single serving or I would find myself eating 12!

    1. They are so soft I love them! Haha and glad we are on the same page about raisins! I don’t like them in cookies at all haha

  5. I love this, Chelsea! I have serious issues with portion control, so this is such a great idea for the nights I need a cookie, but can’t be trusted with a whole batch!

    1. Haha! That is the same with me! I can’t make a whole batch of I eat it all haha! Hope you’ve had a great weekend cate!

  6. I was just thinking to myself – I need more single serve things. I can eat a dozen cookies…but I shouldn’t. LOVE this recipe!

    1. You are the master of single serving! Or small batches!! Can’t wait to try your new cinnamon roll small batch 🙂 thanks Dorothy!

  7. Oh my gosh, I LOVE this, Chelsea! There are definitely times when I’m craving something sweet but don’t need a lot. This recipe is perfect! Plus it looks like you packed a whole lot of chocolate chips in these cookies, especially in that last picture! 🙂

  8. Such a smart idea! I’m one that will eat whatever is lying around. Oh hey batch of 32 cookies I just made. Oh wow, 12 cupcakes, how you doin’?! I have no will power! This will definitely help my portion control!

  9. I love this idea! Portion control with cookies!! Its like the mug cake equivalent in cookie form…all the goodness with none of the temptation to over do. I love a puffy oatmeal cookie so these caught my eye, but it was your photo of the inside of the cookies, practically overflowing with chips, that sealed the deal. 🙂

    1. Haha! It sounds like we like the same kinds of cookies – puffy and packed with chocolate 🙂 thank you!

  10. this is portion control at its finest!! pinning for later – my sweet tooth haunts my pretty much every hour on the hour, so I’ll prob whip this up by days end! 🙂

  11. Brilliant concept!! I was planning on making some shortbread cookies tomorrow and freezing some – but let’s be honest, a frozen cookie is a great cookie!! Think I will turn to these instead.

  12. I am always craving cookies and something sweet and have no self control if a whole batch is staring at me so I love this single serving size. This looks perfectly soft and chewy – my favorite kind of cookies 🙂

  13. Okay, so this recipe is pure genius. I just pulled these babies out of the oven and they are more than what I as expecting considering the calorie count is pretty much perfect(about 230 calories per cookie with modifications). They are huge and after a good tap on the counter they are my kind of cookie. Now I have a snack to last a few days. Thank you so much!

  14. my goodness , these are amazing . sometimes I triple the recipe even though its meant to be single serve , so I have some for all of my family .

  15. Okay these are SO good! Mine were super flat b/c I microwaved the butter for a quick sec. But seriously delicious! Some of the best choc chip oatmeal cookies I’ve had! Chewy on inside, crispy on the outside! Cooked for 9 min bc I like them a little underdone 🙂

  16. 5 stars
    Okay these are SO good! Mine were super flat b/c I microwaved the butter for a quick sec. But seriously delicious! Some of the best choc chip oatmeal cookies I’ve had! Chewy on inside, crispy on the outside! Cooked for 9 min bc I like them a little underdone 🙂

  17. 5 stars
    These are delicious!! Could be a little more oatmeal-y, mine turned out more like chocolate chip cookies, but they were fantastic nevertheless!

    1. So glad to hear! Thanks for the comment Jen! And I bet you could add in another tablespoon or so of oats for the next time you try them 🙂

  18. 5 stars
    These are the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had! I’d actually love to have a full version of this recipe in addition to the single serving!

  19. This was the perfect little dessert tonight! It was so filling I could only eat one! I subbed the butter for an equal amount of coconut butter since I can’t eat dairy and they still turned out wonderfully. Thanks for the inspiration, Chelsea 🙂

    1. So happy to hear this was the perfect dessert for you! 🙂 You are so welcome, thank you for the comment!!

  20. It is delicious!!! I love the snickerdoodley taste with the cinnamon and this is just the best!💝💝

  21. 5 stars
    I made these last night and they were amazing! The absolute perfect small batch. I added some dried cranberries to mine and will try pecans or walnuts next time. This is a keeper!!

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