4 Ingredient, 15 Minute Oatmeal Cookies

4 Ingredient 15 Minute Classic Oatmeal Cookies

How loved are classic Oatmeal Cookies in your house?

Oatmeal cookies were a regular homemade treat in our house growing up! My mom had this big book of 1000 cookie recipes and only made one out of it- oatmeal cookies! haha

We tried other recipes in there, but none were quite as good.  After years and years of making the recipe, she tweaked and altered it until it was just perfect. 

The original had too much butter (is that even a thing?!) and would cause the cookies to spread into a big mess on the baking sheet! The egg whites were just slightly beaten, but we realized if we whipped them more, they would hold the cookies together better.

The recipe is one that everyone loves and my favorite part is that it is ready with basic ingredients that I always have on hand.  Not to mention they are ready in 15 minutes tops. 

So easy, and so delicious.  Whenever I get a craving for oatmeal cookies, I come back to this recipe.  I never try anything new!

4 Ingredient 15 Minute Classic Oatmeal Cookies

What’s your favorite type of Oatmeal Cookie?

I especially love them when they’ve cooled down and the caramelized edges are a bit crunchy.  The insides always stay soft and chewy and they are sooooo good!

As a little girl, we’d always make a big batch of these and take them with us on road trips.  They keep perfectly well in a Ziploc for days (if they last that long!)

I shared a picture of them on my instagram today and so many of you asked for the recipe, so I decided to hop on here and share! Hope you all enjoy them!

4 Ingredient 15 Minute Classic Oatmeal Cookies

Flavor adjustments & Add ins for the BEST Oatmeal Cookies…

I love making a good cookie even better! And although this cookie is absolutely perfect as it is, there is always room for a little extra perfect. Am I right?

Okay so for adjustments… if you want these cookies to have an even richer caramel flavor, brown the butter. It takes a little longer, but it’s so worth it!

To brown butter:

If you have a light colored pan, you’re going to want to use it! It’ll help you see when the butter is turning golden.

Slice your butter in thin pieces and spread them in the pan so they melt at the same time. Simmer on low heat and stir often with a wooden spoon.

You want to keep an even heat on it until it browns without it burning. Believe me, you’ll KNOW if you’ve burnt it. You’ll smell it. Gross.

Keep stirring until the butter turns golden brown, usually about 5 minutes or so for one stick. Once it has turned brown, remove from heat immediately.

At that point, add in the oats and brown sugar, stirring until the butter has incorporated with it all. You can then place it back on the heat to cook with the oats and sugar for a little longer as the recipe says.

The reason you want to remove it from the heat is because you’ll burn the butter if you keep it over the heat while mixing the oats and sugar in. You want it to stop cooking by adding the room temperature ingredients.

It’s a little more tedious, and totally not necessary. But think of it as a little splurge when you have the time.

4 Ingredient 15 Minute Classic Oatmeal Cookies

Add ins:

Well, everyone on Pinterest has been posting the pics of their cookies with add-ins and I can’t get enough! The most popular are:

~raisins

~chocolate chips (my favorite!)

~Nuts (pecans are my favorite kind, but walnuts, chopped almonds or macadamias work well too!).

~M&Ms

~cranberries (this is a nice festive touch during the holidays)

~dates

~sprinkle of cinnamon

The options for add-ins are endless. If you come up with something else, let me know in the comments below. I’d love to try it next time!

4 Ingredient 15 Minute Classic Oatmeal Cookies

If you make this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram or hashtag #toeatdrinkandbemarried.  I’d love to see what you make! ?

 

4 Ingredient 15 Minute Classic Oatmeal Cookies

15 minute Oatmeal Cookies

4.58 from 7 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 cups quick cooking oats
  • 2 large egg whites

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the brown sugar and oats, stirring and cooking for about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit.
  • With a KitchenAid or hand mixer, beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry.  Add to cooled saucepan with oats mixture and stir until combined.
  • Using a mini cookie (or ice cream) scoop, place cookies about 2 inches apart on baking sheet.  Do not flatten, they will flatten themselves in the oven.
  • Bake for 7-10 minutes or until edges are light brown.  Remove from oven and allow them to settle a bit before transfering to wire rack to cool completely (if you remove them too early, they might fall apart).

 

If you enjoyed these cookies, you’re going to love these:

Gooey Brownie Cookies

Vegan Snickerdoodle Cookies

Vegan Snickerdoodle Cookies

The perfect single serving deep dish chocolate chip cookie around!

Single Serving Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie

Mom’s 4 Ingredient, 15 Minute Oatmeal Cookies

43 thoughts on “4 Ingredient, 15 Minute Oatmeal Cookies”

  1. simplyshannonagins

    OBSESSED with simple recipes like this! So fun and easy to make! And they look incredible! You could even eat these for breakfast!

  2. I have all these ingredients already at home! Saving this to make this weekend! They look delicious and I loved the story about how you and your mom personalized the recipe!

    1. Yes! I have tried them separately or for a monster cookie, both in them ;) Usually about 1/2 to 1 cup total is good. Depends on how much you prefer :)

      1. I’ve tried it with white sugar and it just doesn’t melt the same way. I haven’t tried any other, but if you do, please report back and let me know :)

  3. I have a similar recipe–butter, oats, sugar, flour, and milk. I love that yours doesn’t use flour. Can’t wait to try it.

  4. Thanks for your quick, easy-to-make recipe! I enjoy oats daily for breakfast. It’s also a healthy and nutritious alternative to many foods.

  5. I think these are the “perfect” oatmeal cookie. Healthy ingredients and crunchy! Even on my restricted diet I can have them…my husband said they’re the best baked thing I ever made, so thank you! :)

  6. These are SO GOOD. I love that it’s a super short ingredient list, and I am amazed no leavener is required. They are chewy and buttery, and you can really taste the oats. I added 1 c of raisins, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to the melted butter and brown sugar.

    What was the original cookbook that this recipe originated from? I am super curious!

    Thank you for sharing a fantastic recipe!

  7. 4 stars
    Just made these and they’re pretty good for a quickly snack. Let the butter mixture cool at least 2 minutes with no heat! Then add stiff egg whites and stir until completely incorporated. Let stand several minutes, until you can make balls with a small scoop. Lightly press dough to flatten the top only. Bake 8 minutes , cool on parchment paper used to bake them.

  8. 3 stars
    Any tips for keeping them crispy? Mine are crispy when they cool, but the next day (in airtight container) they’re soft and sticky. Still taste good, but I prefer the crispness.

    I’ve also started making them with half the sugar. They don’t spread as much, but taste much better!

  9. 5 stars
    Had all ingredients on hand! It was quick and simple, I added unsweetened coconut flakes in mine They ate in the oven now and smell wonderful!
    Thank you for the simple recipe!

  10. 5 stars
    Just made these for my boyfriend and I. It was super easy and quick to make ! I added raisins into mine and they look amazing. Can’t wait to taste it once they cool down :)

  11. 5 stars
    I was 1/2 cup short of oatmeal but still followed the recipe and cooked it about 5 more minutes and they came out perfect! My new favorite cookie!

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