This Small Batch Oatmeal Cookie delivers chewy, chocolatey cookies with crisp edges, satisfying your cookie cravings without leaving dozens of cookies leftover!
Try these other two small batch cookie recipes next: Single Serve Chocolate Chip Cookie and Single Serve Double Chocolate Cookie.
Why A Small Batch Oatmeal Cookies?
If you’re anything like me, there are days when you need an oatmeal cookie, but you don’t want 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. That’s why small batches are perfect!
They’re quicker to make too, without needing a stand mixer or long chilling times—I just mix everything in my cereal bowl like my favorite edible cookie dough! This recipe yields three large cookies that bake with crispy, sugary edges and soft, chewy centers filled with melty chocolate chips.
Quick Tip
If you ever need a big batch, try these classic Oatmeal Cookies or these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Those are my favorite recipes for larger batches.
Ingredients
- Good Quality Chocolate Chips: I recommend using either Ghirardelli® or Guittard® chocolate chips for the best flavor in these cookies.
- Soft Brown Sugar: Make sure the brown sugar is fresh and soft to blend well into the dough. Avoid using dark brown sugar, as it has too much moisture and will cause the cookies to spread too much.
- Butter: Use real butter instead of margarine or substitutes. If you’re using salted butter, leave out any extra salt in the recipe. If using unsalted butter, add a heaping 1/8 teaspoon of salt to the dough.
- Fresh Baking Soda: It’s important to use fresh (and clump-free) baking soda to ensure proper rise. Here’s how to test the baking agents for freshness.
- Old-Fashioned Oats: Stick with old-fashioned oats. Avoid using steel-cut oats, which won’t soften right, or quick oats, which act like flour and will deliver drier, more cake-like cookies.
- Egg Yolk: This recipe requires one large egg yolk. Save the egg white for another use such as an omelet, adding to this egg skillet, or in an easy egg wrap.
Small Batch Oatmeal Cookies FAQs
My number one tip for keeping them that way is this: Do not over-bake. Over-baked cookies lose their texture, chewiness, and much of their flavor.
This recipe is made with old-fashioned oats. Quick oats absorb more moisture and can make the cookies too dry.
Yes, feel free to add up to 2 tablespoons of chopped nuts or dried fruits like raisins or cranberries.
Cookies spread too much when butter is too hot, not mixed well with sugars, or there’s not enough flour. If cookies don’t spread enough, it’s usually due to too much flour or inactive baking soda.
The cookies are done when the edges are set and lightly browned, but the center is still soft. They will continue to firm up as they cool.
Tips For Small Batch Oatmeal Cookies:
- Whisk Well: Mix the butter and sugars thoroughly until the mixture is light and creamy. This helps make your cookies light and fluffy.
- Chill the Dough: Putting the dough in the freezer for 5-10 minutes helps the cookies keep their shape and enhances their flavor!
- Adjust for Your Oven: Since ovens can be different, start checking your cookies a little early to make sure they don’t overcook.
- Use Parchment Paper: Cover your baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat to keep cookies from sticking and to bake them evenly.
- Shape Your Cookies: After baking, if the edges spread out, gently push them in with a metal spatula (see process photo number 8).
- Cool Properly: Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes after taking them out of the oven. They keep cooking a bit from the heat!
- Add More Chocolate Chips on Top: Adding extra chocolate chips on top is optional, but it makes the cookies look nicer and ensures you get chocolate in every bite!
Storage
These cookies are best when they’re warm, right out of the oven!
For leftovers, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temp. If you have unbaked dough, keep it in an airtight container in the freezer and bake it directly from the freezer when you’re ready.
More Cookie Recipes
- Snickerdoodle Cookies these soft and chewy cookies are a reader favorite
- Oatmeal Creme Pie with a creme filling inside
- Peanut Butter Cookies dipped in chocolate
- Funfetti Cookies with bright and colorful sprinkles
- DoubleTree Cookies hotel recipe copycat
Small Batch Oatmeal Cookies
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled, see note 1
- 2 tablespoons soft light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk no whites, see note 2
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 heaping teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats see note 3
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips milk, semi-sweet, white, or dark
- Maldon sea salt flakes for topping, optional
Instructions
- Use exact measurements and level off the tops of measuring cups/spoons for best results.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Add butter to a ceramic/porcelain bowl and microwave until just melted but not hot. Let butter and bowl fully cool to room temperature.
- To the cooled butter, add brown and granulated sugars. Stir briskly with a fork until well combined. Add the egg yolk and vanilla (if using). Continue to whisk with a fork until the mixture is emulsified and appears very creamy.
- Add baking soda, salt, oats, and, if using, cinnamon. Mix thoroughly with a fork. Add flour and chocolate chips. Continue stirring with a fork until it becomes difficult, then switch to a silicone spatula and fold until the dough is uniform without dry streaks.
- With the dough, fill up a 1/4 cup measuring cup and level off the top. Roll into a large ball. Repeat until you have three cookie dough balls. (Anything left over is your treat!)
- Place the balls on a parchment or silicone-lined sheet pan. Freeze for 5–10 minutes while the oven heats.
- Bake 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned and the tops are set but soft looking. Immediately after you pull the tray from the oven, use a flat metal spatula to press the edges of the cookies inward if needed.
- Optionally, press additional chocolate chips into the tops and sprinkle with sea salt. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before enjoying.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are delicious!! Could be a little more oatmeal-y, mine turned out more like chocolate chip cookies, but they were fantastic nevertheless!
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 🙂
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 🙂
Yay!! So glad to hear it! Thanks Molly 🙂 And thanks for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
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 🙂
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 .
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!
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 🙂
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.
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! 🙂
Haha! My sweet tooth haunts me like every ten minutes 😉
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. 🙂
Haha! It sounds like we like the same kinds of cookies – puffy and packed with chocolate 🙂 thank you!
Love the single serving recipe!!! And the cookies look great!!
Thanks Maria!