Equipment
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 150 g old-fashioned rolled oats
- 160 g all-purpose flour
- 10 g cornstarch
- 4 g baking soda
- 3 g ground cinnamon
- 3 g salt
Wet Ingredients
- 115 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 150 g dark brown sugar, packed
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 5 ml vanilla extract
Glossy White Icing
- 120 g confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 15 ml whole milk
- 2 ml vanilla extract
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 158 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- 26 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
- Sugar
- 18 g
- Sodium
- 137 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 3 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Cholesterol
- 24 mg
- Potassium
- 36 mg
- Calcium
- 25 mg
- Iron
- 0.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 3 mg
- Phosphorus
- 18 mg
- Zinc
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 50 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.01 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.02 mg
- Niacin
- 0.1 mg
- Folate
- 4 mcg
- Water
- 5 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, old-fashioned rolled oats, cornstarch, ground cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the cold cubed butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 3 minutes until combined but not overly fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until just incorporated.
Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients. Fold with a rubber spatula until the oats are evenly distributed and no dry flour remains visible.
Using a cookie scoop, portion the dough into rustic, craggy mounds about 45g each onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Do not roll them smooth in your hands. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
Bake the chilled cookie mounds for 9 to 11 minutes. The exteriors should look golden and crusty, while the centers will still seem slightly underbaked and gooey. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
While the cookies cool, prepare the icing in a small bowl. Whisk together the sifted confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth, thick, and glossy.
Once the cookies are completely cool, dip the tops into the icing or generously drizzle it over the craggy surfaces. Let the icing set for 15 minutes before serving.
Chef's Notes
- Leaving the scooped dough rough and unrolled is the absolute secret to achieving the signature craggy texture.
- Using cold, cubed butter rather than softened butter prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven, encouraging a thick, crusty exterior.
- Adding cornstarch acts as a binder for the moisture, ensuring the center stays pleasantly gooey even when the outside gets a satisfying crunch.
- Higher baking heat (190C/375F) shocks the exterior of the dough to set quickly, locking the moisture inside.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Store in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze unbaked dough mounds or uniced baked cookies.
Troubleshooting
Cookies spread flat and lost their craggy texture
Cause: Dough was too warm or was rolled too smoothly by hand
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked
Prevention: Ensure butter is cold, chill dough for the full 30 minutes, and leave mounds rough and rustic when scooping
Icing runs off the cookies entirely
Cause: Cookies were still warm or the icing was too thin
Fix: Whisk 15g to 30g more confectioners' sugar into the icing to thicken it
Prevention: Wait until cookies are fully cooled. Add more confectioners' sugar if icing is runny.
Cultural Context
Oatmeal cookies have been a wholesome staple of American baking since the late 1800s. Elevating them with a glossy confectioners' sugar icing and a high-contrast crusty-to-gooey texture transforms them from a humble snack into a festive, holiday-worthy confection heavily featured during Thanksgiving and Christmas dessert spreads.
