How to make old-fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies! These cookies are densely packed with chewy pulverized oats and then dipped in a shiny vanilla frosting. Recipe includes a how-to video at the bottom of the post!
I’ve already shared quite a few oatmeal cookies: my soft, bakery-style oatmeal cookies, an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe, and my popular no-bake cookies! Today I’m sharing a fun, old-fashioned, frosted favorite!
Hello and Happy Monday! I’m back in cold and snowy Pennsylvania after spending the weekend in 75 degree Florida (and Disney!) with my family.
Returning to icy weather isn’t exactly my idea of the best way to start off the week, but at least we have Iced Oatmeal Cookies, right?
With firm exteriors and chewy centers, these cookies aren’t as soft as some of my other favorites, but they were specifically designed to have this firm but chewy texture. These are fun and beautiful cookies (can cookies be beautiful? these are to me), so let’s get started!
Tips for Making Iced Oatmeal Cookies
Start with melted butter, but let it cool!
Using melted butter is one of my favorite techniques when making cookie recipes. It imparts a chewy texture and excellent flavor. However, let the butter cool until it’s near room temperature before adding your sugars. It should still be liquid (not re-solidified) but if the butter is hot it will melt your sugars, leaving you with a greasy and unusable dough.
You will need a food processor for this recipe
To give these iced oatmeal cookies that dense, chewy texture, I found the best method was to briefly pulse the oats in a food processor. You don’t get the same results using instant oats, so I do recommend starting with old fashioned oats and pulsing them. This is the food processor I use and love (affiliate).
Your dough will be crumbly once you add your oats
This is OK and the dough is supposed to be this way! Because of this, though, you will want to use your hands to work the dough together and roll it into smooth balls (for neat, uniform-looking iced oatmeal cookies).
It’s also very important (with all cookies, but especially these) that you do not over-measure your flour or you’ll end up with dry, crumbly cookies. I’ve included notes in the recipe below on how to properly measure your flour: stir, spoon, and level, never scoop your flour!
Oatmeal Cookie Icing
The frosting that I used for these iced oatmeal cookies is essentially the same as my sugar cookie icing. I absolutely love this recipe because 1) it’s not royal icing, which I don’t care for, 2) it’s simple to make –essentially foolproof, and 3) it dries shiny and hard on your cookies.
It does use light corn syrup (this is what helps give these cookies their beautiful shiny finish), but I’ve learned that not everyone keeps corn syrup on hand or loves using it (which I thinks comes from a misunderstanding… corn syrup is not the same as high fructose corn syrup). I tested the icing without and found that it will work if you leave out the syrup. However, you won’t get the signature shine and the icing doesn’t seem to set up quite as firmly as it does with the corn syrup.
When made as directed, iced oatmeal cookies will take several hours at room temperature for the frosting to set completely and for the cookies to be stackable without messing up the icing.
Enjoy!
Other Recipes You Might Like:
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookie Bars
- Oatmeal Muffins
- White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Iced Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled 10 minutes (226g)
- 1 cup dark brown sugar tightly packed (200g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cup all-purpose flour (250g*)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats (190g)
ICING
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (190g)
- 1 ½ -2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 Tablespoons light corn syrup**
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine melted, cooled butter and sugars and stir until well-combined.
- Add egg yolks and vanilla extract and stir well. Set aside.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet until completely combined.
- Now you'll need to prepare your oats. Add old fashioned oats to the basin of a food processor and pulse briefly (7-10 times, don't over-do it or you'll end up with oat flour!)
- Stir your oats into your cookie dough until well incorporated.
- Scoop dough by heaping 2 teaspoon-sized scoops and gently roll between your palms to form a smooth round ball (dough may be crumbly). Place cookie dough at least 2" apart on baking sheet and use your fingers to gently press down on each cookie to lightly flatten.
- Bake on 350F (175C) for 12 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before covering with icing.
TO MAKE ICING
- Combine powdered sugar, 1 ½ Tablespoons milk, corn syrup, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Whisk until well-combined, if frosting is too thick, add more milk as needed. The frosting has reached the correct consistency when you lift up the spoon and it drizzles a thin ribbon of icing back into the bowl, that should hold its shape for just a second before dissolving back into the rest of the icing (see my video below for a visual).
- To dip cookies, grip cookie by the base and dip just the surface of each cookie into the frosting. Pull straight out and place dipped cookie icing-side-up on a cooling rack to set. It will take several hours at room temperature for the icing to set completely and for the cookies to be stackable.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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Buddy
Made these over the Holidays and they turned out very well. Everyone should remember to go buy a new box of baking soda & baking powder before starting your baking – it makes a big difference. Mine said I had a couple of more years before it expired, but having the freshest ingredients produced the best results. Fantastic recipe and I love reading your tips as well.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed them, Buddy! And yes, you’re absolutely right. Bad leavening agents can make or break your baked goods!
Robin
Can you freeze these cookies UNBAKED in balls and then bake later???
Sam
Hi Robin! That should work just fine. 🙂
C
The cookies turned out so good! My sister didn’t like them, but that’s because of her texture problem but everyone else did! I ate most of them since I was hogging them though lol. And the icing on top was just soooo good.
Symone symone
Hello, I’m interested in using this recipe! But I was wondering will it make a difference if I used 1 egg + 1 egg yolk? And could I add a pinch a cinnamon and nutmeg?
Sam
Hi Symone! They will turn out if you use 1 egg and 1 egg yolk but they won’t turn out exactly like they should. The cinnamon and nutmeg shouldn’t cause any issues. 🙂
Mary
Really, really good. Again. This time I added finely chopped raisins. Yum.
Mary Ellen O
You are an excellent cook. Your recipes never disappoint me , Many thanks,
Mary ellen O
Lauri
Could you provide the model number of your food processor? The link you provided did not take me to the processor pictured. I looked through Amazon’s processor and did not see 1 like yours. I really like that your lid can be stored upside down so the unit can be stored in a shorter space.
Sam
Hi Lauri! I’m sorry about that, I added the link in the recipe card under the Equipment section, but here is the (correct) food processor link again. hope that helps!
Aaron on Vashon
Hi Sam! I’m a long time fan of yours and really enjoy your recipes. These cookies are absolutely amazing and I keep them in my regular cycle. My daughter helped me roll these babies and even suggested way more cinnamon to which I totally agreed. No. Regrets. Dump that cinnamon in people!!
Sam
Thank you so much, Aaron! I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much. 🙂
Tammy
The first of your recipes that I have tried. I followed the directions exactly. They were they delicious and beautiful! I really enjoyed making them!
Jewel Brown
I brush the icing on with a pastry brush. It works better for me. Great cookie! I eat way too many.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Great tip! Enjoy the cookies, Jewel ❤️
JoElle
So glad I decided to give these a try! I was on board until I saw that I had to dig out my food processor just to pulse some oatmeal, but it was well worth the effort. I had all of the ingredients on hand, and the icing is very similar to what I use for sugar cookies since I hate working with royal icing. I’m anxious to check out some of your other recipes.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, JoElle! I hope you love everything you try! 🙂
Aleta M hancock
Hi i was wonderering if these cookies can be frozen since its two weeks till christmas?
Thank you Aleta
Sam
Hi Aleta! While I haven’t frozen them myself, I think they should freeze just fine. 🙂
Deb
I only had quick oats and they turned out fine. I processed them a little less because they are already thinner and more processed than the old-fashioned kind. They still had a great texture and shape. This was my first ever batch of oatmeal cookies!
Sam
So happy to hear they turned out so well, Deb!! <3
Pez
Do you think it would be ok to substitute the old fashioned oats with quick cooking oats? The oats always turn out to hard to chew for me. Thanks!
Sam
I haven’t tried it, but it should work. I’m not sure the texture is going to change much since they get blended in the food processor.
Jo
I’m in the UK and we dont have corn syrup, what can I use in place of this?
Thank you
Sam
You can make it without the corn syrup, your frosting just won’t be quite as shiny and won’t set up quite as hard. Enjoy! 🙂
Cindy Huff
I used 1/4 cup less and used a gluten free flour blend. I added a cup of minced raisins and mixed everything in my mixer high speed. Raisins got gooey but I was able to get it mixed in. So delicious I want to open a gluten-free bakery! Thank you! Hardest part is waiting for icing to harden and cool on cookies.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Cindy! Thank you for your feedback using gluten free. 🙂