What is it about grandmas that make them all such great bakers? I don’t know, but what I do know is that my grandmother, Ethel Eynard, made the best thin and crispy oatmeal raisin cookies I ever had. These days I love to make them myself and want to share her recipe with all of you.
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What do grandma’s old fashioned oatmeal cookies taste like?
Forget those thick and cake-like store-bought oatmeal cookies and enjoy these super-thin ones that really let the taste of roasted oats come through. The optional raisins add a burst of tartness and a bit of chewy goodness to these crunchy treats.
Why this is the best recipe for grandma’s oatmeal cookies
These hardy homemade oatmeal cookies are ideal for dunking and make the perfect afternoon snack for your grandkids or yourself!
Ingredients for oatmeal cookies
To bake these homemade oatmeal cookies, you will need:
- White flour
- Brown sugar
- White sugar
- Large Egg
- Water
- Baking powder
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Shortening or butter
- Rolled oats
- Raisins (optional)
Ingredient notes
Most people find traditional rolled oats make the best oatmeal for these cookies, but you can use quick oats instead. Stay away from instant oatmeal because of its powdery consistency.
Fans of pinhead oats, commonly known as Irish oatmeal, can use them in this recipe but expect an extra crunchy cookie.
Ingredient substitutions and variations
Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies come out on the crisper side, but for those who like their cookies even crunchier, try making one or more of these changes to the recipe.
- Leave out the egg. Eggs steam while they cook and produce a puffier cookie.
- Replace the shortening with an equal amount of butter. Using butter lets the cookie spread out more while baking.
- Use a higher ratio of white sugar to brown sugar for a crispier, darker cookie. Try using three-quarters of a cup of white sugar and a quarter cup of brown sugar.
- Use other dried fruit instead of raisins. Although raisins are optional in this recipe, oatmeal cookies can really benefit from adding something extra to the dough. Most other dried fruits work well if you don’t want to use raisins. Dried cranberries and cherries are particularly good.
- Use chocolate chips instead of raisins. A classic combination!
- Iced Oatmeal Cookies. Everything is better with icing. A drizzle of powdered sugar icing makes these thin and crispy oatmeal cookies extra special!
- Nuts – you could add about 1/2 to 1 cup of nuts like walnuts, or pecans for additional crunch.
How to make grandma’s old fashioned oatmeal cookies
To bake these simple oatmeal raisin cookies, follow these steps:
- Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in the bowl of a stand mixer. If you aren’t using a stand mixer, the stiffness of the dough will require a powerful hand mixer or a strong arm.
- Mix on medium with a bowl scraper or paddle attachment and add the white and brown sugars along with the shortening.
- Pour in the wet ingredients a little at a time, and mix until smooth.
- Add the oats and raisins or other add-ins (if using) and mix until evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
- Scrape off the paddle attachment and the sides of the bowl.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for about an hour for the best results. Resting the dough in the refrigerator will help the oats soften and allow the flavors to incorporate better. Just be sure to bring the cookie dough back to room temperature before baking.
- Use a spoon to scoop walnut-sized balls onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
- Bake at 350°F for about 10 to 12 minutes when the oven comes to temperature. Let the cookies cool slightly on a wire rack to crisp up before serving.
What goes well with thin and crispy oatmeal raisin cookies
No matter how old you are, a tall, cold glass of milk is the perfect pairing for these classic oatmeal cookies. Tea and coffee come in a close second. Here are a few suggestions:
How to store grandma’s oatmeal cookies
Moisture is the enemy of these oatmeal cookies, so if you plan on storing them for only a few days, put them in a tightly sealed container on your counter.
Freeze these cookies for up to three months. Stack them between sheets of wax paper in a freezer-safe hard-sided container with a good lid.
I hope you give this recipe a try, this is one of the best oatmeal cookie recipes I have ever tried.
Love oatmeal? Try these recipes!
Easy Cookie Recipes
- Almond Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
- Coconut Macaroons with Condensed Milk
- Cream Cheese Cookies
- Gingersnap Cookies
- Haystacks
- Pecan Sandies
Check out more of my simple cookie recipes and family favorite recipes here on CopyKat!
This recipe is from my grandmother, Ethel Eynard. Jefferson City, MO.
Grandma’s Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup shortening or butter
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup raisins if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and soda together in bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients except for oats and raisins. Beat until smooth.
- Mix in oats and raisins and drop dough onto cookie sheets.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.
Tastes just like mom’s
Easy and good tasting.
I am so glad you shared this as my mom made oatmeal cookies when i was a kid and they never had cinnamon in them. Now the recipes I found all added cinnamon and even claimed to be the original on the Quaker Oat box and I was sure that was not accurate. Thisrecipe sounds like what I recall.I will soon try it out.
I hope you give these a try. I know they are a favorite at my house.
I made these cookies as written, using butter per Stephanie Manley’s addendum. I used a #50 scoop and got 47 – 3 inch cookies. To be sure I got flatter cookies, I pressed them down a bit before baking and at the 5 minute mark, slapped the pan against the oven shelf. I did this a second time at the 10 minute mark. It was necessary to bake them a total of 15 minutes to achieve the desired golden brown color. When the cookies cooled, they were crisp and tasty.
Is there something that can be substituted for the shortening?
You can use butter.
My family loves oatmeal cookies! These were really good!