The only thing better than old fashioned oatmeal cookies is Old Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies! Soft, slightly chewy cookies with homey spices topped with a thin hard sweet icing. Just like you’d buy at the grocery store but always better made at home.
Oatmeal cookies are the comfort food or cookie recipes. These will remind you of your grandmother’s or mother’s iced oatmeal cookies. They are easy to make and so delicious. The icing on top of each cookie really makes them the best iced oatmeal cookies.
You’ll love the slightly chewy center and perfect texture of these iced cookies. Feel free to add raisins or make them without; these homemade cookies are delicious either way.
This easy iced oatmeal cookie recipe is a well loved nostalgic cookie recipe perfect any time of year including the holiday season.
Your cookie jar wants you to make these cookies; and your family will thank you too!
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Recipe Ingredients Notes
Old Fashioned Oats. These are also called ‘rolled oats’. They are a flat, flakey oat perfect for cookies. Regular or gluten-free old-fashioned oats or rolled oats can be used. Do not use instant oats or quick oats for this recipe.
All Purpose Flour. Regular or gluten-free measure-for-measure flour can be used. We use and recommend Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour for gluten-free baking.
Unsalted butter. Start with softened or room temperature butter.
How to make Iced Oatmeal Cookies – Step-by-Step
STEP 1. Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet (or sheets) with parchment paper (photo 1).
Using a food processor, pulse oats just a few times (photos 2-3). This is just enough to break up the texture, do not pulse it into a flour consistency.
STEP 2. Make the cookie dough
In a medium bowl, whisk together the pulsed oats, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg (photo 4). Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, using an handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until fully combined and creamy (photo 5). Add in the eggs and vanilla; mix until combined (photo 6).
Add in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until combined and a soft dough has formed (photo 7).
STEP 3. Scoop, Bake and Cool
Using a ‘medium’ cookie scoop, scoop the dough 2 tablespoons in size, and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets (photo 8). Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing from the baking sheet (they will spread and flatten while cooling) to a wire rack (photo 9). Allow to cool completely before icing.
STEP 4. Ice
In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar) with 2 tablespoons of milk (photo 10). Slowly add more milk to get the desired consistency. (If it’s thick like glue you have the right consistency; it should be a thick icing).
One by one, dip the tops of the cookies into the icing; do this very lightly (photo 11). A light dipping will allow the icing to drip into the cracks of the cookies. Another option would be to brush the icing on top with a pastry brush.
Place on a wire cooling rack until the icing sets (photo 12).
Variation
Make old fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Stir in 1 cup of raisins at the end before scooping and baking.
Expert Tips
These cookies spread just a little and come out of the oven super fluffy. Let them set on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and they will finish cooking and flatten out as they cool.
The icing is meant to mix up like a glue consistency. You want the icing to be thick so it sets and coats the cookie. A little bit of vanilla or a dash of cinnamon would be great in the icing as well.
Use a medium (aproximately 2 tablespoons) cookie scoop. Using a cookie scoop makes cookie baking faster, less messy and ensures all the cookies are the same size (so they all bake in the same amount of time). If you don’t have one make the cookies 2 tablespoons of dough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can make it up to 3 days before baking. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator (or well sealed). Bring dough to room temperature before baking.
Yes! You can freeze them iced or before icing. Ensure they have totally cooled and if iced, that the icing is fully set. Store in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
How to Store
Once the icing has set the cookies can be stored in a covered airtight container at room temperature or chilled.
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Recipe
Iced Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
- 2 cups all-purpose flour regular or gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional: 1 cup of raisins can be added
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Using a food processor, pulse oats just a few times. This is just enough to break up the texture, do not pulse it into a flour consistency.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the pulsed oats, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a hand electric mixer or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until fully combined and creamy.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla; mix until combined.
- Add in the flour mixture and mix until combined and a soft dough has formed.
- Using a ‘medium’ cookie scoop, scoop the dough 2 tablespoons in size, and place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely; they will spread and flatten while cooling.Cool completely before icing the cookies.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk. Slowly add more milk to get the desired consistency. The icing should be a thick glue-like consistency.
- One by one, dip the tops of the cookies into the icing; do this very lightly. A light dipping will allow the icing to drip into the cracks of your cookies. Another option would be to brush the icing on top with a pastry brush.
- Place face up on a wire rack until the icing has fully set.
- These can be stored in a covered container at room temperature or chilled.
Mona says
My family and friends enjoy these cookies. I modified the recipe to be gluten-free, using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-free Baking flour and Thrive Market organic gluten-free rolled oats. For the icing, I used Elmhurst Oatmilk instead of cow milk, and added 1 tsp of vanilla. The several batches that I have made were quickly consumed.
Great recipe!
Kristyn says
Nothing reminds me of childhood more than this cookie! It’s a classic & delicious cookie. It has become one of my kids’ favorite!
Kim says
We love oatmeal cookies but I’ve never thought of icing them so I had to try it out. They were perfection! My husband took some to work and said everyone loved them.