Quick Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Buttery, nutty, and chocolatey, these brown butter oatmeal cookies are a delight! Chewy in the center and crispy on the edges, and are incredibly quick and easy!

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About This Recipe

I know these aren’t the prettiest cookies out there, but the taste is truly incredible. It has everything a perfect chocolate chip cookie should have and more! The perfect brown butter oatmeal cookie is a delightful combination of nutty caramel flavors and soft, chewy texture that is sure to satisfy any cookie lover’s cravings. The nutty flavor comes from the brown butter, which is created by cooking butter until it turns a rich, golden brown color, the star of this cookie recipe. The oatmeal adds a wonderful chewy texture and a subtle nutty flavor that complements the brown butter perfectly. I also added raisins to this batch, to add a bit of tartness as well, but this is totally optional.

When it comes to ease, there’s no cookie recipe easier than this! No fancy equipment needed, nor do you have to wait for the butter to soften because we’re going to melt it anyway! Basically, just throw everything into a bowl and bake!

Why You Should Make These Cookies!

Brown butter oatmeal cookies are a delicious treat that are worth the minimal effort it takes to make them. The combination of brown butter and oatmeal creates a rich and nutty flavor that is sure to impress. Adding chocolate chips to the recipe takes these cookies to the next level, creating a perfect balance of sweetness and texture.

What You Need To Make Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Oats: Use old-fashioned rolled oats; any other type will not work for this recipe. The oats give these cookies their excellent chewiness!

Butter: this recipe requires the butter to be browned, which is very simple; just melt the butter, then let it simmer for a few minutes until it smells nutty! So no need to bring the butter to room temperature ahead of time.

Sugars: I used a combination of brown and white sugar. The brown sugar makes the cookies chewy rather than crispy, and the white sugar helps the cookies spread a bit.

Flour: Use just regular all-purpose flour for this recipe.

Slat: Using a tiny bit of salt in anything sweet really helps to bring out the flavors in the other ingredients; it does not make these cookies salty! But you could always add a sprinkle of sea salt after the cookies are baked!

Add-ins: I used chocolate chips and raisins, but you could use just one of the two or none! It’s totally up to you!

How To Make Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Step 1: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside.

Step 2: Brown the butter- melt butter in a small saucepan on high heat, then let it simmer for 5-7 minutes until it starts to smell nutty and turn brown. Don’t heat the butter longer than 7 minutes, or it will burn!

Transfer to a bowl and let it cool down for 10 minutes. Then whisk in the brown and granulated sugar until combined. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold together using a spatula.

Step 4: Once it’s almost combined, add in the chocolate chips and raisins and mix until they’re fully combined.

Step 5: Chill the dough for 10-15 minutes in the refrigerator. Although you could bake these cookies without chilling the dough, the 10 extra minutes in the fridge make it way easier to scoop later.

Step 6: Using a cookie scoop ( I used a 2 tbsp. cookie scoop), scoop the cookie dough onto a parchment-lined baking tray with at least 2 inches/ 5 cm of space between them. Press down the cookie dough a bit to flatten it (NOT TOO MUCH!) and add on some more chocolate chips, this is optional.

Bake at 180 °C / 350 °F for 12-15 minutes, turn the trays around at 7 minutes for a more even bake. Once baked, let the cookies cool completely on the tray before moving them! All you have to do now is dig in!

Storing/Freezing The Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Store the baked brown butter oatmeal cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

To freeze the cookie dough: scoop the cookie dough onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper and freeze for 2 hours. Then transfer the frozen cookie dough balls into a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and bake as usual.

To freeze baked cookies: wrap the baked brown butter oatmeal cookies in a layer of aluminum foil, then store in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and microwave for 30 seconds to warm up the cookie if you’d like.

Pro Tips

When browning the butter, it’s important to be patient; do not leave it unattended, because when the butter does start to brown, it does very quickly, so it can burn easily.
Don’t overbake the cookies. When the cook time is over, the cookies will look undone; that’s exactly how they should look. The cookies will finish cooking while they sit on the baking tray for a few minutes.
Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much or too little flour will change the texture of the cookies dramatically. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off using the back of the spoon
Top the warm baked cookies with some flaky sea salt for an extra kick of flavor!
Want pools of melted chocolate in your cookies? Use chopped chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips; a 100g bar should be enough.
If you have a convection oven (oven with a fan setting), reduce the temperature by 20 degrees.
Is chocolate not your thing? Ditch the chocolate chips and add in raisins, chopped nuts, or nothing at all!

FAQ’s

Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time?

Yes, you can make the cookie dough 2-3 days ahead, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until you’re ready to use it. It might be a little hard when it comes out of the fridge, so let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften it up a bit. Then shape and bake them the same way.

Do I have to wait for the brown butter to cool down before adding the rest of the ingredients?

Yes, this step is crucial. I found that using hot brown butter makes the cookies too crispy and causes the cookies to spread too much. So don’t skip this step.

Do I have to add both chocolate chips and raisins?

Definitely not, you could add either or even none and keep your brown butter oatmeal cookies plain. Or add in nuts like chopped almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.

Check out my YouTube Channel for more delicious recipe tutorials! Made one of my recipes? Tag me on Instagram, I would love to see your creations!

Recipe Card

Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Buttery, nutty and chocolatey these brown butter oatmeal cookies are a delight! Chewy in the center and crispy on the edges and are incredibly quick and easy!

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 12 min

Chill Time: 20 min

Total Time: 42 min

Course: Dessert/Snacks

Servings: 16 cookies

Calories: 242kcal

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Ingredients

10 tbsp. unsalted butter (150g)
3/4 cup brown sugar (156g), tightly packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar (50g)
1 large egg, room temp.
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour (120g)
1 1/2 cup rolled oats, not quick or steel cut
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips (100g)
1/4 cup raisins, optional

Instructions

In a small saucepan melt the butter on medium-high flame, let it simmer for 5-7 minutes until it starts to smell nutty and turns brown. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Set aside to cool down for 10 minutes.
In a separate medium sized bowl, combine the all purpose flour, rolled oats, baking soda and salt. Set it aside.
Into the cooled brown butter add in the brown sugar and granulated sugar, whisk until combined. Add in the gg and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined.
Dump in the fry ingredients and fold together using a spatula until almost combined.
Lastly add int he chocolate chips and raisins and fold until fully combined. Cover and chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
Once the dough has been chilling for 5 minutes, preheat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F for 10 minutes.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough on to the lined trays at least 2″/5cm apart. Press them down slightly using your fingers and add on some more chocolate chips.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Let the cookies cool completely before moving them. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 241.7kcal

Total Fat: 10.47g

Carbs: 28.86g

Sugars: 16.15g

Protein: 2.76g

Sodium: 132.33mg

Fiber: 1.53g

** 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. **