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Old Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies are a nostalgic cookie recipe! Perfectly textured with a combination of whole and blended oats, deliciously flavored with spices, and topped with a sweet icing glaze!
There are certain dessert recipes that bring back old memories, and this is one of them. I also remember my mom and grandma making Popcorn Balls, and especially Lemon Bars all the time when I was growing up.
old fashioned Oatmeal Cookies
Hello Lil’ Luna readers! It’s me Natalie, from Life Made Simple.
Today I’m sharing these old fashioned iced oatmeal cookies. They taste a lot like my mother’s classic oatmeal cookies, only 100x better! Growing up my mom always made us oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, so naturally I love any cookie with a good amount of oatmeal in them.
A few months ago I even went a little crazy and made some oatmeal cookies with rice krispies in them (which were awesome by the way)! However, I’ve always loved those iced oatmeal cookies, so I decided to try making them myself.
I couldn’t believe how easy it was and how incredibly yummy they were! This recipe is definitely a keeper, one you’re going to want to make time and time again!
How to Make iced oatmeal cookies
There’s only one small catch to this cookie recipe. Don’t worry, it’s just a small step in the process that makes the oats the PERFECT texture.
PULSE OATS. You’re going to need a food processor or blender to grind up some old-fashioned oats. It’s almost like we’re making a combo of oat flour and rolled oats. Just pour them in and pulse or grind 10-12 times. That’s it!
DOUGH. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugars and vanilla extract together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on high speed. With mixing speed on low, add the egg and mix until incorporated. Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
Note: When you have your dough mixed up it’ll be pretty soft and sticky. You might want to let it rest in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes or so, that way your hands don’t get messy and the oats have a little time to absorb some moisture.
BAKE. Use a standard size cookie scoop to place them on lined sheets and bake them anywhere from 10-15 minutes. If you like softer oatmeal cookies stick to 10-11 minutes, if you’re like me and like crispy ones, go 14-15 minutes!
GLAZE. Mix the icing ingredients together while the cookies are cooling. Once they’re cooled, dip each cookie top down into the glaze and let it harden.
Once the glaze hardens they’re ready to be devoured… and trust me, they will be!
Tips for Making and Storing
Can you just use oat flour? Using purely oat flour with no variety in texture won’t allow the cookies to bake properly. The powdery texture of just oat flour doesn’t give the cookies the bite or correct texture it needs.
Why do you dip the cookie in icing instead of frost? When you dip them in the glaze, you allow it to get into the little nooks and crannies of the cookies. So overall, it just gives it more of the old fashioned look.
You can store these on the counter in an air-tight container. Separate the layers with parchment or wax paper.
If you want to freeze the dough, make sure to portion and roll them into balls before freezing. Line them on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer safe container.
For more oatmeal cookies, try:
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
- Chocolate Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookies
Iced Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Cookie
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour and 2 tbsp
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 8 tbsp butter softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add the old-fashioned oats to a food processor or blender and pulse until you have a mix of finely ground oats and small oat pieces. About 10 to 12 pulses should do it, but go by texture rather than the exact number. Do not process into a fine oat flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the pulsed oats, flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the egg on low speed until combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough for 20 to 30 minutes. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky, and chilling gives the oats time to absorb moisture while helping the cookies spread less in the oven.
- Scoop the dough into 1½-tablespoon portions and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake closer to 10 to 11 minutes for softer cookies and 14 to 15 minutes for a crisper cookie. The edges should look set and lightly golden while the centers still look slightly soft. The cookies will continue to set as they cool.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth. The glaze should be thick enough to coat the tops of the cookies without running into every crevice. If it is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. If it is too thick, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time.
- Dip just the tops of the completely cooled cookies into the glaze, then lift straight up and let the excess drip off. Leave some of the craggy oatmeal texture showing through for that classic iced oatmeal cookie look.
- Let the glazed cookies sit uncovered until the icing is firm. Give them at least 30 minutes before serving and longer before stacking or packaging.
Nutrition
Just made these cookies. Yummy!!! I also thought the amount for the baking powder might be wrong. Second batch, I scooped dough but then flattened them with a pancake flipper because old fashioned oatmeal cookies were always pretty flat. Second batch I added raisins that I soaked in brandy first.
The recipe is a very- nice texture. I haven’t iced them yet and they are disappearing!
Thank you!
Sounds like both batches were a hit! Thanks for leaving such a nice comment.
Made these yesterday and love them! Definitely prefer them baked a bit longer for the crisp factor! Light, airy, crispy and delicious! I used coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar, giving a bit of depth.. they were good without the glaze, adding some glaze brought them to the next level!
I’m glad you loved them! Thank you for commenting on your process.
My cookies tasted good but were not flat like yours. Could it be too much baking soda like someone else suggested? I’m going to try again with 1/2 tsp instead of 1/2 tbls. Loved the small batch though! It’s great for just me and my husband.
Could be! Perhaps the flour measurements were a little off too. More flour can result in a less flat cookie too. Thanks for giving the recipe a try!! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Can you add a “print recipe” button so (1) I can mail this to my grandma (lol) and also and more importantly (2) I can quick find the button to see it cleanly & with no ads yay! It’s my cheat on other websites & would really help yours (straight imo!). Thank you so much! Have a great weekend.
Hey Ashley! The print button is so handy, isn’t it? If you click on “jump to recipe” it will take you down to the recipe card. There is a printer icon at the top of that recipe card. If you tap/click on that, it will take you to the printer friendly page. Hope that helps!!
The recipe says that this makes 16 servings. Is a serving one cookie, or 2? I needed 2 dozen cookies, so I wasn’t sure if one recipe would be enough.
I have lost count of how many times I have made these cookies- they are SO good- definitely a holiday staple now, my family request them every year! Thank you so much for sharing these!
You’re welcome! So glad to hear they are a hit!
First time I’ve used this recipe and they are so good! Will definitely make them again.
So happy to hear that! Glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Is the correct measurement for baking powder 1/2 Tablespoon, or should it be 1/2 teaspoon?
These were delicious. Perfect balance of salty and sweet. Moist and tender. It has k you!
These cookies have become a go to for me! They always turn out so good and always a crowd pleaser!