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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

old fashioned Oatmeal Cookies

Hello Lilโ€™ Luna readers! Itโ€™s me Natalie, from Life Made Simple.

Today Iโ€™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 old fashioned oatmeal cookies

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 theyโ€™re ready to be devouredโ€ฆ and trust me, they will be!

Iced oatmeal cookies recipe

Tips for Making and Storing

Can you just use oat flour? Using purely oat flour with no variety in texture wonโ€™t allow the cookies to bake properly. The powdery texture of just oat flour doesnโ€™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. 

Iced Oatmeal Cookies

For more oatmeal cookies, try:

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4.88 from 47 votes

Iced Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna
Perfectly textured with a combination of whole and blended oats, deliciously flavored with spices, and topped with a sweet icing glazeโ€”they're amazing!
Servings: 16
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes

Ingredients 

Cookie

Glaze

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mats.
  • Pour oats into a food processor and pulse about 10-12 times (you want it to be an even mix of ground and whole oats). In a medium size bowl, combine the oats, flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, whisk together.
  • 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. The dough is fairly soft so I prefer refrigerating it for 20-30 minutes before rolling, that way my hands aren’t a mess and it gives it time to rest.
  • Using a standard size cookie scoop, place balls of dough onto each sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 10-14 minutes. I prefer crisp iced oatmeal cookies so I leave mine in for the full 14.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the sheets for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Once the cookies are cool, whisk together all of the ingredients for the glaze in a small mixing bowl. Dip the tops of the cookies in and swirl to remove any excess. Allow to set for 30 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 25mg, Sodium: 114mg, Potassium: 77mg, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 190IU, Calcium: 33mg, Iron: 0.7mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

 

About Natalie

I'm the food photographer and blogger behind Life Made Simple. I'm passionate about creating from scratch family-friendly recipes ranging from healthy to decadent.

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4.88 from 47 votes (23 ratings without comment)

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83 Comments

  1. Coral says:

    3 stars
    I just baked these cookies exactly as the recipe states. They arenโ€™t flat, or crunchy, even with the full 14 minute bake time. And they also taste quite dry and crumbly. I would definitely add more butter or something to bind them better. I guess I had a completely different idea in my head about how these were supposed to turn out.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      I am sorry they were. Thank you for trying them!

  2. Megan says:

    4 stars
    I love these but for me they are a tad too nutmeg forward and thick. But I feel those are easy enough to change! Another downside for me is they dirty a lot of dishes!

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Thanks for trying them!

  3. Laura says:

    5 stars
    These were great, oatmeal cookies with a special touch. This recipe is a keeper.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Oh, I am so glad they are!! Thank you for letting me know that!

  4. JAne says:

    5 stars
    Made these cookies EXACTLY per the recipe. They are terrific. Agree with the 14 minute bake time for perfect crunch. Will make them again.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Glad you will ๐Ÿ™‚ Thank you so much for trying them!

  5. Chris popejoy says:

    5 stars
    I made these last night and WOW! These are moist, just the right amount of spice and that icing just toos it off. My husband and his bandmates raved about them! Thank you for the rEcipe. They will be made over and over ?

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      That makes my day! Thank you so much for letting me know!

  6. Stacie Myers says:

    5 stars
    These were AMAZING!!! I am making a Double batch today!

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Yay!! Glad you think so ๐Ÿ™‚ Thank you so much!

  7. Chery says:

    My cookies are in the oven. I hope they tUrn out well. Your vanilla for the icing was written in twice. I Am only going to put in one 1/4 tsp in. I hope It works out. Ill let you know.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Yes, sorry, just once ๐Ÿ™‚ Thank you for letting me know!

  8. Megan says:

    4 stars
    The Cookies are yummY! The only Difference i can tell was that mine were not pretty and flat like the ones pictured. They were more if a mound and fluffy. I followed the recipe to a T so im not sure what i did differently/wrong. Still taste gReat though! They taste great with butterscotch chips also!

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Glad they tasted great & butterscotch chips would be great! It’s so hard to know about flat cookies, especially when following the recipe.

  9. Robin says:

    Hi! Id like to verify a measurement. In the recipe it states 1/2 tbs of baking powder. Usually it would be listed as 1 1/2 tsp so just wanted to verify. The recipe lOoks great!

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      It is 1/2 T ๐Ÿ™‚ Hope you like them!

  10. LIsa saksa says:

    Can I use dark brown sugar instead of light?

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      I personally have not, but you sure could.