This recipe is one I've had for years, but I often forget about it because it gets lost amidst all the other oatmeal cookie recipes out there. I call these Chewy Honey Oatmeal Cookies because they are big, flat, chewy and have a bit of a honey flavor.
A Mixture of Butter and Oil
I originally made these with a mixture of butter and shortening, but lately I've been using high heat liquid oils like grapeseed and sunflower. Since they're somewhat more appealing than shortening, I changed the recipe and love the new texture. The oil makes the edges crunchy and chewy at the same time.
Sweetness Level
Chewy Honey Oatmeal Cookies are fairly sweet, but part of the great texture comes from all the sugar and of course the honey, so in my opinion the best way to cut the sweetness is by adding nuts. I always make these with pecans or walnuts. For the fruit I prefer them with raisins, but dried cranberries work too. White chips might be are good, but chocolate chips would be weird unless you like the combo of chocolate and honey.
Chewy Honey Oatmeal Cookies are bake sale size and perfect for packaging individually. They (usually!) fit snugly in 4x6 size self sealing bags and loosely in the 5x7 inch self sealing bags. The drawback is that the recipe only makes 12 large cookies. I've never doubled it, so feel free to try. But first see if you like the cookies! You may think they are quite terrible -- or maybe not salty enough, and that is perfectly okay.
Honey Oatmeal Cookies Dough
The cookies in the top photo are today's batch. I only chilled the dough (photo below) for about 2 hours.
Oil Version
I've added some new photos since the cookie recipe now calls for oil. The cookies are darker, which makes them more appealing.
If you do plan to try these, here are some notes on ingredients.
Ingredient Notes
- Whole Wheat Flour -- I usually use Pillsbury brand, but King Arthur might work even better in these because it's dry and absorbent.
- All-Purpose -- King Arthur AP
- Grapeseed Oil -- I love baking with it because it has a neutral flavor. Feel free to substitute a different oil. Freshly opened is the best since oil absorbs flavors from the air.
- Brown Sugar -- light, with a weight of 150 grams total
- Sugar -- half cup or 100 grams.
- Honey -- I use 40 grams. Might be fun to try with a specialty or local honey.
- Egg -- I plan on making these with aquafaba at some point, but right now I just use 1 egg.
Recipe
Honey Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour (100 grams)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (100 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (114 grams)
- 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil or fresh sunflower seed oil (30 grams)
- ¾ cup brown sugar, lightly packed (150 grams)
- ½ cup sugar (100 grams)
- 2 tablespoons honey (40 grams)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extra
- 1 large egg
- 1 ⅓ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup raisins or more to taste
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- ⅓ cup white chips (optional)
- Maldon salt (flaked salt, sea salt)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, grapeseed oil, sugar, honey, and vanilla until light and creamy, then add the egg and beat just until blended.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until blended, then add the oats, raisins and nuts.
- Using a ¼ cup measure or large cookie scoop, scoop up dough and shape into mounds. Press tops down flat. Arrange dough on dinner plates, then cover and chill for one hour or until ready to bake. The longer the better.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Arrange 3 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets and sprinkle tops with sea salt.
- Bake one sheet at a time for about 15 minutes or longer if making cookies larger. They should become very brown in the oven, so be sure to bake all the way through. Slide the parchment paper off the tray and onto the counter. Let cool on the parchment until the cookies are stable enough to lift, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- These cookies are supposed to bake up dark, but not burnt. If your cookies are burning or browning too quickly around the edges, try baking at 350F. If you are concerned, you can bake a test cookie at 375F.
Anna says
Thanks Lisa! Let me know if you get a chance to try the recipe.
Sonya says
Yummy!!
Lisa A Langston says
Oh my word, these cookies are a think of beauty!!! When I see a new cookie recipe from you I get excited because I know it is going to be a winner!!! Thank you!!
Sue says
An oatmeal cookie with honey sounds like a winner!