Favorite Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

A straightforward oatmeal cookie that does exactly what the name promises: chew. Equal parts brown and white sugar combined with shortening create a cookie that stays soft and bendable days after baking, not crispy and crumbly like butter-based versions.

Shortening is the key to the chewy texture. It has a higher melting point than butter, so the cookies spread less during baking and hold more moisture. Butter makes crispier cookies. Shortening makes chewy ones. That’s the trade-off, and this recipe picks the chewy side on purpose.

Three cups of quick-cooking oats to just 1 ½ cups of flour means you taste oats in every bite, not just flour with oat flakes scattered in. Quick oats absorb moisture faster than old-fashioned, which helps the cookies set without drying out.

Kitchen Tips

• Cream the shortening and sugars thoroughly until light and fluffy. This step incorporates air and is what makes the cookies tender rather than dense.
• Drop by rounded spoonfuls and leave space between cookies. They spread as the shortening melts.
• Pull at 10 minutes for softer, chewier cookies. At 12 minutes they’ll have firmer edges but still be soft in the middle.
• Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring. They’re too soft to move when hot.

Variations

• Add raisins, chocolate chips, or chopped walnuts to the dough for a loaded version.
• Swap half the white sugar for more brown sugar for extra chewiness and molasses depth.
• Use butter instead of shortening for a crispier, more flavorful (but less chewy) cookie.