High Altitude Oatmeal Cookies Recipe – Soft & Chewy

Make these delicious chewy oatmeal cookies to satisfy your cookie fix. This classic cookie is a perfect symphony of molasses-infused sweetness from the brown sugar and the hearty, chewy wholesome from the oats in every delectable bite. Enjoy the perfect oatmeal cookie even with high-altitude baking every time with this great recipe.

Try out these other High Altitude Cookie Recipes: Chocolate Crinkles, Snickerdoodle, Peanut Butter Blossoms, perfect No Bake Cookie with peanut butter and chocolate, Christmas Sugar Cookie with Icing, peanut butter  Monster Cookies, and classic Chocolate Chip.

This High Altitude OATMEAL Cookie recipe is made at 8,000 feet elevation. To adjust the recipe for other elevations check out High Altitude Baking Adjustments.

This oatmeal cookie recipe is my FAVORITE cookie dough, like hands down! I love it so much that sometimes the first batch of these delicious cookies never actually make it into the oven (oops!).

Baking cookies at high altitude

I live at 8,000 feet of elevation and I tried my original oatmeal cookie recipe from Illinois (where I grew up) and it resulted in flat, crispy, and lacy cookies from not enough flour.

I played around with the amount of flour to figure out how to get the perfect chewy cookie and got good results. Now I’m convinced this is the best oatmeal cookies recipe for all the high altitude bakers out there.

Recommended tools:

• Baking sheet – I use AirBake baking sheets for even bake on all my cookies
• Large bowl – I like to use this glass mixing bowl set for all of my baking. But if you prefer to use an electric mixer, no worries, this recipe fits great in a standard bowl of a stand mixer.
• Fork – I might be a little old fashioned but I think a fork and a bowl work just fine for mixing up these delicious cookies. Plus I think it helps to get the perfect texture of the cookie dough and prevents overmixing. But feel free to use a hand mixer or whatever you prefer.
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Medium cookie scoop – I think this is the perfect size and creates a uniform cookie
• Parchment paper or silicone baking mat – these are optional but I always use a baking mat to ensure good results when I take my cookies off the baking sheet pan

High Altitude Oatmeal Cookie ingredients:

• Butter – use softened unsalted butter to make sure there isn’t too much salt in the cookies
• Brown sugar – the key to measuring brown sugar is to firmly pack it into the measuring cup. I typically use light brown sugar but dark brown sugar can be used to increase rich molasses flavor.
• White sugar – only a small amount is needed to add the perfect kiss of sweetness
• Large egg & water – helps hold all the ingredients together
• Vanilla extract – adds just a hint of extra flavor to the cookies
• Flour – use all purpose flour for this recipe
• Baking soda – the perfect amount of leavening for high altitude baking
• Salt – don’t skip the salt! Salt helps enhance the other flavors
• Oats – this recipe calls for quick oats. Old fashioned oats can be used but the baking time may need to be increased slightly

See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

How to make High Altitude Oatmeal Cookies:

1. Mix ingredients

Preheat the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Mix together the softened butter, brown sugar, white sugar, egg, water, and vanilla extra till the mixture is creamy. Then mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt until a dough forms. Add in the quick oats and mix it all together.

2. Baking time

Use a medium cookie scoop and put the cookie dough on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes for softer cookies. Increase the bake time to 14 minutes for crispier cookies.

Remove the cookies from the baking sheet when they are golden brown and baked to perfection (depending on your liking) and place them on a wire rack to cool.

TIP: do not place cookie dough on a hot cookie sheet as this will cause the cookie dough to start cooking before placing it in the oven

4. Enjoy!

Ingredient substitutions & variations:

High Altitude Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

What’s better than soft and chewy oatmeal cookies? Soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies! Add 1 cup of dark chocolate, white chocolate chips, or semisweet chocolate chips.

High Altitude Oatmeal Raison Cookies

Oatmeal raisin cookies are not my favorite but my mom thinks this is the best oatmeal raisin cookie recipe out there. Add 1 cup of sweet raisins.

High Altitude Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

Add 1 cup of butterscotch chips

High Altitude Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Elevate the richness of the oatmeal cookie with brown butter. Learn how to make brown butter with this easy recipe.

High Altitude Iced Oatmeal Cookies

Drizzle homemade icing over the cookies for the perfect iced oatmeal cookies. Mix 3/4 cup powdered sugar, a splash of vanilla extract, and 1/2 – 1 tablespoon of milk.

High Altitude Oatmeal Cream Pies

Add homemade cream to these already amazing cookies for a little nostalgic reminder of eating Little Debbie’s as a kid.

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter -softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream or half and half

Mix butter on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. Turn the speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar until it is completely incorporated. Add in the vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Mix for another 3-5 minutes on medium-high speed. If needed, add the additional tablespoon of heavy cream until the right consistency is reached.

Oatmeal cookies recipe without butter:

For an oatmeal cookies recipe without butter, use this recipe and replace the butter with 3/4 cup shortening.

FAQs:

Can you freeze oatmeal cookies?

Yes, oatmeal cookies can be stored in the freezer to enjoy delicious cookies later. Allow the cookies to cool to room temperature then place in an airtight container or freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Can you use quick oats for oatmeal cookies?

Yes, quick oats should be used in oatmeal cookies. Quick oats allow for a shorter baking time and softer cookie.

How to tell when oatmeal cookies are done:

Oatmeal cookies will turn golden brown and start to set around the edges when the cookie is done baking. For a softer cookie, remove from the oven when the edge is set and the middle is still soft. For a crispier cookie, remove from the oven when the edge and middle are set.

Other high altitude recipes:

High Altitude Breakfast Recipes

• Blueberry Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping
• Blueberry Muffins
• Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
• Cinnamon Rolls
• Waffles with Dairy Free Option
• Easy Crepes with Dairy Free Option
• Fluffy Pancakes
• Dutch Baby Pancake

High Altitude Bread Recipes

• Cornbread
• No-Knead Artisan Bread
• Fail-Proof Flaky Biscuits
• Soft & Fluffy Dinner Rolls
• Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping
• Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips
• Banana Bread

High Altitude Dessert Recipes

• Blueberry Pie with Frozen Berries
• Pumpkin Pie
• Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
• Fresh Peach Pie
• Apple Pie with Cream
• Fresh Strawberry Pie – No Bake
• Pecan Pie
• Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Texas Sheet Cake with Frosting
• Chocolate Fudge Cake
• Oreo Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache

If you make these delicious High Altitude Oatmeal Cookies leave a comment below and let me know how they turned out. If you have any questions, post them below and I would love to help you out.