These Iced Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies are soft, chewy, and perfectly spiced. They’ve got all the warm flavors of gingerbread, paired with hearty oats, and a sweet icing glaze on top. Even my picky 5 year old loves them, and I know you will too. Every bite is filled with the perfect flavor of the holidays that we all crave.
These cookies combine some of my favorite cookies into one amazing cookie. They’re like Ginger Molasses Cookies meet my Oatmeal Cream Cookie with icing on top . They’re like a holiday version of iced oatmeal cookies, think the ones from the store, but soft, and chewy, and even better tasting, if I do say so myself.
They’re a little hearty, soft and chewy, with the best balance of warm spices. The molasses gives them the best deep, gingerbread flavor, paired with warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. They’re good with or without the icing, but I recommend it for the final finishing touch.
Why You’ll Love These
- Nostalgic Flavors: Warm ginger, cinnamon and molasses paired with hearty oats, makes every bite of these cookies taste like the holidays.
- Soft and Chewy Texture: The oats give these an extra hearty chew, that makes the cookies extra satisfying. They’ve got slightly crisp edges, with soft and chewy centers, for a perfect cookie texture.
- Great for Sharing: These cookies are great for your next cookie exchange, holiday party, or your cookie trays. Try something new this year that everyone will love, paired with some classics like Peanut Butter Blossoms, M&M Christmas Cookies, and Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies, and your holiday cookie planning is done.
Ingredients Needed
This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookie Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- Old Fashioned Oats: For these I like to start with Old Fashioned Oats and quickly pulse them a few times to give the cookies their perfect chewy texture.
- Unsalted Butter: Gives the cookies a nice flavor, and soft texture
- Brown Sugar + Granulated Sugar: We use more brown sugar than granulated to keep the cookies extra chewy, and give them that extra molasses flavor
- Egg: Helps bind everything together
- Molasses: Use a dark unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap molasses or it will be bitter and too overpowering.
- Vanilla Extract: Just a little pure vanilla extract for flavor.
- All Purpose Flour: Enough to hold everything together.
- Baking Soda: Gives the cookies the perfect amount of lift to make them soft
- Spices: Ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg are the perfect blend of warm spices. Add extra ginger if you want your cookies a little spicier.
- Salt: Enhances all the flavors
How to make Oatmeal Gingerbread Cookies
Step 1: Pulse the Oats. Add the oats to a food processor or blender and pulse a few times until you have a variety of texture, some more broken up, and some full sized pieces.
Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients. Add the oats, flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cloves to a medium bowl, and whisk them together.
Step 3: Mix the Wet Ingredients. In another bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for a couple minutes until smooth. Add in the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract and stir together until combined.
Step 4: Make the Dough. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently stir together until you have a thick, and soft cookie dough. If your dough is extra sticky you made need to chill it for 30 minutes to 1 hour. (I sometimes chill them, and sometimes bake them right away).
Step 5: Bake the Cookies. Scoop the cookie dough into 1.5 to 2 TBS sized portions. Roll them into balls and place them about 3 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Bake until the edges are set and the tops are crinkly. Let the cookies cool completely.
Step 6: Add the Icing. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. It should be thick. Carefully dip the tops of the cookies into the icing, dipping only partially to get the craggy look. You can also dip them more, spoon, or drizzle the icing on top depending which you prefer.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t Overbake: You want the cookies to be lightly browned on the edges, and still soft (and maybe looking partially undercooked) in the centers. They’ll keep cooking and firm up as they cool.
- For Thicker Cookies: If you want thicker cookies you can chill the dough. The longer you chill, the thicker the cookies should get. I usually can bake them right away, or chill for about 30 minutes. But you can chill them up to overnight.
Storage Instructions
The cookies can be stored for up to 5 or 6 days. The cookies will get a little softer over time, and lose their crispy edges, but they are still delicious. Not that they’ll likely last that long, you’ll want to eat them all first.
The cookies can also be frozen, with or without the icing for up to 3 months. Place them on a lined cookie sheet for about 1 hour in the freezer, or until solid. Then you can transfer them to a freezer safe ziplock bag or other freezer safe container and freeze. Let them thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
These Iced Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies are such a nice festive cookie, with the warm flavors of ginger cookies, and the chewy texture of oatmeal cookies. They’re easy to make, and ready in less than an hour, with the perfect amount of spice and sweetness.
More Holiday Cookies
If you try these Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies, please leave a 🌟 rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Iced Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
For the Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies:
- 2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
- 1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
- 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 cup Molasses
- 1 large Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Vanilla Icing:
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 2-3 TBS Whole Milk
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
For the Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and set it aside.
- Add the oats to a food processor or blender, and pulse 6 to 7 times, until you have a variety of texture. 2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
- Add the dry ingredients; oats, flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, cloves, and nutmeg to a medium bowl and whisk them together until combined. Set the bowl aside. 1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour, 2 tsp Ground Ginger, 1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon, 1 tsp Baking Soda, 1/2 tsp Salt, 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves, 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
- Cream together your butter and sugars for a couple minutes until light and creamy. 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter, 1 cup Brown Sugar, 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- Add in the molasses, egg, and vanilla, and stir until just combined. 1/4 cup Molasses, 1 large Egg, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until combined and you have a thick, soft, and sticky cookie dough.
- Scoop the dough into 1.5 to 2 TBS sized portions and roll into balls. Place them 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges are set and the tops are crinkly.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Vanilla Icing:
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl until combined. 2 cups Powdered Sugar, 2-3 TBS Whole Milk, 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Carefully dip the tops of the cookies into the icing, not dipping them very deep, so you keep the rough looking tops. Let the icing set for a couple hours until solid, then enjoy.
Notes
- Don’t Overbake: You want the cookies to be lightly browned on the edges, and still soft (and maybe looking partially undercooked) in the centers. They’ll keep cooking and firm up as they cool.
- For Thicker Cookies: If you want thicker cookies you can chill the dough. The longer you chill, the thicker the cookies should get. I usually can bake them right away, or chill for about 30 minutes. But you can chill them up to overnight.
Nutrition
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