Iced Oatmeal Cookies | The Recipe Critic

November 20, 2023

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Perfect for the holidays, these iced oatmeal cookies are soft, moist, and packed with cinnamon and nutmeg for cozy spiced flavor. Topped with a layer of homemade icing, you’ll love every bite!

Oatmeal cookies are so underrated. Their nutty flavor and texture is the best! Try these oatmeal raisin cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or banana oatmeal cookies next!

6 cookies stacked on top of each other. Some are broken in half.

I’ve got the scoop on a cookie recipe that’s super simple but will have everyone raving. With this recipe for iced oatmeal cookies, you take a classic spiced oatmeal cookie and slather it with a sweetened icing for the ultimate indulgence. No need to be a pro baker, just grab some oats, a few kitchen basics, and let the magic happen.

Now, let’s talk flavor. These iced oatmeal cookies are soft, chewy, and have a bit of spice – thanks to cinnamon, nutmeg, and a touch of molasses. But here’s the real magic: the icing. Two cups of powdered sugar and a splash of milk, and you’ve got a glaze that turns these cookies into sweet perfection. It’s the kind of treat that looks fancy but is a breeze to make. Perfect for all of your holiday parties this season!

Ingredient List

Time to raid your pantry, because the ingredients for these iced oatmeal cookies are extremely simple! Just another reason why this recipe is one of my go-to desserts. (Exact measurements are in the recipe card below.)

Old-Fashioned Oats: Gives a hearty texture to the cookies.
All-Purpose Flour: The main ingredient for the cookie dough.
Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Make the cookies rise nicely. These also add extra fluffiness to the cookies.
Salt: Enhances the overall flavor.
Ground Cinnamon and Nutmeg: Bring warm, cozy vibes to the taste.
Unsalted Butter: Adds richness to the cookie dough. Salted will also work, just adjust the amount of added salt you use.
Dark Brown Sugar: Gives a deep, caramel-like sweetness.
Granulated Sugar: Adds a classic sweetness.
Eggs: Bind everything together in the dough.
Molasses: Adds a unique, rich flavor.
Vanilla Extract: Enhances the overall taste of the iced oatmeal cookies.

For the Icing:

Milk: Achieves the right consistency for the icing.
Powdered Sugar: Forms a sweet glaze on top. It’s so delicious and what makes this recipe so great!! The cherry on top to make a tasty oatmeal cookie recipe even better.

4-photo collage of the dough being prepared.

How to Make Oatmeal Cookies With Icing

Iced oatmeal cookies are perfect for the holidays, but so good you’ll want them year-round. Soft and delicious and filled with warm spices, here’s how to whip up a batch:

Blend Oats: Add the oats to a blender or food processor and pulse 5-6 times. Be careful not to over-blend the oats! You should have a mix of fine and larger pieces.
Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the pulsed oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, molasses, and vanilla and mix until combined.
Combine: Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for an hour.

Baking the Cookies and Mixing Up the Glaze

Preheat Oven, Prepare Pan: When the dough is nearly done chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Bake: Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between them. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the pan for 3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Make the Glaze: Once the cookies are completely cooled, make the glaze by whisking the milk into the powdered sugar. It should be fairly thick so it doesn’t run into the ridges and crevices of the cookie. This is what gives it that signature iced oatmeal cookie look. If the icing is too runny, add a little more powdered sugar. It should stick but not run.
Add Icing, Let it Set: Carefully dip the very tops of the cookies into the icing and shake off the excess. Don’t dip the cookies too deep, otherwise, they won’t have the right look for a classic iced oatmeal cookie. Let the icing set for an hour or two before serving.

Top-down view of iced oatmeal cookies in a pan.

Tips for the Best Iced Oatmeal Cookies

Some extra tips and tricks to keep in mind so your iced oatmeal cookies turn out perfectly:

Stick With Using Old-Fashioned Oats: Steel cut oats won’t work in this recipe as they don’t bake the same way rolled oats do. You CAN use quick oats if that’s all you have, but you should skip the step where the oats are pulsed. Quick oats are also par-cooked, so the texture of the cookies may end up a little different. If you have them available, always use old-fashioned oats in this recipe for best results.
Don’t Over-Pulse the Oats! This is really important. You don’t want to make oat flour out of them and you don’t want too many giant pieces of rolled oats. It should be just a handful of quick pulses with the blender or food processor to get a nice mixture of sizes.
Icing Consistency: Thicker is better for the icing. Not only will it set up better, but it will be less likely to fill all the little nooks and crannies on the cookie. Just a couple tablespoons of milk should be enough.
Frosting the Cookies: Don’t dip the cookies too deep in the icing. The goal is to get the icing to stick to the highest ridges of the cookie but not into the lowest grooves. I set the top of the cookie in the icing and gave it a little jiggle before lifting it straight up and gently wiping off any excess icing on the side of the bowl.

An iced oatmeal cookie, after being dipped in the glaze.

Storing Leftovers

Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Be sure the icing is fully set before stacking them, otherwise, the cookies will stick to each other.

Can Iced Oatmeal Cookies Be Frozen?

These cookies can be frozen before or after they are iced, but be aware that the icing can sometimes get soft and weep as it thaws. If you plan to freeze these cookies after they are iced, lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze them for 2-3 hours before transferring them to a freezer bag or storage container. Thaw the cookies in a single layer to avoid them sticking to each other. Frozen cookies will stay good for up to 3 months.

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Add the oats to a blender or food processor and pulse 5-6 times. Be careful not to over-blend the oats! You should have a mix of fine and larger pieces.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the pulsed oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, molasses, and vanilla and mix until combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for an hour.
When the dough is nearly done chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between them. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the pan for 3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Once the cookies are completely cooled, make the glaze by whisking the milk into the powdered sugar. It should be fairly thick so it doesn’t run into the ridges and crevices of the cookie. This is what gives it that signature iced oatmeal cookie look. If the icing is too runny, add a little more powdered sugar. It should stick but not run.
Carefully dip the very tops of the cookies into the icing and shake off the excess. Don’t dip the cookies too deep, otherwise, they won’t have the right look for a classic iced oatmeal cookie. Let the icing set for an hour or two before serving.

Calories: 242kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 3gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 105mgPotassium: 96mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 259IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg

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

This story originally appeared on TheRecipeCritic

Iced Oatmeal Cookies | The Recipe Critic