Apple Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal Cookies

Why you’ll love this recipe:

My husband loves anything with oats, from crisps and crumbles to cookies, muffins, and oatmeal. So when he brought home a ginormous box of instant oatmeal packets, I did what any avid baker would do, I transformed them into apple cinnamon oatmeal cookies!

• Perfectly dense, soft, buttery, and chewy
• Bursting with apple cinnamon flavor
• A great way to use leftover instant oatmeal packets
• Easy to customize!

Apple oatmeal cookies are comforting, perfectly spiced, and make the entire house smell like autumn. Add crunchy walnuts, sweet dried cranberries, or whatever mix-ins you like the best!

Key Ingredient Notes:

• Unsalted butter – Butter lends a rich flavor and tender texture to cookies. I buy unsalted butter so I can control the quality and amount of salt I add. If you only have salted butter, don’t sweat it. Just omit the salt from this recipe.
• Brown sugar – Brown sugar has a caramel-like sweetness that’s ideal for instant oatmeal cookies.
• Apple cinnamon instant oatmeal – These packets already contain sugar, cinnamon, and dried apples to flavor the cookies. Don’t substitute with old fashioned oats! They don’t absorb the same amount of moisture as instant oats so the ratio of wet to dry ingredients won’t be right. And you’ll miss out on flavor.
• All-purpose flour – For the perfect amount of spread.
• Baking soda – Baking soda reacts with the brown sugar to create carbon dioxide bubbles and cause the dough to rise in the oven. Without it, the cookies would be too dense!
• Mix-in’s – Try chopped walnuts, pecans, white chocolate chips, cashews, shredded coconut, chocolate chips, diced apples, or M&M’s.

How to make this recipe:

Cinnamon apple oatmeal cookies are a breeze to make! Here’s how to do it:

1. Make the cookie dough:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
• Add the egg and vanilla and mix for a minute or so. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the instant oatmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just incorporated.
• If you’re adding mix-ins, stir them in now.

2. Scoop the cookies:

• Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough into 1-inch balls.
• Place 8 cookies onto the sheet pan evenly spread apart.
• And flatten the cookies slightly.

3. Bake the cookies:

• Bake the cookies for 8 minutes, or until the edges are set, one sheet pan at a time. The cookies should look underbaked in the centers, but they will set up as they cool.
• Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for at least 5 minutes before you transfer them to a wire rack.
• Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Tips for Success:

• Don’t overbake the oatmeal cookies! The edges should be set and golden, but the centers should look slightly under. If the whole cookie looks done, it’s overbaked. Cookies set up as they cool.
• Let the cookies cool at least 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Hot cookies fall apart!
• Don’t swap old fashioned oats in this recipe. They don’t absorb the same amount of moisture as instant oats and the cookies won’t come out right.
• Use a cookie scoop for uniform cookies. The cookies will all be the same size and shape, plus it’s less messy!
• You can swap the apple cinnamon instant oatmeal with any flavor. Try cinnamon spice or maple brown sugar.

Storing Tips:

• Let the oatmeal cookies cool before you store them. Transfer the cookies to an airtight container and store on the counter for up to 5 days.
• For longer storage, freeze the cookies for up to 3 months, as directed above.