These apple cinnamon instant oatmeal cookies are bursting with fall flavors! They have chewy middles, crisp edges, and plenty of oats. Ready-to-eat in 30 minutes!
Table of Contents
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.
Make-Ahead Tips:
- I love to make cookies ahead of time! They freeze well unbaked or baked, which means you’re always less than 10 minutes away from a freshly baked cookie.
- To freeze them unbaked: Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough into 1-inch balls on a half sheet pan or plate. Place the sheet pan into the freezer until the dough is frozen. Transfer the cookie dough balls to a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen as directed.
- To freeze them baked: Wait until they cool to room temperature, then carefully place them into a ziplock bag and freeze. Don’t overpack the bag lest you smoosh the cookies. Thaw on the counter or microwave in 15-second increments until warmed through.
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.
FAQs:
How do you keep oatmeal cookies soft?
The best way to keep them soft is to not overbake them! Cookies are baked when the edges are golden, but the middles look underdone. The cookies set up as they cool. If the entire cookie is golden brown when it’s pulled from the oven, they will be crispy when they cool.
What kind of apples are best for cookies?
A firm, tart apple that holds its shape is a perfect match for cookies! Try Granny Smith, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady apples. Dice them small and stir into the cookie dough before baking.
Can instant oatmeal be used in baking?
Yes! It’s important not to use instant oatmeal in any recipe that calls for oats. Look for recipes that call specifically for instant oatmeal, like this one!
Can I use quick oats instead of rolled oats in cookies?
Quick oats make delicious cookies! That being said, quick oats are not a 1:1 substitution with old fashioned oats. Instant oats absorb more liquid than rolled oats. Look for a recipe that calls specifically for quick-cooking oats.
Must-Try Cookie Recipes:
- Egg Yolk Cookies
- Spiced Shortbread Cookies
- Date, Fig and Cranberry Pinwheel Cookies
- The Easiest Sugar Cookies
- Classic Linzer Cookies
Apple Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal Cookies
These apple cinnamon oatmeal cookies are bursting with fall flavors! They have chewy middles, crisp edges, and plenty of oats. Ready-to-eat in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter softened
- 1/3 cup (65g) brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons (40g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 5 packets apple & cinnamon instant oatmeal Note 1
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups add-ins like M&Ms, chocolate chips, nuts
Equipment
- stand mixer with the paddle attachment or electric hand mixer
- Spatula
- Measuring cups & spoons
- sheet pan
- medium cookie scoop
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- In a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment, place the butter and both sugars. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Add egg and vanilla extract and mix another minute or so.
- Add instant oatmeal, flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until just incorporated.
- Stir in the add-ins of your choice. I used 1 cup of M&Ms and ½ cup of chopped pecans here.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon of dough), shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place 8 cookies per baking sheet. Flatten the cookies slightly.
- Bake the cookies for 8 minutes, or until the edges are set, one sheet at a time. The cookies will look a bit under-baked, but they’ll set nicely once cooled.
- Cool the cookies on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store in airtight container for up to 5 days.
Tips & Notes
These cookies are on a smaller size, about 2-inch circles.
Note 1a: 1 packet contains 43g of oatmeal, so total you’ll need 215g of instant oatmeal for this recipe. Do not substitute with rolled oats.
Note 1b: You can definitely use different flavored instant oatmeal packets!
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.
– 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 112kcal
Carbohydrates: 14g
Protein: 1g
Fat: 6g
Sugar: 10g
Sodium: 48mg
Did you make this?Share a comment or a review below!
Light brown or dark brown sugar?
Hi, Jess. Either one would work. I use light brown sugar most often.
I was searching for an Oatmeal Cookie recipe and came across this one and stayed stuck here because I love Apples N Cinnamon Oatmeal. I happen t have all the ingredients listed and so I decided to give it a try. AMAZING! Quick & Easy and my family loves them. Thank You! PS: I sprinkled a little cinnamon over the top before placing into the oven. MUAH!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I was wondering if you could tell me how many grams is the instant oatmeal packets, each?
Hi, Fiona. 1 packet contains 43g of oatmeal, so total you’ll need 215g of instant oatmeal for this recipe. I just updated the recipe with this information. Thanks for asking!
Tried this recipe mixing the new apple caramel oatmeal, apple cinnamon ( 2 each) and 1 pack of cinnamon and brown sugar. I added in raisins as well as the chips and the cookies were delicious. They turned out soft and stayed soft in a ziploc baggie for a week. First cookie I have made that did not go hard in 3 days. Will definitely be making again and trying different combinations if oatmeal.
Ive made these 3 different times in the past month…they never make it past the cookie sheet!
Haha so happy you all enjoy these cookies! Thank you for your feedback, Monica!!
This is my second time making these cookies this time I made it with bananas and cream oatmeal and used walnuts really good last time we had apple spice and I soaked raisins in hot apple cider. Hit with family and co-workers
Thank you it’s a keeper that’s so adaptable
Yay, so happy you’re enjoying this recipe, Lindsey! I love the idea of soaking raisins in hot apple cider! YUM!
Great recipe. I added some extra cinnamon and more vanilla, then I made a quick icing out of 1 cup confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon of water, then just maple syrup until it had a good consistency. Also made 12 cookies instead of 30 so I had to up the bake time to about 13 minutes.
Thank you for trying my recipe and sharing your feedback! So happy you loved the cookies, Skye!
Thank you for the recipe. I had overbought on gluten-free Maple and Brown Sugar instant oatmeal. Your recipe was perfect for using up some of it. I just subbed a gluten-free flour mix for the regular flour. It was nice to be making gluten-free cookies that started out with the normal cookie process and did not require weird ingredients.
Yay, so happy you loved the recipe. Thank you for sharing your gluten-free version, Judy!
what liquid did you use? I used water and they turned out fine.would like to know the liquid and how much not on recipe.
Hi, Bob. I didn’t add any liquid.
Delicious! Question. I have a ton of old fashioned oats, can I use those in this recipe instead of instant oatmeal ? Will the cookies turn out as good? Thank you!
Hi, Kelly. I’m afraid it won’t work the same.
Like many others, I have a lot of instant oatmeal on hand and just needed to use it up. I used cinnamon and spice oatmeal and added roasted pecans, a few raisins and carrots. They turned out really nice. Tasted just like carrot cake. I highly recommend!!!
Thanks for your feedback, Kate! I love your carrot cake cookie version!