Important question!
Chewy cookie?
Or soft cookie?
Or crunchy cookie?
Or no cookie?
Or all the cookies? (Of course.)
There are so many ways to enjoy a cookie. This season I sampled some peppermint bark chocolate cookies and wondered why they’re so irresistible — and whether it’s worth the effort to make them at home. Sometimes buying a few is easier than baking a big batch, but a homemade cookie still has its charm.
I’ve been baking holiday cookies for years and I love nearly every recipe on my list, which makes it hard to add new favorites to the rotation. This time I focused on texture: I wanted cookies that are super thin, incredibly chewy, and perfectly spiced — finished with a simple brown butter icing for a rich, nutty note.
Texture matters to me. My paternal grandmother made chocolate chip cookies that were consistently paper-thin, and I’ve always wanted to recreate that same dependable result. While soft and fluffy cookies have their place, chewy ones are my go-to. These oatmeal cookies are chewy to the max: thin, perfectly spiced, and topped with a buttery glaze.
They spread thin in the oven, develop golden, crisp edges, and stay chewy through the center. The spice blend — cinnamon, cardamom and freshly grated nutmeg — complements the oats, while the brown butter icing adds a toasted, caramel-like finish.
These cookies are now part of my annual holiday baking rotation. If you like, drizzle them with chocolate or a little peanut butter for variation — they hold up well to extras and are delicious eaten every day.
Thin and Chewy Spiced Oatmeal Cookies with Brown Butter Icing
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Ingredients
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 sticks, 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 1/2 cups loosely packed brown sugar
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
brown butter icing
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Place half of the oats in a food processor and pulse until partly chopped — some oat pieces should resemble flour while others remain coarse. In a bowl, whisk together all oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and salt.
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In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter with the brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the egg and egg yolk, then the vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients with a large spoon until a dough forms.
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Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and place on the parchment-lined sheet about 2 inches apart. I bake six per sheet because they spread widely. Bake 12–14 minutes, until edges are golden and cookies are thin and chewy. Remove and cool completely.
brown butter icing
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Heat a small saucepan over medium-low and add the butter. Whisk as it melts and then continues to bubble and foam. Watch for brown bits forming on the bottom; when they appear, remove from heat and stir for about 30 seconds. Let cool 10 minutes.
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Note: chilling the dough for an hour before baking will yield slightly thicker cookies.
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In a bowl, whisk together the cooled brown butter, vanilla and powdered sugar until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon milk and whisk; continue mixing for several minutes. If the glaze is too thick, add milk 1/2 tablespoon at a time. If too thin, add a little powdered sugar. Drizzle over cooled cookies.
Notes
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