Quaker Famous Oatmeal Cookies (Original 1950 Recipe) - Restless Chipotle (2024)

If you're looking for the REAL original recipe that was on the back of the Quaker oats box way back in the 1950s 1960s, and 1970s you've found it! It's a classic cookie that's bound to be a favorite at your house, too.

🗝️ Key takeaways

• These easy drop cookies made with simple pantry ingredients are crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle. Cookie perfection!
• Perfect for lunchboxes, afterschool snacks, rainy day activities, and holiday giving.
• This is the original Quaker Oatmeal cookie recipe that was on the back of the box in the 1950s and 60s. If you know, you know.

The Quaker original oatmeal cookies recipe is a classic and needs no improvement as far as I'm concerned.

When Quaker updated the recipe at some point they started calling them Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies. Don't be fooled, they are not the same!

This oatmeal cookie recipe always comes out right for me -- crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle... and I always use a fading recipe that Mom literally cut out of the box in the 1950s.

Maybe 1960s.

I do know that if your recipe does not have a little water in the ingredients it's not the original.

O'Henry Bars are another vintage favorite that's made with oatmeal. You'll definitely want to try them if you are a fan of peanut butter and chocolate!

🧾 Ingredients

Classic, chewy oatmeal cookies made with old-fashioned, simple ingredients.

📖Variations

My mom used to change these up once in a while. Here are our favorite variations on the original Quaker oatmeal cookie recipe.

Stir in 1 cup of ...

• Sweetened flaked coconut
• Pecans or walnuts
• Raisins
• Craisins
• Chocolate chips
• Chopped dates
• Butterscotch chips

Or, give these blueberry white chocolate cookies a try!

🔪 Instructions

1. Cream shortening, both brown sugar and white sugar, egg, water, and vanilla together.
2. Stir in dry ingredients except the oats. Mix well.
3. Stir in oats and optional ingredients if you are using them
4. Drop dough by teaspoon on an ungreased cookie sheet, parchment paper, or silpat and bake.

🧈 How to Measure Fats/ Cream Butter

🥫 Storage

Oatmeal cookies will keep for a week or more in an airtight container - or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.

🎥 Video

💭 Things to know

Expert Tip: For fresh cookies any time drop the oatmeal cookie dough by teaspoons on a cookie sheet and flash freeze. Once the dough is frozen solid (about 2 hours) put the balls in a freezer container. Now you can bake just as many as you need - whether that's 4 cookies or 40!

• Don't over-bake the cookies if you want them chewy. They should be set and golden on the edges but still soft in the middle. They'll finish baking as they cool.
• You can use either the old-fashioned oats or the quick-cooking oats but don't use the instant oatmeal.
• Don't switch the shortening for butter or margarine. There's something about this recipe that's perfect just the way is.
• The top of the cookies will change from being shiny to being kind of dull in the center when they are done.
• Experiment with different baking times. I like a chewy cookie with crispy golden brown edges.
• For a crisp cookie bake a minute or two longer.
• These cookies travel well. If you're going to ship them overseas consider putting raisins in them - the dried fruit will release moisture and help them stay fresh. You'll find a lot of information on how to ship cookies here.

👩‍🍳 FAQs about Quaker oatmeal cookies

Homemade cookies make a home cozy and welcoming any time of the year! These go great with a caramel brulee latte, by the way.

Here are some of our favorite cookie recipes...

📞 The last word

You've probably made the Quaker Oats cookie recipe a hundred times yourself, as did your mom, and probably your grandma.

This recipe first went on the back of Quaker's oatmeal boxes in 1955 - over 60 years ago.

At some point in the they seem to have changed it and the new recipe is just not as good.

I am not a big fan of shortening. I have to say, though, when making these cookies I use shortening. They are just not the same without it.

Substitute butter or part butter if you like but they won't be as good.This is definitely one of my go-to recipes.

You'll also love these chewy peanut butter cookies.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

✍🏻 A note from Marye...

I know y'all don't always like the stories bloggers tell so when I have one I try to put it at the very bottom so you can read or skip as you like.

Just the aroma of these baking sweeps me back to my Mom's 1960s kitchen. The wind is howling around the corners of the house and snow is falling in thick, fat flakes.

I've just come in from sledding and my legs tingle with the sudden change in temperature. That scent of fresh, warm oatmeal cookies saunters down the stairs reminding me that not only is it Christmastime but that my stomach is gnawingly hungry.

It's only a moment before I am sitting at the chrome and laminate kitchen table "test tasting" a cookie and scalding my tongue on hot chocolate.

In the summer she'd make Quaker's famous oatmeal cookie recipe once in a while, only she'd make them bigger and put two together with a big scoop of Butter Pecan ice cream in the middle.

Oh my gosh, that was good.

That's what good food does, you know. It takes you back to a special moment, it lets you relive it again and again, and it allows you to share that moment as many times as you like.

First published June 11, 2007. Last updated September 1, 2023 for improved editorial content.

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