Brown butter iced oatmeal cookies- these cookies are one of my favorites. Soft and chewy, warm cinnamon and nutmeg, toasty flavor from the brown butter and brown sugar, AND they’re iced? They’re perfect.

ingredients in iced oatmeal cookies

butter– The butter in this recipe is going to be browned, so you don’t actually have to worry about the temperature of the butter going into this. The recipe calls for unsalted, but if all you have is salted, it’s totally fine.
brown sugar– This recipe uses brown sugar, which adds a flavor boost as well as extra softness and chew to the cookie.
granulated sugar– This recipe also uses some granulated sugar, which helps to create a more crisp edge.
salt– Diamond Crystal kosher salt is the best for baking, so I recommend grabbing a box if you can. It will last you for a long time if you just use it for baking! If you don’t have this type of salt, swap for regular table salt and use half the amount called for.
egg– An egg will give the cookie structure and tenderness. An extra yolk is added for more chew.
vanilla bean paste– Vanilla is for flavor in this recipe, and I recommend using vanilla bean paste instead of or along with extract if you can. I love to use vanilla bean paste because the flavor is more intense, but vanilla extract is great as well. This is the vanilla extract I used from The Spice House. (You can use my code EMILYLOGGANS for 10% off at The Spice House.) Nielsen-Massey is my favorite vanilla bean paste. (Make sure to check your local Costco store for big jars of Nielsen-Massey at an amazing price!)
old fashioned oats– I like to use Bob’s Red Mill old fashioned oats. Make sure to pulse them in the food processor so they’re mostly broken up and crumbly. Not quite a powder like an oat flour, but more like a very light crumb. Weigh or measure the oats BEFORE putting them through the food processor.
all purpose flour– Flour provides the structure for this cookie, and this recipe has the perfect amount for the dough to both hold its shape, yet not be too floury and hard.
baking powder– Leavening that gives a puff and lift.
baking soda– Leavening that gives a bit of spread, darkening, and crisp edges.
cinnamon– This recipe uses a bit of cinnamon for some warming flavor, which just goes perfectly with an oatmeal cookie. This one is my favorite, and you can use my code EMILYLOGGANS for 10% off at The Spice House. They also have this pack of three different cinnamons so you can taste test them all.
nutmeg– This one is optional, but it’s just a nice little boost of flavor and warmth to go along with the cinnamon. Here is the one from The Spice House, where you can get 10% off with my code EMILYLOGGANS.
powdered sugar- for the glaze icing
milk, cream, or creamer– for the glaze icing
meringue powder– This is optional but gives the icing more of a “set”.

supplies needed to make iced oatmeal cookies

whisk & a bowl– Something nice about this recipe is it doesn’t require a mixer. All you need is a whisk and a bowl.
saucepan– to brown the butter
spatula– A spatula is essential to scrape down the bowl throughout the process. Without scraping, you’ll end up with an unevenly mixed dough and cookies that are inconsistent.
scale– If there’s one thing I can convince you of, please let it be a kitchen scale. 🙏🏻Using a scale makes everything easier with baking, and it ensures you get the same results every time. Flour is so easy to over-add with volume measurements, and a scale solves that problem.
parchment paper– I always roll my dough between two sheets of pre-cut parchment paper, which is by far the best way to roll out dough.
baking sheets– I use these cookie sheets for years, and they are amazing.
cookie scoop– I like to use a #40 cookie scoop for these
large round metal cookie cutter– to “scoot” the cookies after baking

how to make iced oatmeal cookies

These cookies are so easy to make. Start by browning some butter- don’t be scared of this if you’ve never done it. It’s insanely easy. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat (you do not want a high heat for this). It will start to sizzle and bubble, which is the water cooking off and evaporating. Stir it every once in a while, paying attention to when the sizzling starts to calm down. That’s when the water has nearly been evaporated, and it’s important to start stirring often. The color will start to turn golden and the milk solids will start to brown. It browns very quickly at this stage, so don’t walk away. Once the butter has turned a rich golden brown and smells very toasty and toffee-like, pour the butter into a heat proof mixing bowl, quickly scraping the bottom of the pot to make sure the milk solids are also transferred to the bowl. Cool the butter for about ten minutes. I like to pop my bowl in the fridge while I gather the rest of my ingredients.

This recipe calls for 170g of butter, and after browning, it will weight about 135g.

Add the sugars and salt and mix well.

Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until emulsified.

Add all the dry ingredients and mix until a dough is formed. This is my all-time favorite cinnamon. It’s the most cinnamon-y cinnamon that’s ever cinnamon-ed.

The dough is a pretty wet dough, so chilling it in the fridge for 30 minutes will help it chill a bit better so it can be scooped more easily with a #40 cookie scoop.

On the left, the cookies have just come out of the oven. On the right is what the cookies look like after they’ve been scooted with a large round metal cookie cutter.

Let the cookies cool on a metal rack. Mix the icing while they cool.

For the easiest icing in the world, simply mix the ingredients together until combined and smooth.

Dip each cookie in the glaze and allow it to set before packaging.

success tips for making iced oatmeal cookies

Do I really need a kitchen scale? Kinda, yeah? 🙃 They’re not very expensive, but it is a life changing kitchen investment. Here’s the one I use.
Can I bake my cookies on silicone mats instead of parchment? You can, however, I still prefer to bake with parchment. It’s my preference, but your preference could be to use silicone mats. Just experiment and go with what you prefer based on experience and results. 🫶🏻
Is this the same recipe you shared on IG subscription a few years ago? Yes!
Can I use table salt instead of Diamond Crystal kosher salt? Absolutely! Just use half the amount called for since the flakes of diamond crystal are larger, which accounts for less volume in the measuring spoon. I do recommend purchasing a box of diamond crystal, especially if you’re a baker or like to cook. It’s truly the best and recommended by chefs.
Is Morton kosher salt the same as Diamond Crystal kosher salt? No, and I don’t recommend you use Morton kosher salt in baking.

watch how to make brown butter iced oatmeal cookies

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cxx6sk1uj1U/?igsh=MWR6enlwcGliZmk3Yg==

brown butter iced oatmeal cookies

Print Recipe

Author: Emily Loggans
Yield: 15 1x

Ingredients

Scale

cookies

170g unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks ; 12 Tbsp)

165g brown sugar, light or brown (¾ cup, packed)

50g granulated sugar (¼ cup)

1 ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ¾ tsp regular table salt)

1 whole egg, large

1 egg yolk, large

2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

90g old fashioned oats, pulsed in the food processor to be mostly broken up and crumbly (1 cup)

150g all purpose flour (1 ¼ cups)

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

icing

120g powdered sugar (1 cup)

½ tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract)

1–2 tablespoon milk, cream, or creamer (you can use water in a pinch)

1 tsp meringue powder, optional

pinch of salt

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Instructions

Brown the butter until it is golden and the milk solids have browned, stirring almost constantly towards the end to prevent the milk solids from burning on the bottom of the pan. Once the butter has stopped bubbling and sizzling, it should be done. It will weigh around 135g.

Pour the butter into a heat safe, large mixing bowl. Allow to cool down for about 10 minutes. (I like to pop this in the fridge while I prep my other ingredients, but the counter is fine.)

Add the sugars and salt. Mix well.

Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until emulsified (smooth, thick, and lighter in color).

Add flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the wet ingredients and mix to combine with a spatula.

Refrigerate dough for 30 min. Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C).

Scoop the dough with a #30 cookie scoop and place the cookie balls on a parchment lined baking sheet a couple inches apart.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Timing will depend on the size of the cookie (if you opted to use a different size scoop), so look for set tops that aren’t shiny and golden brown edges.

Remove from the oven and immediately “scoot” them with a round metal cookie cutter that is larger than the cookies. (Simply place the cookie cutter over the hot cookies and swirl the cookie gently in the cutter to help shape the cookie and give it its craggly tops.)

Allow them to cool on the pan for a few minutes to set before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cookies bake and cool, mix the glaze icing. Combine all the ingredients in a wide, shallow bowl and whisk well.

Dip the cookies in the glaze, being careful to only get the tops if you want the classic look. If you like more icing, dip them deeply so they have full coverage. (If you go this route, you probably should make a double batch of the icing.)