Gordon Ramsay’s oatmeal cookies stay soft for days because of one ingredient most recipes leave out: cornflour (cornstarch), which traps moisture inside the dough while the edges crisp up. You mix 285g (3 cups) of rolled oats with brown sugar, cinnamon, and your choice of raisins or chocolate chips, then bake at 175°C (350°F) for about 12 minutes.
Gordon is specific about chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes before it goes in the oven, and I skipped that step once and got flat, crispy discs instead. This oatmeal cookie recipe looks like the healthy option until you see the 225g of butter, but I am not complaining.
Try More Cookie Recipes:
- Gordon Ramsay Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
- Gordon Ramsay Shortbread Cookies Recipe
- Gordon Ramsay Sugar Cookie Recipe
Why Does This Oatmeal Cookie Recipe Use Cornflour?
Cornflour (cornstarch) blocks gluten from forming, which keeps the middle tender instead of tough. Most oatmeal cookie recipes skip it and end up dense or dry after a day, but Gordon adds 2 teaspoons and the texture holds.
I tested a batch without it to see if it really mattered. It did: those cookies went hard by the next morning, and the ones with cornflour were still soft.
Oatmeal Cookies Ingredients
- 225g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 200g (1 cup) light brown sugar, packed
- 100g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 215g (1¾ cups) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- 285g (3 cups) rolled oats (not instant)
- 250g (1½ cups) mix-ins: raisins, chocolate chips, or chopped walnuts
How To Make Gordon Ramsay Oatmeal Cookies
- Cream the butter and sugars: Beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract.
- Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk the plain flour, cornflour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
- Combine: Add the dry mix to the butter mixture on low speed and stir until the flour just disappears.
- Fold in oats and mix-ins: Stir through the rolled oats and your choice of raisins, chocolate chips, or walnuts with a spatula.
- Chill the dough: Cover with cling film (plastic wrap) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Bake: Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F), scoop rounded balls of dough onto lined trays about 5cm (2 inches) apart, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are set but the centres still look soft.
What Are The Most Common Oatmeal Cookie Mistakes?
Using instant oats instead of rolled oats is the mistake I see most. Instant oats turn to mush in the dough and the cookies come out flat with no texture.
Skipping the chill is the other one. The dough is soft and sticky after mixing, and if you bake it straight away, the butter melts before the edges can set and everything spreads thin.
Should I Use Raisins Or Chocolate Chips?
For classic oatmeal raisin cookies, use 250g of raisins and the cinnamon does the rest. Chocolate chips give you something closer to a chocolate chip cookie but with the chew of oats, which I actually prefer.
Chopped walnuts are the third option and they add crunch that raisins and chips do not. I would not mix all three, just pick one and let it shine.
What Goes Well With Oatmeal Cookies?
A cup of tea is the obvious answer because the cinnamon and oats taste better with something warm. For dessert, crumble one over the banana bread batter before baking for a crunchy top.
They also work on a plate with the apple crumble because the flavours overlap nicely. The creme brulee is a good contrast if you want something smooth alongside the crunch.
How Long Do These Keep?
About 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature, and the cornflour is why they last longer than most. After that they start to dry out, so I freeze the raw dough balls instead.
Frozen dough keeps for 3 months and you bake straight from the freezer with 2 extra minutes added. I always make a double batch and freeze half because it costs nothing and saves a full session later.
FAQs
- Can I use quick oats instead of rolled? I would not. Quick oats absorb too much moisture and the cookies lose their texture. Rolled oats hold their shape and give you that chewy bite Gordon is after.
- Can I skip the chilling step? You can, but the cookies will spread more and come out thinner. If you are short on time, even 15 minutes in the freezer helps.
- Are these healthy cookies? They have oats and you can add raisins and walnuts, but there is also 225g of butter and 300g of sugar in the dough. I would call them a treat, not a health food.
More Cookie Recipes:
- Gordon Ramsay PB&J Cookies Recipe
- Gordon Ramsay Cowboy Cookies Recipe
- Gordon Ramsay Banana Bread Cookies Recipe
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 195 kcal
- Total Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
- Sodium: 140mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 27g
- Protein: 3g
Gordon Ramsay Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
24
servings15
minutes12
minutes57
minutesGordon Ramsay’s oatmeal cookies stay soft for days because of one ingredient most recipes leave out: cornflour (cornstarch), which traps moisture inside the dough while the edges crisp up. You mix 285g (3 cups) of rolled oats with brown sugar, cinnamon, and your choice of raisins or chocolate chips, then bake at 175°C (350°F) for about 12 minutes.
Gordon is specific about chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes before it goes in the oven, and I skipped that step once and got flat, crispy discs instead. This oatmeal cookie recipe looks like the healthy option until you see the 225g of butter, but I am not complaining.
Ingredients
225g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
200g (1 cup) light brown sugar, packed
100g (½ cup) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1½ tsp vanilla extract
215g (1¾ cups) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
¾ tsp salt
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
285g (3 cups) rolled oats (not instant)
250g (1½ cups) mix-ins: raisins, chocolate chips, or chopped walnuts
Directions
- Cream the butter and sugars: Beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract.
- Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk the plain flour, cornflour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
- Combine: Add the dry mix to the butter mixture on low speed and stir until the flour just disappears.
- Fold in oats and mix-ins: Stir through the rolled oats and your choice of raisins, chocolate chips, or walnuts with a spatula.
- Chill the dough: Cover with cling film (plastic wrap) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Bake: Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F), scoop rounded balls of dough onto lined trays about 5cm (2 inches) apart, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are set but the centres still look soft.
