The classic Quaker oatmeal cookies recipe from the old-fashioned oats box or canister, plus tips for making these cookies come out perfectly! These are also known as Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. 
Quaker Oatmeal Cookies
Is there anything better than the classic Quaker Oats oatmeal cookies? Probably not, at least in the oatmeal cookie category.
My mom made a variation of these when I was a kid. She loaded them up with lots of extra goodies like coconut, pecans, and chocolate, calling them "cowboy cookies." Many's the time I popped open the storage container to grab a handful of those cookies!
When I reached for the my canister of old-fashioned oats to take a closer look at the recipe, I wondered where the original recipe for Quaker oatmeal cookies came from. When was it invented? When did it start appearing on the box or canister?
One article claimed that "by early 1900s a recipe for the delicious treats appeared on every container of Quaker Oats." This anecdote is repeated, often word-for-word, on other websites.
The official Quaker Oats history says only that an oat cake recipe began appearing on the box in 1908. Oat cakes are not the same as the later Quaker oatmeal cookies. Here's a recipe from the BBC if you'd like to see how oat cakes are made.
So, there certainly were oat cake recipes printed on the box back in the early 1900s, but I haven't found a source yet that reveals when exactly the famous Quaker Oats oatmeal cookie recipe, also known as "Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies," first appeared. If you have information on this, please leave a comment below.
You can watch the official video to see exactly how to make this recipe right here.
Surprising Things You May Not Know About Quaker Oatmeal Cookies
- The recipe does not specify salted or unsalted butter. This explains why salt is optional. I use unsalted butter and I don't add salt, but this is a personal choice.
- You can use Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats or Quick Oats.
- You can make an adjustment to the flour to make these cookies at high altitude. Use 1 ¾ cups of flour rather than 1 ½.
- You can swap in whole wheat or white whole wheat flour for any or all of the all-purpose flour. I've been doing this for years and it works like a charm.
- You can add more mix-ins, such as chocolate chips, shredded coconut, pecans, walnuts, cranberries, etc.
- You can make this recipe as bar cookies in a 13 by 9 pan.
Other Ways to Use Quaker Oats
- Homemade Granola
- Blackberry Crumble
- Blueberry Crumble
- Apple Crumble
- Cannoli Overnight Oats
- Triple Layer Oatmeal Brownies
Bookmark this recipe so you can have it without having to dig up an actual Quaker Oats canister.
Quaker Oatmeal Cookies • Straight from the Quaker Oats Box!
The classic Quaker oatmeal cookies recipe from the old-fashioned oats box or canister, plus tips for making these cookies come out perfectly!
Ingredients
- 14 tablespoons butter softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar firmly packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoons salt optional
- 3 cups Quaker Oats quick or old-fashioned, uncooked
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
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Heat oven to 350 F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy.
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Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
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Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well.
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Add oats and raisins; mix well.
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Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
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Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Recipe Notes
For high altitude, increase flour to 1 ¾ cups.
I use 1 crisco flavored butter stick instead of the butter. I also only use 1/2 cup of both regular and brown sugar and blend it together with the crisco. I soak the raisins first in water (just enough to cover them and drain them right before I add them to the recipe) with 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract (please use the real stuff, it’s so worth it!). I also use Saigon cinnamon (it’s a little stronger) but you can use regular cinnamon. Other than that I follow the recipe
Oooh I love fancy cinnamons. My favorite is Ceylon cinnamon!
Can these cookies be frozen and then thawed and baked?
They can definitely be refrigerated and then baked later, but I have never tried freezing the dough.
I love the Vanishing Cookie recipe! I used the shortening one in the 70’s, then changed to the butter one when it came out on the lid when shortening was getting a bad rap. 🙂 I was looking if someone could tell me if there is a way to keep them from spreading so much-I understand the nature of butter.. but seemed to read somewhere that maybe putting it in the fridge for awhile or something could keep it from spreading quite as much? Or would shortening be any better? I make Teddy Bear Cookies with the Quaker Oatmeal Vanishing recipe, but they spread way too much, even tho I love the taste. Your roll a bigger ball, flatten, then smaller balls for snout and ears with mini chocolate chips for eyes, big chocolate chip for nose.. Want the taste, not the spreading of the cookie. 🙂
It's unusual that they spread so much. I usually stick with Land O' Lakes butter, as it's always been reliable for me, but sometimes too much sugar can be the reason for spreading. Maybe dial back the sugar just a touch?
Does anyone know how many cookies are a serving size?
The nutrition calculation is my own, based on the whole recipe's ingredients divided by 48 cookies, which means 1 cookie per serving as listed on my nutrition info box below the recipe box. It's not official, though.
Thank you so much. This has been my favorite cookie recipe for years, though I do reduce the sugar.
best oatmeal cookie recipe. Very easy to follow
I have wondered this for a long time, as I am not much of a baker. When a recipe says brown sugar is it light or dark brown?
If it's not specified, it's light brown sugar. Dark brown is used less often, and a recipe will specifically call for it if needed.
Homemade brown sugar:
Mix molasses into granulated sugar,more molasses if you want darker sugar.
Thank you for posting this recipe! I had made these cookies several years ago and lost the recipe. I almost made a similar version that was supposedly the real "Quaker Oatmeal Cookies." I am glad I read those reviews first before actually making the cookies. So, I went on the hunt again and came across your blog post and I am happy that I did. I made these cookies this week for an event that I went to today and they were a big hit! Just as moist and delicious as I remember. I highly recommend this recipe and I didn't change a thing.
I am giving my son a batch of Oatmeal Raisin cookies for Christmas. already has everything and loves these cookies. Perfect gift for the man who has everything! By the way Cinnamon was originally from Mexico as well as is Vanilla. The Cinnamon usually is not real, but from a bark that tastes like it. Why not use the BEST?
QUAKER OATS
Famous
Oatmeal Cookies
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup Brown sugar firmly packed
3 cups Oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon soda
Pubeat oven to 350'F. Beat together shortening egg. water and vanilla until creamy add remaining ingredients; mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen cookies TOR VARIETY: add chopped nuts, raisins, chocolate chips or coconut.
I have used this recipe since I was a kid. Mom made these. Brings back memories.A few years back, I decided to try something different. My husband likes them with raisins but my daughter and I not so much. I made a dozen plain, then a dozen and a half with raisins. I added some orange essence to the rest of the dough and added craisins. They turned out really good. You have to play around a bit with the orange essenc to get the balance right. Start with a small amount so you don't overpower the dough then add a bit more if needed. I've gotten to the point where I can just eyeball it to get it right
For the add ins, if I wanted to add chocolate chips, coconut and raisins, how much of each?
I usually do 1/2 cup of each.
Prefer the flat ones with crispy edges; after reading all of these (you remember what my mom made, right?!!), I’m a little uncertain- are these the ones with crisco, or can I use butter? Prefer not to make dozens to experiment! Definitely dont like the thick “cake” ones…
My grandmother made them on their hog farm during the Great Depression. My Mom was born in 33 and she learned to make them at age 8. My grandma wasted nothing and was acclaimed for adding anything to them, including the peas left from dinner. Siri reports Quaker Oats started printing the oat meal cookies on their hog farm box in 1908.
A friend makes an oatmeal cookie that has apples, cheddar cheese & oatmeal in them. She said she found the recipe in an old cokbook. Do you know that recipe?
I don't, but it certainly sounds interesting!
Can I use the shortening recipe but replace it with butter? If so, how much?
Usually it can be used interchangeably, so the same amount.