Oatmeal Pecan Cookies
Oatmeal Pecan Cookies are slightly sweet with hearty oats, cinnamon, and crunchy pecans. They’re chewy and crunchy delicious.
I have a plethora of pecans. Thanks to Millican Pecans for sponsoring so many of our events. We opted for no sponsors for this event this year, but they have sponsored this event in the past. So, I feel perfectly well within in my rights to highlight them with this post.
What is your favorite cookie?
For me, top of the list is peanut butter cookies. For this reason, I shared my easy peanut butter cookie recipe yesterday. But today, I’m taking a twist on my third favorite cookie which is oatmeal raisin. Yes, I know there are no raisins in these cookies. There are maple-y sweet pecans in these cookies. By the way, my second favorite cookie is anything ginger. Gingersnap, gingerbread macaron, ginger molasses, gingerbread. ANYTHING with ginger in them.
What are oatmeal cookies?
For those that don’t know, oatmeal cookies are a drop cookie. They’re made mainly with flour, two kinds of sugar (brown and granulated), butter or shortening, eggs, sometimes milk, flavorings like spices and extracts, and of course oatmeal. Depending on the amount of butter in the batter, it could be a regular oatmeal cookie or a lace cookie.
Oatmeal cookies are kin to Scottish oat cakes. Oat cakes are crisper, but that’s where the basis of this recipe originates from. Raisins were not part of the original recipe. However, since the recipe started appearing on the Quaker Oats cans around the 1900’s raisins started appearing in the recipe. Yeah, I don’t see the connection to oat cans and raisins either.
Though it is interesting to note that oatmeal raisin cookies were thought to be healthy. I guess the fiber from the oatmeal and the fruit made people think these cookies are healthy. However, they have the same sugar, fat, calorie, and fiber content as a chocolate chip cookie.
What’s the difference between old fashioned oats, rolled oats, and instant oats?
Oats come in 9 different levels of processing. Meaning from the original, freshly picked oat down to the ground flour there are 8 distinct processing levels. First, there’s the oat kernels. This is the straight up harvested oat with nothing done to it. From there, the oat kernels have the hulls removed turning them into oat groats. Oat groats cut with steel blades are steel cut oats. Oat groats are also stone ground making them Scottish oats.
Rolled oats are the same as old fashioned oats. The oat groat goes through a steaming process. This softens the oat groat for the flattening process. Hence the rolled part of the name. Quick oats start out as rolled oats that are thinner and sometimes chopped which allows them to cook faster. Instant oats start out as rolled oats that are par cooked allowing them to cook faster.
So, what is oat bran and oat flour? Oat bran is the outer hull of the oat kernel. That means it isn’t a whole grain, but still adds plenty of fiber and a great nutritional boost to cereals and baked goods. Finally, there is oat flour. Oat flours are finely ground rolled oats. Which means if you have rolled oats in the pantry, you can make oat flour for your own baked goods.
What oats are best for oatmeal pecan cookies?
While rolled oats are the traditional oats used in cookies, there are slight differences in using rolled versus quick cooking oats in cookies. Mainly due to the way each type of oat absorbs liquid. Rolled oats absorb liquid slowly. This means that during the baking process they will maintain their shape and have a chewier texture to the cookie.
Quick oats are quick oats because they cook quickly. Meaning they absorb liquids quickly. If you use quick cooking oats in this cookie recipe, they will have a more cake like consistency. Because they will absorb more water than rolled oats.
I would not use instant oats in this recipe at all. You can technically use them, but the texture and cooking time will be different. Oatmeal cookies made with instant oats will not have much texture. The instant oats will absorb all the liquid and they will cook faster. Personally, I like the texture of the rolled oats, but in a pinch if you’re dying for some oatmeal cookies you can try instant oats.
And just look at that texture! You know once you bite into these cookies they will have crunch, nutty oat flavor, and deliciously chewy texture. This plus the white chocolate chips make for a super delicious cookie.
Does the dough need refrigerating before cooking?
This is one stand up dough. In fact, you might think it’s a little too stiff. But trust the process. These might need a little pressing to flatten them out. Or, if you don’t want to flatten them, you can add a little more milk to the recipe to thin it out. I like them to be a little on the round and fluffy side. But flattening them makes them chewier. Either way, they’re perfectly delicious.
Just look at those pecans and white chocolate chips! They’re a fun twist to a traditional oatmeal cookie. The pecans add a sweet and nutty flavor. The white chocolate chips have a little sweet and vanilla flavor in there. Then there’s the cinnamon and oats of the cookie. These taste perfectly delicious! I think the other likes these better than the peanut butter cookies.
And with the Millican pecans in there, I know they’re quality pecans with amazing flavor. Much more flavor than the store-bought pecans. They really have that maple flavor that I associate with pecans. And they’re so crunchy and tasty. The perfect pecan flavor and texture!
From now on, pecans are going in all my oatmeal cookies. I don’t know how I haven’t added them before, but they’re going in all of them from now on. They’re the perfect addition to oatmeal cookies. The flavor compliments the oats and cinnamon in there. You should try adding them to your oatmeal cookies. Or, just make these!

Oatmeal Pecan Cookies
Oatmeal Pecan Cookies are slightly sweet with hearty oats, cinnamon, and crunchy pecans. They’re chewy and crunchy delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups pecan pieces
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Combine the flour with the baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the brown and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one a time beating between each addition.
- Stir in the vanilla extract and milk.
- Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and stir until combined, being careful not to over mix the dough.
- Stir in the oats and then fold in the pecan pieces and the chips.
- Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper.
- Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.
- Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool complete.
Nutrition Information
Yield
30Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 229Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 30mgSodium 70mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 2gSugar 13gProtein 3g
Tuesday Christmas Cookie Recipes
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- Chai Sugar Cookies with Eggnog Frosting from Blogghetti
- Chocolate Chunk Cherry Oatmeal Cookies from Christmas Tree Lane
- Cream Cheese Sprinkle Cookies from Shockingly Delicious
- Gluten-Free Brownie Cookies from Family Around the Table
- Gluten-Free Peppermint Meltaways from Frugal & Fit
- Hot Cocoa Cookies from Magical Ingredients
- Nana’s Molasses Cookies from Daily Dish Recipes
- Oatmeal Pecan Cookies from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Peanut Butter Brownie Bombs from Palatable Pastime
- Snowman Cookies from Devour Dinner
The ingredients list includes 1/4 cup of milk, but not included in the instructions. Does it go in with the eggs?
Thank you! I added the milk after I had written out my instructions. The batter needed a little more moisture. I corrected the instructions.
Thanks; just wanted to make sure. 🙂
As a lover of all things crunchy, these cookies are pretty much calling my name! CRUNCH, YUM, CRUNCH!!!
I am totally the same! I love crunchy cookies.