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    Home » Cookies

    My Grandma's Oatmeal Cookies from Christina Tosi's Milk Bar Life

    5 from 5 votes
    12 Comments

    Jul 9, 2018

    (updated Mar 7, 2022)

    by Kimberlee Ho

    Jump to Recipe
    Oatmeal Cookies from Milk Bar Life cookbook | kickassbaker.com #milkbar #milkbarlife #oatmealcookies #grandmasoatmealcookies #withcoconut #cookies #kickassbaker

    These aren't your typical oatmeal cookies. To start, there are no raisins. Hallelujah!

    Even better, these oatmeal cookies are delicious-forward rather than oat-forward, if you catch my drift. Just the right level of sweetness, crackly on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, there will be not a single leftover (except for your full bag of raisins) after baking up a batch.

    PS This recipe comes from Christina Tossi's Milk Bar Life cookbook of amazingness. She's a rockstar and these cookies prove that, hands-down. Bake up a batch and you'll show the world that you're an oatmeal cookie rockstar, too.

    The other important fact about these oatmeal cookies is that there's a secret ingredient. And, you don't even taste the secret ingredient, but it gives this oatmeal cookie the perfect consistency, height, and chew.

    The secret ingredient is sweetened shredded coconut! Now, believe you me, no one will even know, especially if you have coconut haters in your circle of family and friends, like I do.

    Oatmeal Cookies from Milk Bar Life cookbook | kickassbaker.com #milkbar #milkbarlife #oatmealcookies #grandmasoatmealcookies #withcoconut #cookies #kickassbaker

    Disclosure: I have included links to some great products and services that I think you’ll love. I use them myself and only recommend them because I love them. If you purchase via the links I may earn a small commission.

    If you don't yet know about Christina Tosi and Milk Bar, stop what you're doing right now and go watch the Netflix Chef's Table episode featuring Christina. She is my new wannabe best friend.

    She's young and easygoing and humble and, did I mention, super creative with her baking and use of ingredients?!

    Nothing crazy or fancy, just regular old ingredients used in innovative ways to breathe new life into standards such as cookies and birthday cakes.

    For instance, she uses the cereal milk (aka, the flavorful milk the results from soaking your breakfast cereal in it) as an ingredient in many of her cookies and cakes and truffles. Genius!

    I was fortunate enough to attend a class at Milk Bar in Brooklyn recently (yay again to my husband for getting this as a gift for me for Mother's Day!).

    We didn't actually bake anything, but we did assemble and learn some of Christina's secrets for making cakes and truffles delicious and fun in new and interesting ways.

    For example, we assembled one of her Malted Chocolate cakes and with the leftover cake crumbs, we made white chocolate dipped chocolate malt truffles using Ovaltine milk to bind the cake crumbs together. Brilliant and super yummy!

    After leaving her class, of course I was totally inspired to make other recipes of hers. Hence, this oatmeal cookie recipe.

    What makes this Oatmeal Cookie recipe so good:

    • Did I mention no raisins?!
    • It comes together quickly, nothing fancy
    • The cookies bake up thick and chewy
    • There's a secret ingredient that makes these cookies the perfect texture and you most likely already have it in your pantry (if not, it's very easy to find!)
    Oatmeal Cookies from Milk Bar Life cookbook | kickassbaker.com #milkbar #milkbarlife #oatmealcookies #grandmasoatmealcookies #withcoconut #cookies #kickassbaker

    The Secret Ingredient is...

    In Christina's recipe, she mentions that the secret ingredient (aka, sweetened shredded coconut) is optional. So, I tried her recipe both ways - with coconut and without.

    The results were very different and I must say, the coconut should not be optional. This is totally my opinion, but the texture changes dramatically without the coconut - the cookie bakes up much flatter and crispier.

    If you like your cookies that way, by all means, bake away! If you prefer a thicker and chewier cookie, definitely include the coconut. Here is a picture of the two batches - the one on the left includes the coconut and the one on the right does not. See what I mean?

    Oatmeal Cookies from Milk Bar Life cookbook | kickassbaker.com #milkbar #milkbarlife #oatmealcookies #grandmasoatmealcookies #withcoconut #cookies #kickassbaker

    Now go forth and bake! With or without coconut (but definitely consider with!). Then park yourself in front of Netflix's Chef's Table episode with Christina Tosi while indulging in a stack of these delicious oatmeal cookies - you won't be sorry!

    Oatmeal Cookies from Milk Bar Life cookbook | kickassbaker.com #milkbar #milkbarlife #oatmealcookies #grandmasoatmealcookies #withcoconut #cookies #kickassbaker

    Looking for more cookie recipes? Try these:

    • Fruity Pebbles cookies with white chocolate chips | kickassbaker.com #kickassbaker #cerealmilk #cookies #fruitypebbles #cereal #whitechocolatechips #breakfasttreats #cookierecipes #fruitypebblerecipes
      Fruity Pebbles Cookies with White Chocolate Chips
    • chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips
      White Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cookies
    • close up of a malt ball cookie
      Malt Ball Cookies
    • stack of brown sugar cookies with a cookie leaning against the stack
      Brown Sugar Cookies
    Oatmeal Cookies from Milk Bar Life cookbook | kickassbaker.com #milkbar #milkbarlife #oatmealcookies #grandmasoatmealcookies #withcoconut #cookies #kickassbaker

    My Grandma's Oatmeal Cookies from Christina Tosi's Milk Bar Life

    These aren't your typical oatmeal cookies. No raisins (woo hoo!), just the right level of sweetness, and crackly on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. There will be not a single leftover (except for your full bag of raisins) after baking up a batch. PS This recipe comes from Christina Tosi's Milk Bar Life cookbook of amazingness.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Course: All Recipes, Dessert, Snacks
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 18 servings
    Calories: 247kcal
    Author: Kimberlee Ho
    US Customary - Metric

    Ingredients

    • 14 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
    • ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
    • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs room temperature
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 2 ¼ cups old fashioned oats
    • 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut optional
    • ½ cup powdered sugar
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
    • Combine the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
    • Mix on high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
    • Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated, about 1 minute.
    • Add the flour, oats, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and coconut, if using, and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds.
    • Put the powdered sugar in a small bowl.
    • Scoop and roll the dough between your palms into golf-ball-sized balls.
    • Toss in the bowl of powdered sugar until completely covered and arrange the cookies 2 to 3 inches apart on the lined baking sheet.
    • Bake the cookies for 9 to 10 minutes until golden brown and crackled.
    • Let cool completely on pans.

    Notes

    • Recipe from Milk Bar Life by Christina Tossi

    Nutrition

    Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 32.4g | Protein: 3.4g | Fat: 11.1g | Saturated Fat: 7.2g | Cholesterol: 44.4mg | Sodium: 243.3mg | Fiber: 1.8g | Sugar: 16.2g
    Did you make this recipe?Tag @kickassbaker on Instagram so I can see!

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    Oatmeal Cookies from Milk Bar Life cookbook | kickassbaker.com #milkbar #milkbarlife #oatmealcookies #grandmasoatmealcookies #withcoconut #cookies #kickassbaker

    Filed Under

    CookiesIntermediate
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      Comments

    1. Shelly

      July 09, 2018 at 4:39 pm

      5 stars
      These look awesome - I am not a fan of coconut but willing to try because of the difference in the look of the cookies in your pic!

      Reply
      • Kim

        July 09, 2018 at 7:27 pm

        Definitely give them a try! You don't taste the coconut nor does the texture of the coconut come through.

        Reply
    2. Sheri Taylor

      July 11, 2018 at 12:02 pm

      Hi! Have you had anyone do a low carb or GF version yet? Might try this at some point. BTW! Love that these a minus Raisins! Can't stand those suckers.

      Reply
      • Kim

        July 11, 2018 at 3:08 pm

        Hi Sheri! A gluten-free version of these is a great idea. You can easily substitute gluten-free oats for the old fashioned oats. As far as low carb, that might be a bit trickier for this recipe but still doable. Maybe substitute the sugars for lower carb versions and use unsweetened coconut instead of sweetened. Give it a shot and let us know how they come out!

        Reply
    3. Christy

      July 12, 2018 at 2:15 pm

      Those look delicious! I love to bake and I'm going to try them. Hey, one question...do you not like raisins?? 😂😂😂

      Reply
      • Kim

        July 12, 2018 at 2:54 pm

        Thanks, Christy! They are 🙂 I actually do like raisins and I like oatmeal raisin cookies, too, but they're not my favorite... And I know a lot of others who also do not like raisins, particularly kids! So I wanted to share an oatmeal cookie recipe that does not have raisins since you typically see oatmeal raisin a lot. Thx for asking!

        Reply
    4. Rebecca

      July 12, 2018 at 2:27 pm

      Oatmeal cookies are my favorite! I love chewy oatmeal cookies too.

      Reply
      • Kim

        July 12, 2018 at 2:54 pm

        Thx Rebecca! You'll love these, too!

        Reply
    5. Leanna

      July 13, 2018 at 1:05 am

      Wow this looks yummy! I bet my kids would love this 😊

      Reply
      • Kim

        July 17, 2018 at 8:58 pm

        Thanks, Leanna! I betcha they'd love it too 🙂

        Reply
    6. Sharon

      May 24, 2019 at 7:15 pm

      5 stars
      Made these today, stunning! Easy to make and really tasty. I split half mixture as is which are yummy and added some mini choc chips to other half. Both good but I prefer original recipe. Thanks for passing this recipe on...I've made crack pie a couple of times, now these cookies next is the birthday cake and the confetti cookies. Thanks again for this fab recipe I highly recommend it!

      Reply
      • Kim

        May 24, 2019 at 11:09 pm

        So happy you enjoyed them, Sharon! Love how you experimented with the add-ins. Happy baking!

        Reply

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