Oatmeal Cookies Lab · Decision tree
Find your oatmeal cookie
Three questions sort all 499 recipes into 8 groups. Each question is about one of the ingredients recipes disagree on most, and splits the recipes in front of it at their own median, so each answer keeps about half of them. Every group ends with its median recipe in grams and the real recipes nearest it.
The questions
Question 1
More oats than most, or fewer?
Oats absorb moisture and give chew; recipes with more oats than flour are hearty and thick, fewer make a cookie closer to chocolate chip.
All 499 recipes: median 85% of the flour weight, 160 g per 190 g of flour; middle half 64% to 122%.
Question 2
More egg than most, or less?
Egg holds the oats together; an extra yolk makes a chewier cookie.
All 499 recipes: median 40% of the flour weight, 75 g per 190 g of flour; middle half 29% to 52%; 10% use none.
Asked within each answer to question 1, split at the median of the recipes that gave it.
Question 3
More fat than most, or less?
Butter controls spread and richness; melted butter gives a chewier, flatter cookie than creamed.
All 499 recipes: median 91% of the flour weight, 175 g per 190 g of flour; middle half 74% to 116%.
Asked within each answer to question 2, split at the median of the recipes that gave it.
The key
Read left to right: pick an answer to question 1, then one of the answers beside it for question 2, and so on to a group. Each cell gives the answer, its bound in grams per 100 g of flour, and how many recipes give it.
| 1. Oats | 2. Egg | 3. Fat | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moreover 85%251 | Moreover 46%120 | More121% or more65 | A65 |
| Lessunder 121%55 | B55 | ||
| Less46% or less131 | More92% or more68 | C68 | |
| Lessunder 92%63 | D63 | ||
| Fewer85% or less248 | More36% or more112 | Moreover 91%30 | E30 |
| Less91% or less82 | F82 | ||
| Lessunder 36%136 | Moreover 74%68 | G68 | |
| Less74% or less68 | H68 |
The 8 groups
Each median recipe is the median of every ingredient over the group's recipes, scaled to 190 g of flour, beside the typical batch of all 499. Bold rows are the ingredients the questions asked about.
Group A · 65 recipes · 13% of all
More oats, more egg and more fat
Oats over 85%, egg over 46% and fat 121% or more of the flour weight.
| At 190 g flour | Group A | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 190 g | 190 g |
| Oats | 245 g | 160 g |
| Fat | 230 gabout 1 cup | 175 g |
| Sugar | 325 gabout 1 2/3 cups | 255 g |
| Egg | 100 gabout 2 large eggs | 75 g |
| Leavening | 6 g | 6 g |
| Salt | 3 g | 2.5 g |
Bake350°F (175°C) for about 11 minutes, the medians of the 59 recipes here that state a temperature and the 62 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group A
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies · mybakingaddiction.comoats 128% · egg 53% · fat 121%
- Spiced Oatmeal Raisin Cookies · momontimeout.comoats 128% · egg 53% · fat 121%
- Oatmeal Pudding Cookies Recipe · crazyforcrust.comoats 129% · egg 54% · fat 122%
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies Recipe · crazyforcrust.comoats 138% · egg 54% · fat 122%
- The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe Ever · 12tomatoes.comoats 128% · egg 53% · fat 121%
Group B · 55 recipes · 11% of all
More oats, more egg and less fat
Oats over 85%, egg over 46% and fat under 121% of the flour weight.
| At 190 g flour | Group B | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 190 g | 190 g |
| Oats | 240 g | 160 g |
| Fat | 205 gabout 1 cup | 175 g |
| Sugar | 295 gabout 1 1/2 cups | 255 g |
| Egg | 100 gabout 2 large eggs | 75 g |
| Leavening | 6 g | 6 g |
| Salt | 3 g | 2.5 g |
Bake350°F (175°C) for about 11 minutes, the medians of the 53 recipes here that state a temperature and the 55 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group B
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe · lecremedelacrumb.comoats 128% · egg 53% · fat 121%
- Maple Glazed Oatmeal Cookies · baking-sense.comoats 133% · egg 47% · fat 107%
- Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies · baking-sense.comoats 133% · egg 47% · fat 107%
- Chewy Oatmeal M&M Cookies · sallysbakingaddiction.comoats 136% · egg 53% · fat 120%
- White Chocolate Chip Cherry Oatmeal Cookies · sallysbakingaddiction.comoats 136% · egg 53% · fat 120%
Group C · 68 recipes · 13% of all
More oats, less egg and more fat
Oats over 85%, egg 46% or less and fat 92% or more of the flour weight. 13 of the 68 use no egg.
| At 190 g flour | Group C | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 190 g | 190 g |
| Oats | 215 g | 160 g |
| Fat | 195 gabout 3/4 cup | 175 g |
| Sugar | 285 gabout 1 1/2 cups | 255 g |
| Egg | 75 gabout 1 1/2 large eggs | 75 g |
| Leavening | 5 g | 6 g |
| Salt | 2.5 g | 2.5 g |
Bake350°F (175°C) for about 12 minutes, the medians of the 57 recipes here that state a temperature and the 66 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group C
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Apple Oatmeal Cookies · bakedbyanintrovert.comoats 110% · egg 46% · fat 99%
- Old Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies · bakedbyanintrovert.comoats 110% · egg 46% · fat 99%
- Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies · baking-sense.comoats 125% · egg 44% · fat 100%
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe · shugarysweets.comoats 110% · egg 46% · fat 104%
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies · shugarysweets.comoats 110% · egg 46% · fat 104%
Group D · 63 recipes · 12% of all
More oats, less egg and less fat
Oats over 85%, egg 46% or less and fat under 92% of the flour weight. 8 of the 63 use no egg.
| At 190 g flour | Group D | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 190 g | 190 g |
| Oats | 185 g | 160 g |
| Fat | 170 gabout 3/4 cup | 175 g |
| Sugar | 260 gabout 1 1/3 cups | 255 g |
| Egg | 75 gabout 1 1/2 large eggs | 75 g |
| Leavening | 6 g | 6 g |
| Salt | 2.5 g | 2.5 g |
Bake350°F (175°C) for about 11 minutes, the medians of the 60 recipes here that state a temperature and the 61 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group D
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Toffee Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies · houseofnasheats.comoats 97% · egg 41% · fat 92%
- Banana Oatmeal Cookies · 12tomatoes.comoats 96% · egg 40% · fat 91%
- Oatmeal Cookies · tasteandtellblog.comoats 96% · egg 40% · fat 91%
- Oatmeal Apple Cookies · 12tomatoes.comoats 112% · egg 40% · fat 91%
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies · sugarspunrun.comoats 96% · egg 40% · fat 91%
Group E · 30 recipes · 6% of all
Fewer oats, more egg and more fat
Oats 85% or less, egg 36% or more and fat over 91% of the flour weight.
| At 190 g flour | Group E | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 190 g | 190 g |
| Oats | 125 g | 160 g |
| Fat | 215 gabout 1 cup | 175 g |
| Sugar | 305 gabout 1 1/2 cups | 255 g |
| Egg | 90 gabout 2 large eggs | 75 g |
| Leavening | 5 g | 6 g |
| Salt | 3 g | 2.5 g |
Bake350°F (175°C) for about 12 minutes, the medians of the 28 recipes here that state a temperature and the 30 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group E
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Toffee Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookie Skillet · bromabakery.comoats 58% · egg 48% · fat 109%
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies · beyondfrosting.comoats 69% · egg 48% · fat 108%
- Crispy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies · bakeschool.comoats 60% · egg 40% · fat 92%
- Thin & Crispy Oatmeal Cookies · delish.comoats 78% · egg 56% · fat 126%
- Chewy Cinnamon Pecan Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies · anediblemosaic.comoats 64% · egg 53% · fat 121%
Group F · 82 recipes · 16% of all
Fewer oats, more egg and less fat
Oats 85% or less, egg 36% or more and fat 91% or less of the flour weight.
| At 190 g flour | Group F | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 190 g | 190 g |
| Oats | 120 g | 160 g |
| Fat | 160 gabout 3/4 cup | 175 g |
| Sugar | 230 gabout 1 1/4 cups | 255 g |
| Egg | 75 gabout 1 1/2 large eggs | 75 g |
| Leavening | 6 g | 6 g |
| Salt | 2.5 g | 2.5 g |
Bake350°F (175°C) for about 11 minutes, the medians of the 71 recipes here that state a temperature and the 75 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group F
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Crispy Oatmeal Coconut Cookies · bettycrocker.comoats 64% · egg 40% · fat 91%
- Iced Oatmeal Cookies · twopeasandtheirpod.comoats 64% · egg 40% · fat 91%
- Craisy Oatmeal Cookies · foodnetwork.comoats 64% · egg 40% · fat 91%
- Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies · bakingamoment.comoats 43% · egg 36% · fat 91%
- Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies · thesaltymarshmallow.comoats 64% · egg 40% · fat 91%
Group G · 68 recipes · 13% of all
Fewer oats, less egg and more fat
Oats 85% or less, egg under 36% and fat over 74% of the flour weight. 15 of the 68 use no egg.
| At 190 g flour | Group G | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 190 g | 190 g |
| Oats | 110 g | 160 g |
| Fat | 170 gabout 3/4 cup | 175 g |
| Sugar | 240 gabout 1 1/4 cups | 255 g |
| Egg | 50 gabout 1 large egg | 75 g |
| Leavening | 4.5 g | 6 g |
| Salt | 2 g | 2.5 g |
Bake350°F (175°C) for about 12 minutes, the medians of the 55 recipes here that state a temperature and the 67 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group G
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies (aka Oatmeal Scotchies) · anediblemosaic.comoats 71% · egg 29% · fat 85%
- Better than Grandma's Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies · thecafesucrefarine.comoats 64% · egg 24% · fat 81%
- Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies · modernhoney.comoats 43% · egg 36% · fat 81%
- Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies · modernhoney.comoats 43% · egg 36% · fat 81%
- The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies · modernhoney.comoats 43% · egg 36% · fat 81%
Group H · 68 recipes · 13% of all
Fewer oats, less egg and less fat
Oats 85% or less, egg under 36% and fat 74% or less of the flour weight. 18 of the 68 use no egg.
| At 190 g flour | Group H | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 190 g | 190 g |
| Oats | 95 g | 160 g |
| Fat | 125 gabout 1/2 cup | 175 g |
| Sugar | 205 gabout 1 cup | 255 g |
| Egg | 50 gabout 1 large egg | 75 g |
| Leavening | 4 g | 6 g |
| Salt | 2 g | 2.5 g |
Bake350°F (175°C) for about 12 minutes, the medians of the 61 recipes here that state a temperature and the 64 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group H
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Big Fat Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies · sallysbakingaddiction.comoats 56% · egg 33% · fat 74%
- Ultimate Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies · thebakingchocolatess.comoats 38% · egg 32% · fat 73%
- Banana Oatmeal Cookies · spendwithpennies.comoats 46% · egg 23% · fat 69%
- Chocolate Toffee Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cherries · completelydelicious.comoats 33% · egg 33% · fat 57%
- Thick Chewy Oatmeal Cookies · bakeschool.comoats 51% · egg 27% · fat 61%
How the questions are chosen
Each ingredient is ranked by how much recipes disagree on it: the width of the middle half of recipes (25th to 75th percentile) divided by the median, less 4% for each place it sits down this lab's list of ingredients, so the ones that define the dish win near ties. For oatmeal cookies the order is oats (0.68), egg (0.55), fat (0.46), leavening (0.52) and sugar (0.39), and the first 3 are asked. Salt is never asked about: recipes differ on it mostly by brand and taste.
Every split is at the median of the recipes in front of it, rounded to the percentage shown. Recipes exactly at the median go to whichever side leaves the two halves more even. No answer may keep fewer than 5 recipes; a group that could not be split further says so.
The recipes listed under each group are the 5 nearest its median on every ingredient at once, each scaled by how much recipes vary on it. Every recipe page links to the original for the method.