German Oatmeal Cookies (Haferplätzchen) - Recipes From Europe (2024)

These German Oatmeal Cookies Are So Easy To Make!

Wondering how to make German oatmeal cookies? Just follow this recipe!

Our oatmeal cookies – known as Haferplätzchen or Haferkekse in German – are perfectly golden brown but still plenty chewy on the inside.

Made from a handful of simple ingredients and nothing fancy, these oatmeal cookies are perfect to whip together to enjoy on your own or as a holiday cookie for the dessert platter!

This traditional German cookie is made without a ton of sugar. The result is an oatmeal cookie where you actually get to taste and appreciate the oats.

But don’t worry – this doesn’t mean the texture is overly “grainy”. These cookies are simple and delicious.

A difference between this German oatmeal cookie recipe and North American recipes is the lack of additional ingredients such as raisins which are very popular additions in the United States and Canada.

Oatmeal cookies might not feel like the most German cookie you can make but make no mistake they are huge around the holiday time.

Lisa grew up eating and making oatmeal cookies regularly with her family around the holiday season.

Fun Fact: Oatmeal cookies, in general, are a descendent of the Scottish oatcake – a crispier, flatter baked dessert.

Looking for other great (and easy) German holiday recipes? Have a look at our butter cookies, mulled wine, rum balls, pfeffernüsse, marzipan potatoes, and candied almonds!

How to Make German Oatmeal Cookies – Step by Step

If you’re going to tackle this German oatmeal cookie recipe, you can follow the recipe card at the bottom for step by step instructions.

In case you’re more of a visual learner, you can check out the recipe process photos below. This way, you will know if you are on the right track or not!

Start by melting the butter in a medium-sized pot on the stove.

Once the butter has fully melted, add the oats, coat them with the butter and then remove the pot from the stove. Set it aside for later.

In a large bowl, mix the sugar and the egg with the normal beaters of your electric mixer.

Mix until they have a creamy consistency and the color has gone from orange to slightly lighter.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Give everything a good stir.

Then add your dry ingredients to the bowl with the egg-sugar-mixture in small increments while using your electric mixer on the lowest setting.

Keep mixing until everything is well combined. Then set your mixer aside.

Now fold in the oats with a spatula until everything is well mixed.

Once you are done with this, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

Use one heaping teaspoon of batter per cookie and place it onto the parchment paper.

These oatmeal cookies can spread out pretty large so be sure to leave them ample room to grow in the oven.

Bake the cookies in the oven for around 12 minutes until the edges are starting to brown.

See Also

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Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool.

We recommend that you store these oatmeal cookies in an airtight container with a lid. This way they will keep for around two weeks.