I was lucky enough to grow up with two grandmas who were amazing cooks and bakers. I’m so glad that I’ve had the chance to learn from them both and ask them questions as I was growing up. My favorite recipes from my dad’s mom are her apple pies, a walnut square she called “Joe’s Breakfast” (that I will be sharing eventually), and her amazing oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. She wrote down the recipe for me when I first moved out on my own and it took me awhile to master it and I would love to pass it on to you.
Grandma’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 1 cup margarine or butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1½ cups flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ cup boiling water
- 2 cups quick rolled oats
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Cream the butter and sugars with the vanilla until light and fluffy. Easily done with a hand-held mixer, but I always use my stand mixer. Then stir together the salt and the flour and then add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix well.
I don’t know why this next step is so important, but I’m convinced it’s why it makes these cookies “the best” and in my younger baking days, I always messed up this step somehow. Boil some water, measure out ¼ of water and add 1 tsp baking soda to that boiling water. Add to the flour mixture and mix well.
Stir in the oats and chocolate chips and spoon onto ungreased baking sheets, according to Grandma. I always like to use parchment or silicone baking sheets just to be sure and they still taste great!
Bake at 350º for 10 – 12 minutes. One of the best parts about this cookie dough is that it is egg-less so if you know someone with an egg allergy this works great for them, and it’s a safe cookie dough to eat…though eggs have never stopped me before!

- 1 cup margarine or butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup boiling water
- 2 cups quick rolled oats
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Beat margarine (or butter; I always prefer margarine in my cookies), brown and white sugars, and a vanilla together until light and fluffy.
- Mix flour and salt together, then add to the sugar mixture and mix well.
- Dissolve the baking soda in ¼ cup boiling water and add to flour mixture.
- Stir in the rolled oats and chocolate chips.
- Drop onto ungreased baking sheet and flatted with a fork if desired (I don't).
- Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes.

Speaking of eating cookie dough, this yields about 36 cookies, depending on how much dough you eat before you bake! I hope you enjoy this recipe, it truly is “the best”, as my Dad would say!

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These look delicious! I've never heard of dissolving baking soda in voiked water, so I'll definitely have to give this recipe a try. Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
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Thanks, Christina! I have no idea why the baking soda is dissolved in boiled water…but all I know is they taste amazing and got Ethan to say "cookie" for the first time! I hope you enjoy!