The Best Chewy Oatmeal Gumdrop Christmas Cookies
Holiday Baking Countdown: Festive Treats & Grandpa’s Famous Gumdrop Cookies
This chewy oatmeal gumdrop cookie recipe is a must-try for your holiday baking lineup. Warm oats, cozy cinnamon, and soft, chewy gumdrop pieces come together to create the ultimate nostalgic Christmas cookie. It’s simple, colorful, and unbelievably delicious!
Christmas Dessert Boxes for Gifts
Can you believe Christmas is coming up so soon? I’ll be doing my big baking day in a few weeks. I’m making Oreo balls, oatmeal cream pies, gumdrop cookies, gingerbread bars, sugar cookies, granola, and cinnamon rolls! Why so many sweets? Well, I’m putting together Christmas dessert boxes this year for neighbors and friends. They’ll have a little smorgasbord of my favorites. I was inspired to do this after watching the NYT cooking videos, I’m telling you, they are so addicting. I watched seven hours of them while blogging last week.
Baking Family Recipes at Christmas
Last night, I decided to make my favorite Christmas cookie, my Grandpa’s Gumdrop Cookies! This recipe is a family tradition and a big favorite in our house. Like many old recipes, they tend to evolve over time. After making so many oatmeal cookies over the past few years, I’ve learned to tweak a few ingredients to make them softer, chewier, and all-around better. I made a small change to the recipe last night, and it made a world of difference! If you thought you loved them before, just wait until you try the new and improved version of my Grandpa’s Gumdrop Cookies. Something tells me my grandpa wouldn’t mind a couple of tiny upgrades.
Grumdrops
It instantly feels like Christmas whenever I make Grandpa’s gumdrop cookies. My mom always made these for us when we were little, and I remember picking around the purple gumdrops because they tasted like black licorice. I like them now, but I still leave them out, mostly because of the memory of always picking them out. Eventually, my mom stopped adding the purple ones altogether! And that’s exactly why recipes evolve… you have little picky children (and adults) refusing to eat the purple gumdrops!
Chewy Gumdrop Oatmeal Cookie Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour)
- Old-fashioned oats
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Sea salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Brown sugar, packed
- Cane sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Gumdrops, sliced in half (omit purple if you’re not a fan of black licorice flavor!)
Grandpa’s Chewy Gumdrop Cookies
The recipe makes 40 mini cookies, or you could make 21 double the size of jumbo cookies. I think I’m going to try that on Sunday! I’ll let you know how that works out. These gumdrop cookies are tasty in the morning with coffee or perfect at night with a glass of eggnog.
I made small changes to the original recipe! I cut back on the brown sugar, added cane sugar, and use regular unsalted butter this time.
You can absolutely make some swaps with regular flour, vegan butter, and you can even use an egg substitute!
Easy Recipe Adjustments & Substitutions
One of the things I love about Grandpa’s Gumdrop Cookies is how adaptable they are! Here are a few swaps if you want to customize them:
- Flour: Substitute gluten-free flour for all-purpose flour.
- Butter: Use vegan butter for a dairy-free version.
Chewy Gumdrop Oatmeal Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour Gluten-Free Flour Swap
- 3 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
- 1 1/2 Tsps Baking Soda
- 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
- 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter softened
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar packed
- 3/4 Cup Sugar
- 2 Tsps Vanilla
- 2 Large Eggs
- 3 Cups Gumdrops Sliced in half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees
- In a large bowl, sift together: flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- In an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Slowly mix in the vanilla and egg.
- Keep the mixer on low speed and slowly add in the dry ingredients. Increase the speed gradually until combined.
- Fold in the halved gumdrops. I always keep the purple gumdrops out because not everyone likes the taste of black licorice.
- Add 90g sized drops of dough onto a baking sheet. Keep the cookies about one and a half inches apart.
- Bake 12-15 minutes. They'll be lightly brown around the edges and soft in the center. They'll continue to cook once you take them out of the oven.
More Christmas Dessert Recipes You Will LOVE:
Cranberry Orange Almond Cake with Mascarpone Buttercream
The Best Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls: Easy Overnight Recipe
The Best Peanut Butter Fudge with Oreos
Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies with Chai Latte Buttercream Filling
Soft & Chewy Frosted Gingerbread Cookies
Frosted Gingerbread Muffins
Gingerbread Cookie Bars w Cream Cheese Frosting | GF, DF
Strawberries n’ Cream Pretzel Salad Dessert Recipe
Perfect Royal Icing For Your Sugar Cookies (using egg whites)
I cannot wait for you to try these gumdrop cookies! They are so pretty and tasty and deserve a chance to become a holiday cookie tradition in your home! ♥️ If you’re looking for another great recipe to make this December, try out my latest gingerbread bars! They are a hit right now!
Questions for you!
- What is a family recipe that has been a holiday tradition in your home?
- Are you doing gifts this year?
- Have you ever tried the gumdrop cookies?
These look so good – I love the pastel colours! Thanks for the recipe, Taralynn! ❤️✨
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Thank you!!!
We love finding recipes to enjoy that not everyone knows. This is the PERFECT cookie to enjoy & if there are any left toss them into the cookie tins for the neighbors/friends. We only made 1/2 batch since it was our first time & fully regretting it now!
Awwww thank you for sharing!
Question. Do I need to grease the cookie sheet for gumdrop cookies?
I always place the cookies on parchment, but since the cookies have plenty of butter, greasing the sheet is unnecessary 😊
I just love your “good cheer” mug!!
😊
It’s from Anthropologie
Toasting oatmeal first adds texture and flavor. I always use spice gumdrops, it’s been a favorite of mine for 60 years!
I’ll try to toast the oatmeal next time! Never thought to do that!
We make your recipe every year!
Maybe I’m as old as your Grandpa. 😉 But the original name of these cookies is called Sugar Plum Drops. I started making them as a teenager in the 1970s. It came from a standard cookbook but can’t remember which. Another person called them “Grandma’s Sugar Plum Drops”. The original version used shortening and instead of unsalted butter. I still make it that way. And coconut as an optional add (which most kids dislike so I skip it).