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Thick and chewy, this is truly the ultimate Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe! Stir together a batch of these old-fashioned favorites and share a simple treat with your loved ones. They’re an easy dessert that disappears fast!
I cannot even count how many different batches of cookies I baked in my attempt to land on the perfect oatmeal raisin cookie recipe! It seems like such a simple task, but this particular treat proved to be quite the baking challenge. I wanted a thick, chewy cookie that would be slightly crisp on the outside, but soft and buttery on the inside.
By tweaking the types of oats that I used, the spices, the different types of sugar, the ratio of oats to flour, and the chilled versus room temperature dough — the options are endless! I can confidently say, though — the messy kitchen and the time (and frustration) spent toiling was worth the effort…because this easy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe is absolutely the BEST!
Who invented Oatmeal Raisin Cookies?
Quick history lesson, because you know that I love a good story behind a recipe! Apparently oatmeal raisin cookies evolved from oat cakes, which were a plain flatbread made centuries ago by the British and Scots. Raisins and nuts were added around the middle ages, and the first Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe was written by Fannie Merritt Farmer in 1896. These cookies were considered “health food,” and by the early 1900’s every container of Quaker Oats included a recipe for Quaker Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (which are good, but not as thick and chewy as these)!
How to make an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe from scratch:
These cookies come together with just a handful of pantry staples. That means that you can stir together the dough any time a craving strikes!
Ingredients for soft and chewy oatmeal cookies:
- Salted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder, baking soda, salt
- Cinnamon
- Old-fashioned oats
- Raisins
This is a really basic cookie dough, which starts with creaming together the butter and the brown sugar in a stand mixer. Beat in the egg and vanilla, and then gradually add the dry ingredients.
Cover the bowl and chill the dough for about 1 hour. Waiting is the hardest part, but it’s worth it!
Finally, use a scoop to drop the dough onto baking sheets. Bake the cookies in a 350 degree F oven for about 12 minutes, or just until they’re lightly browned.
The cookies will probably still look soft in the middle, but that’s fine — it helps to keep them soft and chewy when they cool!
Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations — Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe:
- Can you use quick oats for oatmeal cookies? I recommend using Quaker Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats in this recipe, which gives the cookies a nice texture and chew. Quick oats would probably work as well; however I do not recommend using steel cut oats.
- Try different mix-in’s! You need a total of 1 cup of mix-in’s, so use any combination of Craisins (or other dried cranberries), chocolate chips, white chocolate chips or chopped nuts.
- Why do my oatmeal raisin cookies go flat? There are a variety of reasons that cookies become flat when baking. It can be an issue with the recipe itself (for instance, a higher butter-to-flour ratio will yield a flatter cookie). It’s also important to chill the dough before baking, because the cold dough will not spread as much as room temperature dough when baked. Remember to make sure that your oven temperature is accurate, and use cool baking sheets (never put dough on a warm baking sheet).
- How do you store oatmeal raisin cookies? Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will last on the counter for about 3 days.
- Can oatmeal raisin cookies be frozen? To extend the life of your cookies, wrap them tightly and freeze them for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the cookie dough before baking. This dough freezes best if you portion it into dough balls before freezing. Arrange the dough balls on baking sheets, freeze, and then wrap tightly in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. When ready to bake, just pull a couple of frozen dough balls from the oven and bake in a 350 degree F oven. You’ll need to add about 1-2 more minutes to the baking time since you’re starting with frozen dough.
- How to make oatmeal raisin cookies soft and chewy: Remove the cookies from the oven when they’re just slightly browned (but still look a bit soft in the middle). They will firm up as they cool, but they will remain soft and chewy. If want a crispy oatmeal raisin cookie, bake these longer than the recommended 12 minutes. Finally, it’s important that you don’t over-mix the dough once you add the dry ingredients (which can result in tough, dry cookies).
- Are oatmeal raisin cookies bad for you? Each cookie has less than 100 calories and about 3 grams of fat. While I would not consider these “healthy” food, they can absolutely fit within a healthy diet. This cookie recipe is not Keto, high in fiber, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free or heart healthy.
More oatmeal cookie recipes that you might enjoy:
- Great Grandma’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Easy Oatmeal Cookies with Ginger and Molasses
- Blueberry Muffin Easy Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar at medium speed until fluffy (about 3-4 minutes), scraping the sides of the bowl periodically. Add egg and vanilla extract; beat well.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
- While the mixer is on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture just until combined. Fold in the oats and raisins. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Using a 4-teaspoon spring-loaded scoop, drop dough onto prepared pans. Place the cookie dough about 2 inches apart.
- Bake until cookies are lightly browned, but still slightly soft (about 12 minutes). Let cool on pans for 3 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool completely on wire racks.
Oatmeal raisin cookies are my daughter’s favorite. I will be using your recipe this next week. Thanks because it sounds easy and good!
Wonderful! I hope that she loves them, Christina! 🙂
I have been looking for good cookie recipes, yours are awesome. I to live in Virginia. Keep the recipes coming.
Do you have a cook book that I my by??
Thank you, Debra! I appreciate your kind note, and I always love hearing from other Virginians. It’s a great state that we live in! 🙂
I don’t have a cookbook at this time, so you can find all of my best stuff on the blog for free. Thank you for reading!
All of your experimenting and fine tuning of this recipe is to our advantage. The best oatmeal raisin cookie recipe ever! Your directions also are outstanding for a successful cookie. Making my second batch now for the holidays. When I was looking for many of your other recipes, it was so sweet to see pictures of the boys from 2012, etc.. . Your book and author recommendations are an added treat.
Wishing you and your family a beautiful Christmas and a New Year of health and happiness.
Aw, thank you Jo Ann! It makes me so happy to hear that you enjoy the cookies, too. I have some in the freezer stashed away for next week. Definitely a favorite! And yes — it’s crazy to think how much the boys have changed since 2012! Yikes! 🙂
Love the cookies, a real treat…..I am not a big cookies person, but these are great…..
Thank you, Dianne! So glad that you liked them! 🙂
My cookies taste fabulous! But they didn’t spread out like a cookie, more like a ball! What did I do wrong! I doubled the recipe and did 1 hour fridge time. The dough was stiff so had to roll it in a ball by hand. Then flattened with a fork. But, oh my, do they taste good!
Hi, Kathleen! I’m glad that you like the taste! 🙂 It sounds like maybe your dough was a little too cold, so the cookies didn’t spread as much as usual in the oven. I’ve never had that problem, but if the dough was hard and they stayed round like balls, that’s my best guess. Maybe next time just chill for less time, or let it sit on your counter for a few minutes to soften slightly before baking?
Thank you! Could be my kitchen is colder than yours as I am at that ‘warm’ age! lol
Hi, I used half the sugar, as these are my husband’s favorites, but he is on a low sugar diet. They came out with a fabulous taste, but they were crumbly rather than chewy. You think that maybe for the sugar? They did not spread out much, even though I did not refrigerate them. Any advice? Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Hi, Piera! Yes, changing the amount of sugar will definitely impact the consistency of the cookies. Brown sugar adds a good amount of moisture to the dough, so reducing the sugar will create a dough that’s more dry and crumbly. I would try to add some moisture back to the dough with some extra butter or shortening or an extra egg yolk.
Tried these today did not spread like other recipes, good tasting and not fully cooked at 350 for 12 min more 15 mins. Next time I will try again but maybe flatten a little with fork to make them spread more.
These are the best oatmeal raisin cookies I have had! I followed the recipe exactly and they came out perfectly. Thank you for another great recipe!
Thank you so much, Donna! I’m glad that you enjoyed them!