Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
These Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are super soft, thick, and loaded with oats and raisins. These cookies are easy to make and so delicious!
Is there anything better than a soft, thick, and chewy cookie? I’ve always been a huge fan of oatmeal cookies because there’s so many different things you can mix into them and they’re always delicious.
I originally published this oatmeal raisin cookie recipe back in 2017 and they’ve been a huge reader favorite! I decided it was finally time to update this recipe with more instructions and pictures so you can see just how easy they are to make.
If you love raisins, I guarantee this is the best oatmeal raisin cookie recipe you will ever try. And don’t worry, if you don’t like raisins you can easily leave them out or replace them with something else!
Recipe Ingredients
These easy oatmeal raisin cookies use simple ingredients that you may already have on hand! Let’s discuss each ingredient and why it’s crucial to this recipe:
- All-Purpose Flour: This provides the structure for your cookies so that they maintain their shape and hold up once they’re baked. When it comes to measuring your flour, make sure to spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. Too much flour can lead to cookies that won’t spread in the oven.
- Ground Cinnamon: I use ground cinnamon in all of my oatmeal cookies. Feel free to increase the amount if you love cinnamon!
- Baking Soda & Salt: The baking soda lifts the cookies and the salt enhances all of the flavors.
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats: Rolled oats are best in oatmeal cookies because they provide a chewier texture.
- Butter: As always, I used unsalted butter in these cookies. If you only have salted butter on hand, just reduce the salt to a tiny pinch. Your butter should also be softened to a cool room temperature.
- Sugar: I use a mix of brown sugar and granulated sugar in all of my oatmeal cookies. The brown sugar adds moisture and flavor to the cookies and also makes them chewier. The granulated sugar helps the cookies spread as they bake in the oven.
- Egg: The egg helps bind everything together. I suggest using a room temperature egg for best results.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: For a little extra flavor.
- Raisins: There’s one cup of raisins in these cookies so that you get some in every single bite. If you’re not a fan of raisins, you can omit them or replace them with something else.
How To Make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
To make the cookie dough, you’ll start by whisking together the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt. Then, stir in your rolled oats and set the mixture aside.
Next, mix up the wet ingredients. To start, beat your softened butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until they’re well combined. The amount of time will depend on whether you’re using a stand mixer or a handheld mixer, but it should take about 1 to 2 minutes.
Next, beat in your egg and vanilla extract. I suggest stopping to scrape down the sides of your bowl and then mixing one more time. At this point, your mixture should look like the picture above on the left.
Once the wet ingredients are well combined, add the dry ingredients and mix them in until just combined. Then, toss in your raisins and mix them in on low-speed or gently fold them in with a rubber spatula until they’re fully incorporated. The finished cookie dough will look like the picture above on the right.
I also suggest covering the cookie dough with some plastic wrap and chilling it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This extra step will allow the oats time to absorb some of the moisture so the cookies don’t spread too much when they bake.
Once the dough has chilled, line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and scoop 1.5 tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough onto the baking sheets. Then, gently press down each ball of cookie dough just slightly.
These oatmeal raisin cookies will take about 10 to 12 minutes in the oven. You’ll know they’re done when the edges are lightly browned and the tops of your cookies are set.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use quick oats?
I recommend using old-fashioned rolled oats because they will make the cookies chewier. However, you can replace them with the same amount of quick oats.
Why are my cookies not spreading in the oven?
There are a couple of things that could prevent your cookies from not spreading in the oven. First, it’s crucial to measure your flour correctly with the spoon and level method. Too much flour can lead to cookies that don’t spread.
It’s also important to slightly flatten each ball of cookie dough before baking them in the oven. This will help them spread some as they are baking!
Can I freeze this cookie dough?
Yes, this cookie dough freezes really well! I recommend lining a baking sheet with parchment paper, scooping the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet, and slightly flattening each ball of cookie dough. Freeze for 1 to 2 hours, then transfer the frozen cookie dough to a large freezer bag. You can bake the cookie dough from frozen, just add an additional 1 to 2 minutes to the baking time.
Baking Tips
- You may prepare the cookie dough, cover it tightly, and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. If the cookie dough is too hard to scoop, let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes and that should make it easier.
- If you want to make more cookies, you can easily double this recipe to make about 4 dozen.
- Want to soak your raisins? I personally skip this step, but if you want the raisins to be more plump in the cookies, simply place them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes. Once they’re ready, drain them and blot them really well with a paper towel before mixing them into the cookie dough.
- If you want your cookies to spread a bit more, you can press them down more like in the video below!
More Classic Cookie Recipes To Try!
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Classic No-Bake Cookies
Video Tutorial
Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 cups (150 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter (softened)
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (150 grams) raisins
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the old-fashioned rolled oats and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for 1 to 2 minutes or until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients and continue mixing on low speed until just combined, then mix in the raisins.
- Cover the cookie dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Once the dough is chilled, remove it from the refrigerator. Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough and drop onto the prepared baking sheets. Roll the cookie dough into balls and very gently press down with your hand to flatten each ball of cookie dough slightly. Make sure to leave a little room between each ball of cookie dough as they will spread a little while they bake.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden brown and the tops are set. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack cool completely.
Notes
When I made them before the mixture was like dough and it doesn’t spread out when baked so need to be flattened or will end up soft and cakey. I also used only a tiny bit of bicarb soda and jumbo raisins (Fresh fruit burst and make them soft)
This time used less bicarb soda and chilled them in the fridge before flattening them well ask mixture was a big cakey and almost tricky to roll into balls. Baked them at 160’C for nearly 20 minutes and waited unto see if they hardened when cool. They didn’t spread and some bits were golden, crunchy, crispy and chewy but some parts and underneath were still soft and almost spongy like cake and they seem to have lots of tiny speckled holes in them
Found that they become firmer, harden and chewier after being in the fridge, Will make them again but with a few changes
Substituted spends for both sugars but came excellent and super chewy .. needed to bake almost 20 minutes though..
My new go to cookie recipe, i used currants instead of raisins because that’s just my preference and worked great. Cannot overemphasize how delicious these are. YUM!!!
doubled it and it did not work for some reason. cookies were flat with holes. It seemed to lack flour?!?
I’ve doubled this recipe many times and it works just fine. It sounds like you either used too much butter or not enough flour/oats. Did you double check all of the measurements you used to make sure you doubled everything correctly?
My new go to oatmeal cookie recipe! I subbed the raisins for chocolate chips and they turned out perfect. I did bake them for 14 minutes until the edges got a bit golden and they were soft & chewy. So good!
I make these cookies all the time!! My #2 son was in and out of the Mayo Clinic and after he had his chemo treatments this was about the only thing he could stomach. I would make 5-6 batches at a time and ship them to him. The box was always decorated with Cookie Monster drawn on it with a message to him. Once he received it, his wife would break it down into quart bags and freeze them so that they would always stay fresh. My friends enjoy them too and are a staple request in my Christmas cookie collection.
Thank you, Denise! I’m so glad your son and everyone else loved these cookies.
Delicious
Deeelicious! I do not recommend making these when trying to lose weight, as I did! I ended up having to bake them for about 13 minutes, then realized I should have flattened them more. Squished them down a bit more and baked for another minute. Perfect! I also made a batch without raisins for my picky daughter. I need to wait until I lose more weight before making them again. 🙂
I use ripened bananas to cut back on sugar and to make it chewier and even more flavourful… and added some dark chocolate chips along with the usual oatmeal and raisins. Delicious!
I have always used the recipe on the oats container but wanted to try something different. I am so glad I did. These cookies are moist and chewy but also taste delicious. I left the dough to chill for about 36 hours. This was not intentional but I am glad I did. The oats absorbed some of the moisture in the mix and just added another level of yumminess for me. I love raisins on my oatmeal cookies but next time I will scale back on them just a smidge.
Not my favourite recipe for oatmeal raisin. They are too “cakey” for lack of a better description. They don’t flatten out at all, even after using a fork to flatten before putting in the oven. Flavour is okay, but I prefer a more flat cookie with crispy edge and chewy centre. These are quite dry and mounded.
I used this recipe awhile back, and today I’m about to bake another batch. Great flavor and sooooo chewy!! Thank you!!!
Delicious recipe. I added some walnuts to it and they were amazing.
I have made these so many times now – sometimes with chocolate chips instead! The only thing I find is that the first few come out really well, and then the second and third batches (I have a small oven) look flatter and less cookie-like. Not sure if it’s because the dough is more chilled when the first batch goes in?
Anyway GREAT recipe and would absolutely recommend.
Delicious! decreased raisins by 1/4 cup, increased baking time to 13 min because I chilled the dough overnight.
For those that asked for macros:
For 25 cookies, each has 95 calories, 4g fat, 12.5g carbs, and 1.5g protein
Thank you for that! Obviously I could work out out myself, but it’s nice not to have to, haha.
Yum! I erred on the side of chewy and went a little over 11 minutes. Didn’t change anything except for hand mixing instead of using an electric mixer. I doubled the recipie and have some portioned out to freeze for next time.
These are my favorite ones to make! Do you know the macros? Thanks!
I don’t include nutrition information because it would only be an estimate and can vary based on the number of servings you get, the ingredients you use, etc. I recommend using an online calculator (like My Fitness Pal) with your exact ingredients, servings, etc, so that you can get a more accurate estimate.
I followed the recipe as is and they turned out perfect! I did soak the raisins and also baked the cookies on the middle rack on air for 9 minutes. Thank you! This will now be my go-to recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies!
I am going to make these. Has anyone used cran raisins? Did you soak them?
Yes, it’s fine to use them in this recipe! You can feel free to soak them in water, but it’s not necessary.
Love oatmeal and raisin cookies, these worked a treat. Rolled up the rest into balls, flattened a bit as you suggest and froze so I can make a half dozen at a time and they’re always fresh. Great dipped into coffee or tea! Thanks! (I notice not many comments are from other men…
I did soak my raisins and I used instant oats. Perfect! I baked 12 minutes, let set on pan about 30 seconds, then moved to cooling rack. Made 27 cookies. Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m not too much of a baker. But these turned out amazing. So straight forward. Would definitely recommend!!
Why would these cookies go hard after they are cooked
They were likely over baked. If you make them again, just be sure to use a light baking sheet (darker ones can cause cookies to bake faster) and it may be helpful to check your oven temperature with an oven thermometer.
These were super delicious! I added a 1/2 tsp of baking powder (just because I had it out…), and some white chocolate chips (also had those out). And some almond extract because that’s a personal preference. They are delicious!
Could you substitute butter with applesauce
I don’t recommend it for this recipe.
MY FAMILY LOVED IT, it was the talk of the household <3 <3 thank you!! God Bless! Making this for the Back-To-School Potluck!
Perfect. I add choc chips and toffee chips with 1/4 cup applesauce to make the dough not so dry. I also double the recipe.
Thanks for your comment. I’m going to make these today and thought of adding a bit of homemade applesauce. I was just looking through the comments to see if anyone else had tried that.