The Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
This classic oatmeal raisin cookie is sweet, chewy, and packed with juicy raisins. With a chewy texture and soft interior, it's a sweet and chewy cookie that will get even the oatmeal raisin cookie haters to love it.
Why I think this is the Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe
With that said, I've been spending my free time developing new recipes for you guys. I spent the better part of a Saturday making soooooo many versions of cookie recipes in hopes of giving you guys the best of the best this holiday season. I'm here to tell you, this is the winner of the Oatmeal Raisin category! The texture, the sweetness, the oatmeal-to-raisin ratio, it's all spot on. My husband is a pretty big oatmeal raisin fan so he got to be a taste tester. For all the other cookies, my friend Emily is getting the extras. Let me tell you, I definitely dropped off about 6 zippies full of cookies the other weekend and she wasn't mad about it! Let's hope she keeps that mind set through the season because she's going to be getting a whole lot more!
With this recipe, your cookies will be nice and soft and remain chewy for several days. I also didn't include nuts in my recipe, only because my husband doesn't like nuts in his cookies or breads so I opted to leave them out. Feel free to add in pecans or walnuts to yours. I would use about ⅓ cup chopped if you decide to take that route.
Why Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are better than Chocolate Chip
The best reason that oatmeal raisin cookies are better than chocolate chip cookies is that they are inherently consistent. Oftentimes, when you get oatmeal raisin cookies, you get a similar texture, consistency, and flavor profile. It’s hard to achieve that with chocolate chip cookies. Depending on where you buy them, they could be anything from crispy to chewy. They can also be fluffy & cakey or flat and hard. While chocolate chip cookies vary widely between bakers, bakeries, and home cooks, oatmeal raisin cookies are often pretty consistent.
Ingredients for Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Unsalted Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Molasses
- Eggs
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Ground Cinnamon
- Salt
- Old Fashioned Oats
- Raisins
What makes cookies chewy?
The amount of brown sugar and fat in a recipe will determine how chewy a cookie is.
What are the best oats for oatmeal cookies?
I prefer old fashioned oats in oatmeal cookies. This is because they take longer to cook so they hold their texture better. You’ll avoid having a mushy cookie and instead have a good oat texture when they are finished.
Easy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe Add-ins and Variations
Some fun add-ins for oatmeal raisin cookies include: m&ms, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, pecans, coconut, cranberries, raspberries, and peanut butter.
How to make soft and chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- In your stand mixer, add the butter and sugars. Cream together until it's light and fluffy.
- Add in the vanilla and molasses, and mix for about 30 seconds.
- Add in the eggs, mix on high for about 2 minutes.
- In a separate large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until combined.
- Add in the oatmeal and raisins, mixing between each to combine.
- Remove the mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
- After chilling, remove from the refrigerator and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350° and line your baking sheet with a Silpat.
- Scoop balls of dough with a standard cookie scoop and place about 1 ½ inches apart on to your baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Once you remove from the oven, allow the cookies to rest and cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe FAQs
I do not soak my raisins in my oatmeal raisin cookies.
Yes, you should chill the oatmeal cookie dough for 1 hour before making your cookies.
Over mixing the dough is often the reason for cookies getting hard. This is because it develops the gluten in the flour. Also be sure you are measuring your ingredients properly and not adding too much flour.
Be sure to store your oatmeal cookies in an airtight container in order to keep them soft.
You can freeze oatmeal cookie dough. I recommend forming your cookie dough balls first and then freezing. That way, when it’s time to bake, you can take them straight from the freezer to the oven.
Yes, you can freeze oatmeal cookies. Be sure to let them cool to room temperature and then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months.
You can make oatmeal cookies gluten free. By replacing the all purpose flour with a gluten free flour, you’ll have gluten free cookies. The remaining ingredients are naturally gluten free.
Your cookies may not be spreading if the dough is too cold. When the dough is too cold, the cookies will begin to set before the butter is able to melt.
How to Store Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Allow the cookies to cool completely and place them in an airtight container. They will last on the counter top up to 5 days when stored properly.
Enjoy!
Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temp
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
- In your stand mixer, add the butter and sugars. Cream together until it's light and fluffy.
- Add in the vanilla and molasses, and mix for about 30 seconds.
- Add in the eggs, mix on high for about 2 minutes.
- In separate large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until combined.
- Add in the oatmeal and raisins, mixing between each to combine.
- Remove mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
- After chilling, remove from refrigerator and allow dough to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350° and line your baking sheet with a Silpat.
- Scoop balls of dough with a standard cookie scoop and place about 1 ½ inches apart on to your baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Once you remove from the oven, allow the cookies to rest and cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- WW Freestyle Points: 6/cookie
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