Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe – perfect texture, soft, full of oats, raisins, and nuts. These are the best oatmeal raisin cookies and will surely be your new tried and true oatmeal cookie recipe. It’s a great recipe for old-fashioned oatmeal-raisin cookies with a little cinnamon and raisins.
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OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES RECIPE
I’ve been searching for the perfect chewy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe but every one I tried was either too flat or too cakey. I wanted a soft, a little chewy oatmeal cookies.
After trying probably four recipes I started thinking of my tried and true favorite chewy chocolate chip cookie and thinking about how perfectly chewy it was because of the melted butter in the dough.
So I started with the base of that dough and after several adjustments on raisins, cinnamon, and oatmeal I came up with this. This is a keeper!
INGREDIENTS IN OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
- Butter – real butter makes these delicious.
- Sugar – we use both brown sugar and white sugar here.
- Oats – believe it or not you want to use less oats rather than more oats in a cookie. This yields a chewier cookie. We use old-fashioned rolled oats here not quick oats or instant oats.
- Nuts – you can use pecans or walnuts in these or leave them out completely.
- Raisins – add that sweetness. See tips below on soaking raisins.
- Large Eggs – we use one egg and one egg yolk. This yields a chewy cookie.
- Cinnamon – adds some spice.
- Baking Soda – helps the cookies rise.
- Flour – helps hold the cookie together.
- Vanilla – always use pure vanilla extract.
- Salt – brings out all of the flavors.
HOW TO MAKE OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Melt butter and let cool slightly.
- Mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well blended with an electric mixer. Beat in the ground cinnamon, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk for 2-3 minutes until light and creamy. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just blended. Add the oats, nuts, and raisins. Mix on medium speed until just blended.
- Scoop 1/4 cup balls of cookie dough using a cookie scoop onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes. Do not overbake. The edges should look brown and the centers still slightly soft. Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
TIPS FOR THIS RECIPE
- Make sure you are measuring your flour correctly. Don’t scoop your measuring cup directly into the four as this compacts the flour adding too much flour. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup.
- Melted butter gives the cookies their chewy texture.
- Use parchment paper. It makes your cookies turn out so much better!
- Do not overbake! Cookies will continue to bake as they cool on the baking sheet.
- Each cookie is 1/4 cup. It’s a big cookie and it’s delicious. If you want to make a smaller version, feel free. Just make sure to bake it for less time.
SHOULD I SOAK MY RAISINS?
Although this is not necessary, some bakers believe that you should always soak your raisins in warm water before using them in a recipe so that you have plump raisins. Raisins are dried and will pull moisture from your cookies when baking. If you soak them your cookies will be more moist. Make sure you dry them well after soaking.
OTHER CLASSIC COOKIE RECIPES:
- Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Best Snickerdoodle
- Oatmeal Cream Pies
- Almond Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- No-Bake Cookies
- Classic Sugar Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- S’mores Cookies
- Salty Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft Sugar Cookies
- Sprinkle Cookies
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
This Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe will surely be your new tried and true oatmeal cookie recipe. It's a good thick old-fashioned cookie with a little cinnamon and raisins.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted (1½ sticks)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 heaping cup raisins
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Your cookies turn out so much better with parchment paper. Believe me! Buy some!
- Melt butter and let cool slightly.
- Mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. (See Note on the proper way to measure flour)
- In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the cinnamon, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk for 2-3 minutes until light and creamy. Mix in the flour mixture until just blended. Add the oats, nuts, and raisins. Mix until just blended.
- Place 1/4 cup balls of dough onto parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes. Do not overbake. You can also do smaller cookies just bake for less time. Remember I'm at sea level so if you aren't you may need longer. The edges should look brown and the centers still slightly soft. Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything
Make sure when you measure your flour that you do NOT pack it into the measuring cups. The proper way is to spoon the flour into your measuring cup. This can make the difference between a fluffy and chewy cookie.
Serving: 1grams
I followed this recipe as written, and they are PERECT! Per my husbands request for Oatmeal cookies, and it didn’t fail me. I did save some cookie dough and added 1/4 cp walnuts and 1/4 cp chopped semi sweet choc. Yummmmm! Definitely going to keep this recipe!! Thank You!
So glad!!
I don’t see how much this recipe makes? How many dozen?
About 2 dozen.
Outrageous cookies soft, chewy and delicious. I used 1 stick of butter then substituted 1/4 cup cinnamon applesauce for the remainder, came out wonderful. Will definitely make them again.
Yay!!!
Are you using 1 or 2 cups flour??? Mine came out way too thick! Also, had to bake longer. Great flavor the next day though.
Were you using old fashioned oats?
Came out like a huge biscuit. Not like picture… even following directions exactly.
Did you use old fashioned oats?
Very good cookies. I was careful to measure my flour using the method you suggested (spooned into cup) and my cookies were chewy and looked just like the ones in your photos. Thanks.
YesSSSSSS!!! Thank you for measuring right.
How many cookies does this recipe yield at 1/4 cup dough per cookie?
About 18
Excellentl!
Excellent!!!! I used shortening instead of butter.
By far the best cookie ever. I make them exactly like you said. Yummy!
Mine turned out like biscuits. I did 1.5 cups of flour. Not the chewy recipe I was looking for, but still had great flavor.
Can I substitute rice flour for the regular self rising flour ??
I love your blog and I can’t wait to try this recipe. For me, though, spooning flour into a measuring cup is a mess. Using a kitchen scale has been a game changer for me. It’s neater, more accurate, and requires less cleanup. I realize not everyone has a kitchen scale. I didn’t either, but I have for the last few years and no longer use measuring cups for high-volume dry ingredients like flour and sugar.
This is a great recipe. I had to substitute gluten free flour so I also added a splash of milk because gf flour soaks up so much of the moisture. I added dried blueberries with the raisins. Yum!
AMAZING RECIPIE! My 9yr old and I just made these for the first time tonight. By far THE best cookie recipie I’ve ever tried! I can’t stand hard crunchy cookies. These were just too perfect! The only thing I changed was the 1/4 cup of rolled dough balls. My first batch of cookies were humongous but they still turned out exactly how they were suppose to. I could keep gushing on and on but instead I’m going to go enjoy a few cookies while I watch a movie with my son. I look forward to trying more recipies for different foods and desserts in the near future. Although I really don’t think any other recipie will even come close to how yummy these are! 🍪❤️
This is the 2nd time I have made these! My family loves them, and eats them up! My husband is not a fan of Oatmeal Raisin cookies, however, he loved these!! My daughter HATES raisins so this time, I made them with diced apples in place of Raisins! They are so tasty!!!! Thank you for this recipe!! It is a hit with everyone!
How many cookies per batch does this yield?
About 2 dozen depending on how big you make them.
These cookies turned out great, not chewy but that’s okay, I added 2 eggs instead of the 1 plus a yolk and 1/2 cup more oats , baked for 20 min flattened the balls too, made 40 cookies
2 eggs will make them more cake like and more oats will also make them less chewy. But I am glad you loved them.
a wicked good cookie
Haha. Thank you!
These are the best oatmeal raisin cookies I’ve ever eaten, and I’ve eaten many since there’ll my favorite cookie. I was a little leary making them so big, but they were perfect! Thanks so much for this recipe!
Awesome! I love hearing that!
what is the yield?
about 2 dozen, depends on the size
About 2 dozen.
Making them now. 🤞🏼
Good luck!
too dry-immediately out of oven even after a shorter baking time:( maybe i was looking for a different type of oatmeal raisin cookie? added a lemon wedge to tupperware and hoping for the best. lost all my prize winning recipes in a computer crash and have to rebuild..my bad
Oh no. they should not be dry. Make sure to not overbake or overmeasure the flour or oats.
These cookies are very good. Loved them! The only thing is they don’t spread like other cookies. I suggest flat them with a spoon or bottom of a glass before baking. Other a great recipe!
Yes, they are very thick cookies.
I tried it. It didn’t come out chewy. Any tips? THEY were more crunchy and I used the exact measurements and recipe. It took longer to cook…..they were light in the middle so I had to leave them in longer. But they were good.
They definitely should not be crunchy so i think you baked them too long. they will be light in the center.
Mine aren’t round and flat. Did I do something wrong
They are thick cookies, you can flatten before baking if you want.
These are awesome!! Thank you for another great recipe! We made ours just normal cookie size – about 2 tablespoons each.
The 2nd time I made them, I made a couple modifications and wanted to tell you what I did. I used softened butter instead of melted and also I replaced half a cup of flour with a half cup of spice cake mix. It sounds crazy but we like our oatmeal cookies a little spicier and it really amped the flavor up. Texture is spot on!!! Thank you!!!
You’re welcome!
These are GREAT! Nuff said.
Her chocolate chip cookies are too!!
Thank you Mary!
Delicious! Followed the recipe exactly and then added 1/2 cup coconut. I also added pecans as suggested. YUM . I baked off 2 dozen and froze 2 logs of extra dough for when guests drop in. It’s in my book of favorites! Thank you!
I’m just joining the rest of the people before me in telling you that these are YUMMY! I love every recipe I’ve tried from you, thanks for sharing all the yummy food!
Can these be frozen? I am making them for a graduation party next weekend.
Sure!
These definitely aren’t my perfect oatmeal cookies but this recipe will be the base for monster cookies because they would stand up to big chunks of add ins
We really like these oatmeal cookies!
Thank you!
How many cookies does his recipe make?
It makes around 20!
I made these cookies according to the recipe and they came out puffy. The taste is good. Needless to say I wil not use this recipe again for oatmeal cookies.
I’m sorry these came out puffy for you. Maybe you used too much flour?
I am making these now and they are fluffy, soft and chewy. The only changes I made was to melt 1/2 c butter and 1/4 c bacon grease and I used 1/2 Tbls. vanilla and 1/2 Tbls. rum extract. Super yummy!
Bacon grease? Wow. that’s probably yummy.
I made these twice. Both times following the directions perfectly. They did not flatten out at all. I think the issue may be the word “balls”. I took it to mean form the 1/4 cup into balls. I am sure if you “drop” them they will come out better.
Thanks for your feedback. Mine are always flatter than when I dropped them. Not sure what happened.
Fantastic! I made 2 batches. One of the batches I put shredded coconut and chocolate chips….perfection! My family cannot get enough! I also doubled the cinnamon and added allspice.
I think coconut would be a great addition!
Great recipe, thank you! I did add a Tbsp. of orange rind just because I try to mimic the the best oatmeal cookie I’ve ever had which is from Cookies By George in Edmonton. I wish I could get my hands on that actual recipe! 🙂
Sounds intriguing!
Very flavorful, the only difference with mine is I used Trruvia for the sugar and Trivia brown sugar to lesson the calories. YUM
A great way to make it healthier.
Hi! Yummy except not enough salt. I sprinkled pink Himalayan salt on each before loading into oven. I also flattened then. They were too dry (followed recipe to a T) so 1/2 way thru I finally added about 5,6 TBL of water. Now they are Perfection❤
Christie the recipe says 1tbs of vanilla. ..is it tbs or tsp…most are a teaspoon so tbs sound like alot.
I know this is an old post but I just found it and half way through it 🙂 sounds so good
Barbie,
Yes, I know this is old but 1 tablespoon is absolutely correct, trust me!
Amazing recipe!
have you tried this recipe with dried cranberries?
Thanks you so much. These are my husbands favorite cookie but we always seem to not get them just right and chewy. This recipe is a winner. I followed it to a T and we were in love. Since Christmas I have made 5 batches already lol he can’t seem to get enough of them. Only think is I cook 22 minutes and they are perfect. I’ve always took the tip of separating flour and cooking in parchment paper with my chocolate chip and they are soft and chewy as well. Thank you and highly recommend.
Thank you!!! I love hearing that.
These are honestly the best oatmeal cookies that I have ever had. I will no longer search for another recipe. Thank you!
I just made these and they were delicious!!!! Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you!
Hi do these freeze well? If so, any specific steps I should take? Thank you!
I would just freeze them after they are baked! Nothing special to do.
how many cookies does one batch make?
About 2 dozen. Depends on how big you make them.
Woa. Best. Oatmeal. Cookies. Ever. Chewy and sweet and full of oaty goodness. It has the flavor of my Moms oatmeal cookies and that made me so happy! I measured the flour on a scale to be more precise. There were not puffy at all. I used a 1 tablespoon measuring scoop and cooked them 12 minutes to perfection. I also subbed Sweetened dried cranberries instead of raisins for a little holiday tang. Thanks for this recipe!
You’re welcome. So glad you enjoyed them!
They came out perfect! Haven’t tasted them yet but they look fantastic!
You will love them I promise Linda.
I should’ve listened to the reviews..I planned to make and send these to my cousin away at college and they were awful. They tasted fine but like most said they never flattened and looked like biscuits. I bake cookies all the time and have never had them come out this way. And after reading the reviews I made a point to follow the directions to the letter and I’m extremely disappointed. Off to find the right recipe…
I’m so sorry you feel that way. There are hundreds of positive reviews so I’m not sure what went wrong on your end.
I have made your cookies at least a half a dozen times now and just wanted to say they are perfect. They are delicious and chewy. Thanks!
THank you! That means the world to me.
Amazingly delicious!
I agree!
These are in the oven as we speak! I used a tablespoon size ball as I do for all of my cookies as the 1/4 cup ball was HUGE! I also added a 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips. I baked them for almost 20 minutes and they are not flat , more puffy. I also measured the flour just as you said. They are soft and chewy, SO YUMMY!! It made exactly 3 dozen cookies. Will definitely be making these again.
Aww thank you. I love hearing that!
Regarding inaccurate flour measurements…the proper way to measure is by weight, not volume. You can spoon and level flour (or any ingredients for that matter) all day and never spoon out the same amount. Accuracy in measurements requires a scale.
Successful and consistent results in baking comes from science and math. Its based in ratios and temperature. The essential tools are a food scale, instant read thermometer, oven thermometer, and calculator.
Yes, I completely agree. Most readers don’t have scales so I was trying to give them a way to try to not overmeasure.
Great flavor, but I followed this recipe to a Tee and my cookies came out super crumbly. All fell apart when I pulled them out of the oven. Hmmm
*weighed my flour to exactly 125 grams. Measured every ingredient, used unsalted butter.*
I’m so sorry! Hundreds of people have made these and they turned out. I wonder what went wrong? Did you use old-fashioned oats?
OMG! I just made these and they are heavenly!
Thank you!
Made these yesterday; followed the recipe as is (although we made 1.5tbsp scoop cookies), and they were PERFECT! This will be go-to oatmeal raisin cookie. Thanks!
Thank you for saying that. Makes my heart warm.
This recipe is terrible. They are cake like and dry. Not chewy, not even close. Waste of time and money. DONT MAKE IT!!!
Sorry you didn’t like them. They definitely are not cake like so I’m wondering if something went wrong? Too much flour?
The perfect oatmeal raisin cookie! I’ve been trying to find this for over 50 years. My great aunt’s recipe..cookies too fluffy. A way too chewy Pinterest recipe. I followed your recipe exactly but made them half size since I like a smaller cookie. I have used both dark and light raisins. Everyone has raved over these, saying they are the best they’ve eaten! Making them half size I get about 4 dozen. Thank you!
Ooh! Glad you liked them!
So after a disastrous attempt at making meringues, I found myself with a bunch of egg yolks, which I would usually use for pasta, but that is a real undertaking; one that I just wasn’t up for. I googled and found your recipe. The only change I made was I used 7 yolks and cooked the cookies longer since I am a mile high (5280 ft). The cookies are by far some of the very best I have made. Thank you so much!
Yeah! I love hearing that.
These were a big hit at the cookie exchange tonight! Very yummy, chewy, and nice big cookies. Thanks for a great recipe!
Glad you enjoyed them!
I dont want a huge cookie….how big do these get…and do you think I could half the 1/4 size? How lng would ibake them for…also half the time? How many cookies does this make?
This recipe made about 2 dozen cookies.
You could make them smaller. Baking time will differ but I would start checking them at 8 minutes.
I have made these SEVERAL times because they are just So good! My family just loves them!
Thank you!!
Best cookie recipe ever! These are our new favorites and I wouldn’t change a thing in this recipe. Thank you!
Thank you!!!
This may be my favorite oatmeal raisin recipe!! They’re amazing and nice & fluffy! I love your blog!
Thank you!
Omgosh! This IS the perfect recipe! I have a hard time with baking but these turned out perfect!! Thank you!
Yay! I love that!
made these and the dough was just way too thick and they turned out horrible
How many does this make?
Just thinking maybe you could add how many the recipe is suppose to yield. If it is listed I was unable to see the note about it.
Also, do you ball the cookie dough or flatten it a bit when making them?
I balled it. It should make about 18.
ive made these a couple times. they are a huge hit among my family! they are very easy to make as well. im only 13, and it was fairly simple for me! thanks for the great recipe!
Good for you!!! I couldn’t have made these when I was 13.
Made these cookies tonight. I added peanut butter to the batter. I only had instant cinnamon oatmeal packets so I sifted the cinnamon sugar out and used the oats. I also used dark brown sugar. It was delicious… Gotta improvise and use what u got in the pantry at midnight when you get a craving ❤️
About how many does this recipe make?
About 2 dozen depending how big you make them.
These ARE the perfect chewy oatmeal cookies! Thank you for developing it and saving me the trouble. Made as is with the exception of sneaking in some dry milk powder (protein) and soaked my raisins in hot cider (they were really dry). Flattened out and baked perfectly.
If this is indicative of your culinary ability, I am looking forward to trying some of your other recipes.
Thank you Anita!
Made these last night. They are delish! I did not change a THING. I was worried about using 1/4 cup balls as I thought they would be too big. They are on the large side, but trust me, you are gonna want a BIG ONE!
Yum yum yum
These are the most delicious cookies and have became an absolute family favorite. This recipe has been added to the family recipe book that is handed down through the generations.
Awww. Love hearing that!
These are the best! My sister made them for my fiance and he raves about how chewy they are!
Yummm!!! been searching for the perfect recipe and finally i got the best recipe ever! thanks for sharing. i made a batch tonight and i have to put it away or i’ll eat the whole thing and drink the entire milk! LOL!!!!
I just made these and they were amazing! I made half of the batch without raisins and half with raisins and both were very good. The flavor and texture were exactly what I was wanting from an oatmeal cookie–thank you!
You’re welcome!
Did you use salted or unsalted butter? Because that could be something else contributing to people’s comments of them being to fluffy!
I use unsalted. I’ll change it so that’s clear.
Cookies are in the oven. I can’t wait to try them!