Sink your teeth into the best soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. Loaded with warm cinnamon, brown sugar, juicy raisins, and hearty oats, these classic cookies are easy to make, and they stay fresh for days.
I love oatmeal cookies so much that I have a dozen variations of them. Along with today’s homemade recipe, my favorites are oatmeal butterscotch cookies, iced oatmeal cookies, and peanut butter oatmeal cookies.
When it comes to classic oatmeal cookies, are you team raisin or team chocolate chip? This easy oatmeal raisin cookies recipe makes the best, perfectly soft and chewy cookies packed with raisins, oats, and cinnamon spice. I can’t even count the number of times I made these, then stacked them high on a plate and settled in to enjoy homemade cookies with a cup of tea. They stay good for days and bring back lunchbox memories of when we were kids!
Why I Think You’ll Love These Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Cold butter for thick, chewy cookies. Starting with slightly cold butter helps keep the oatmeal cookies thick and prevents spreading.
- Plenty of hearty oats and raisin. Old-fashioned oats give these cookies that classic, chewy bite. There’s just the right amount of raisins to add flavor without overpowering the cookies.
- Made with pantry staples. These cookies are easy to make with pantry ingredients, and you can customize them with chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or even a splash of maple syrup.
- No chilling needed! You can scoop and bake the dough right away, so you’re only minutes away from warm, fresh cookies.
Ingredient Notes
These are the key ingredients you’ll need to make these thick and chewy, old-fashioned oatmeal cookies with raisins. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full, printable recipe card with amounts and detailed instructions.
- Butter – This should be cold from the fridge, and you’ll soften the butter slightly in the microwave before you cream it with the sugar.
- Brown and Granulated Sugar – I use both brown sugar and granulated sugar for more moisture. It makes these cookies soft and chewy with just the right amount of crisp around the edges.
- Oats – Rolled oats are best for cookies, and give them more chewiness. If you only have quick oats, you can still use them. Quick oats tend to absorb more moisture and get a little mushier. Like the flour, weighing the oats is also important, as scooping oats gives you different measurements every time.
- All-purpose Flour – For best results, use a kitchen scale to follow the weight measurements listed in the recipe. Too much or too little flour can affect both texture and spread. See how to measure flour correctly.
- Cinnamon – You could also add nutmeg, ginger, or cardamom.
- Raisins – These can be black raisins, golden raisins (Sultanas), or currants.
About Soaking Raisins
Readers have mentioned that for extra juiciness, they soak the raisins for 10-15 minutes in hot water before stirring them into the cookie dough. You could also build the flavor by soaking the raisins in rum or brandy overnight for a boozy twist. You’ll want to remove the extra moisture from these by laying them on a towel after soaking.
Note that I have not tested this and do not make my cookies this way, as some readers have reported it caused the cookies to spread.
Tips for the Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Start with cold butter. I use cold butter that’s been softened just slightly in the microwave. It’s still cooler than room temperature but soft enough to cream with the sugar. If your butter is too warm, your cookies will spread more.
- Use old-fashioned oats. This recipe is written for old-fashioned rolled oats. Quick oats absorb more moisture and can make the cookies mushy, which can lead to more spreading.
- Weigh the ingredients. The flour, sugar and oats are important ingredients that should be weighed using a kitchen scale. This recipe is based on 140g/1 cup of all-purpose flour.
- Line your baking sheets. I recommend parchment paper or silicone baking mats. These are game changers for cookie baking. It helps the cookies from burning on the bottom or edges.
- Don’t overbake. You’ll pull these cookies from the oven before the centers are fully baked through. But they should not be too glossy. At that point, even 30-60 seconds more can make a difference! Leave the cookies on your baking sheet for several minutes, and they will continue to finish baking as they cool.
How to Make Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies From Scratch
Follow along with this easy oatmeal raisin cookies recipe, step-by-step.
- Combine the butter and sugar. First, microwave the cold butter for 10-15 seconds, until it’s softened to about 70ºF. Then, cream the butter with both sugars until it’s thick and sandy. Next, add the eggs and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, oats, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda together in a separate bowl so they’re evenly incorporated. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet dough. Before they’re fully mixed, fold in the raisins. Be careful not to overmix the cookie dough.
- Scoop the dough. Now, use a large cookie scoop to portion these oatmeal raisin drop cookies onto a lined baking sheet. Leave about 2 inches of space between each cookie.
- Bake. Bake these oatmeal raisin cookies at 350ºF for 11-13 minutes. I recommend baking one pan at a time on the middle rack of your oven for even baking.
- Cool. The cookies should be slightly underbaked in the centers, but not wet or gooey when they come out of the oven. Afterward, cool the cookies for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire rack.
Why Are My Oatmeal Cookies Flat? (And How to Fix It)
Cookies will spread for a few reasons, the main ones being oven temperature and butter that’s too warm. If you have experienced cookies that over-spread or are concerned, here are my suggestions on how to avoid it and how to fix it.
I suggest baking one or two “tester” cookies and see how they turn out. If your first batch of oatmeal raisin cookies spreads too much, try adding an extra ¼ cup of flour or oats, and rebake a couple of test cookies. While chilling the dough is not required, if the butter was too warm, try chilling the dough for 30 minutes before baking the next round. Also, consider trying a different pan (some materials run hotter than others).
Fix Cookies That Spread
If your cookies come out a little misshapen, take an angled spatula, a cookie spatula, or a knife and push the edges of the cookies back towards the center. Do this right when you pull them out of the oven. This makes a nice round shape and also helps keep the center nice and puffy.
How to Store
- Keep the cookies airtight. Store these chewy oatmeal raisin cookies in an airtight container as soon as they are cooled. You can store them for 3-5 days, but I usually like to freeze them if it’s going to be longer than 3 days.
- Freeze the baked cookies. These oatmeal cookies freeze nicely, making them a great option to make ahead of time. I prefer to place them in an airtight container. If you’re like me and can’t stay away, thaw one in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before eating.
- Freeze the cookie dough. You can also portion the cookie dough into balls and pre-freeze the unbaked cookies on a baking sheet. Transfer the frozen cookie dough to a freezer bag and freeze it for up to 2 months. When it’s time to bake, thaw the cookie dough in the fridge beforehand.
More Oatmeal Cookie Recipes
Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
Sink your teeth into these classic homemade oatmeal raisin cookies! They’re soft and chewy, packed with warm cinnamon, brown sugar, and juicy raisins.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, cold
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup (95 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups (120 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon (7g) ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon (5g) salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups (approximately 10 oz) Raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Soften the cold butter in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. The butter temperature should be around 70°F. Combine the softened butter with the brown and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed until well combined, 2-3 minutes, resembling a thick sand texture.
- Next, add the eggs and vanilla extract and continue beating until well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Stir to combine and slowly add the dry ingredients into the dough, mixing on low speed until the dough starts to form.
- Before the dough thickens, add the raisins. Beat a couple of times just until the flour incorporates.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Scoop the dough using a large cookie scoop and place on a sheet pan, 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes. The center of the cookie should be slightly underbaked but not too gooey. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Flour measurements: This recipe is based on 140g/1 cup of flour. Weighing the flour is the most accurate way to follow the recipe.
- Rolled oats are best for cookies as they make for the best nice texture and they also give them more chewiness but if you only have quick oats, you can still use them. Quick oats tends to absorb more moisture and get a little mushier. Weighing the oats in important because scooping oats gives you different measurements every time.
- Test batch- If you’re concerned about cookies spreading, bake one or two and see how it turns out. If you have flat cookies, add 1/4 cup more flour or oats, try another test batch. Also consider trying a different pan
- Freezing instructions: Once baked, these can be kept frozen. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
- Make ahead: If you’d like to prepare the dough ahead of time, I recommend scooping the finished dough onto cookie sheets and keeping in the fridge or freezer. Thaw to room temperature prior to baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 224
- Sugar: 21.7g
- Sodium: 132.8mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 4.9g
- Carbohydrates: 36.1g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 2.5g
- Cholesterol: 28.1mg
Made this on the night of our first major snowstorm. These oatmeal cookies were the best I’ve ever made. Plus made the house smell amazingly yummy, warm and cozy, my sweetie loved them. Now going to make them with semi sweet chocolate chips❤️
Yeah! That’s amazing Lorraine! Thank you! I love a good snow storm, especially when it involves cookies
I just made these cookies today. First time ever making this kind and my husband, who loves oatmeal raisin, said they were the best he has ever eaten!! Thank you for posting this recipe! This one will definitely go in my recipe books!!
That is amazing Darlene! Thank you so much for sharing!!
I enjoyed the cookies and they came out with chewy centres and crispy edges , but I thought the sugar content super high, can I make these with much less sugar?
Hi Susie, I have not tested them specially with less sugar, but I will say the cookies will be puffier due to the flour to sugar ratio if you make an adjustment
This recipe is my family favorite. It was a totally hit in my house. Everything turned out perfectly. Cooked for 11 mins light crunch on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. You totally nailed this.
Awesome Natalie!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Literally the best oatmeal raisin cookies I’ve ever made — and I’ve tried many different recipes. This will be my go to from now on.
Wow Melissa, thank you much!! I really appreciate that! So glad this recipe delivered for you.
My cookies came out tasty and chewy, but me dough was too dry and I had to add 3 tablespoons of 1/2 n 1/2.
Hi Theresa- I am so glad you enjoyed these! There is a lot of ingredients here and it’s possible just that the mixer needed more time to incorporate some of the dry ingredients. Or something was over-measured causing the dough to be dry. I am glad you found a solution that worked for you.
Excellent recipe. Made almost 4 dozen. Used a heavy pour of my favorite bourbon instead of vanilla, Saigon cinnamon and a 12oz bag of raisin medley. I want to try it with 5 spice powder next time. Thanks for sharing…definitely a keeper.
Yes! Give me all the bourbon 🙂
This recipe was delicious! We substituted 1 cup of the raisins for 1/2 cup dried cranberries and 1/2 cup dried blueberries to copy a Panera cookie and it was a hit! Two thumbs way UP!
Woohoo! Thank you Shelly!
Good flavor, but I also had super runny cookies as mentioned in another review. I started with room temperature butter. If I try again, I’ll use slightly colder butter.
Hi Liz, if you first batch came out runny, then you can try refrigerating the cookie dough before you bake any more
Can you use oatflour? Will it be the same measurements?
Hi Mary- I’ve never made cookies with oat flour, so I’m not sure. Sorry!
Awesome cookies!!! . My wife (Patti Ann) tried some other recipes which were not what I remembered. These are very close to what Mom use to make Thank you!!!
So awesome Richard! Thank you!
These are DELICIOUS! They did spread and came out huge (I halved the recipe and got 9 cookies. Maybe my scoop was too big). I had to bake them longer, but the flavor is sooooo good!
Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you Elise! I am so glad you enjoyed them!
I followed the directions to the tee and both times the dough came out runny and the cookies were huge . Not sure what i did wrong
Hi Nicole, if your dough was runny, something wasn’t right. What temperature was your butter?
These were very easy to make. My son gave it two thumbs up (and he is hard to please)!
I would gladly use this recipe again! Thank you!
So awesome Carol! Thank you so much!
I’ve tried many oatmeal cookie recipes and this one tops them all. Easy to make and delicious to devour.
Thank you so much Erika! I love to hear this!
This is amazing! I love this recipe. 😁🥲😄🥰 My parents, grandparents, and my sister loved the cookies. You are seriously the beat cookie developer in the world 😁😃.
Aww, thank you! I am so happy to hear this!
These cookies turned out SO good! I followed the recipe exactly except for adding about a 1/4 cup more of raisins (only because the box I bought had 2 1/4 cups in it). Soft, chewy and the flavor was perfect. Definitely a keeper.
Wow! Thank you so much Liz!I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Good flavor and moist. Would make it again
Thank you so much Justina!
What do you think if I replaced the raisins with cranberries and added white chocolate chips? Would you recommend a cup of cranberries and a cup chips?
I think that would be great!
Hi
Why don’t I see the videos on your blog.
It could be a browser setting that is blocking it?
could you use butter crisco instead of butter? it tends not to spread as much
Hi Lanna- I haven’t tested it, so I can say 100% but I think it should be okay
Usually, I’m on team chocolate chip (or really, team chocolate?), but in the case of oatmeal cookies…I can go either way. These oatmeal raisin cookies look delicious, Julianne!