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
This is THE BEST oatmeal raisin cookie recipe EVER!
Thank you so much Angie!
These are the absolute best oatmeal raisin cookies out there.
Wow Sarah! Thank you so much!
I’ve made these a few times and the are a family favorite. So chewy and good!
So glad to hear that Sue! Thank you!
So easy to follow and so delicious! We did 1 cup raisins and 1 cup dark chocolate chip. 🤤
That sounds wonderful, thank you for sharing!
***Please edit ingredients to reflect accurate oats measurement—140g is 1 cup, so it should be 210g for 1.5 cups***
Where are you pulling that information from? Nothing I pulled matches that. Bob’s Red Mill Old Fashioned Rolled oats is 48g for 1/2 cup, 96g 1 cup. Quaker Old Fashioned oats is 40g from 1/2c up, 80g/cup and King Arthur Flours ingredient weight chart is 113g/cup of “oats” and 89g from 1 cup for rolled oats.
I’ve baked these twice before, and I’m baking another batch tonight! Everyone loves them and I’ll continue to use this one.
Simply delicious!
We love a good cookie recipe on repeat! Thank you!
I made these last night. These are my favorite oatmeal cookies.
That’s wonderful, thank you Rose!
Mine also came out super flat.
I temped my butter to make sure it was at 70, weighed all my ingredients in the recipe and all that.
Smell great, haven’t tried them yet but even if they’re flat as long as they taste good I’m happ6z
May try adding baking powder next if I try this recipe.
Hi Hailey, it should not need baking powder. I know I followed up with you to get additional information about the weighted measurements used, but just want to confirm if you also measured the oats
Haven’t tried yet but am really wanting to at the moment. I read thru the comments and the ones that their cookies spread out and got flat and hard, maybe the amount of each scoop of cookie dough should be less. And ur right margarine will make the thin and hard. Which i do not use at all!! Fixing to bake right now so i will let you know😉😉❣️
Thank you for the input Sonya!
This is my go to recipe for Raisin Oatmeal Cookies they’re THE BEST?! I always get request for them! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Love to hear that Vicky, thank you!
Are there any changes to the recipe for high altitude?
I have never lived at a high elevation, so I can’t really weigh in on the changes required.
My cookies turned out flat and hard. I baked them for 11 minutes for the 1st batch. Lowered the temperature on the oven for the 2nd batch. Refrigerated the 3rd batch. They all came out flat and hard.
Hi Eva, did you weigh your dry ingredients? There’s a lot of factors in a recipe that could make your turn out differently than mine. For instance, margarine and butter would produce very different results. Next time I would try baking 2 cookies as a test batch. If the cookies are spreading flat and thin, then that’s as issue with the liquid vs dry ingredients, try adding 1/4 cup more flour or oats to see if that helps, bake another 2. Also make sure the butter is not too warm.
Something is very off with this recipe. I weighed the measurements out and I’m convinced this is what is incorrect. Very salty and very sweet and very flat.
Hi Briana, I’d be curious to know if you followed the measurements I provided or if you went off different measurements, specifically the flour. 1tsp of salt is pretty standard in a cookie recipe such as this.
Great recipe, they come out perfect every time!!
I am so happy to hear that!! Thank you!
Feed 25 people today. The first cookie devoured out of 5 choices was the warmth and comfort of home. #1 everybody’s favorite. Perfect. BTW I plumped the raisins.
Amazing Betty! I will have to try soaking my raisins first, I’ve never done this before!
Since there’s only two of us, I cut the recipe in half… They were very good!
Thank you Barbara!
The flavor was great but I also had cookies that spread way too much! No, the butter wasn’t overly soft and baking soda was fresh.
I will likely be modifying this recipe to have results come out more of a thicker raised cookie while still maintaining soft chewy texture.
Hi there, did you weigh the dry ingredients? I just made these again over the weekend and I do not have an issue with spreading at all. I use this recipe across multiple oatmeal cookies on my site and they don’t spread. I do find that if I measure the oats with a measuring cup, it doesn’t match up with the weights and it’s usually under measured with would contribute to some spreading.
So sad because I followed everything to a T, ingredients, timing, measurements and I have rocks with middles that aren’t done and are flatter than pancakes. The flavors are good but I feel like I wasted my ingredients.
I don’t understand exactly what you mean. Rocks with underdone middles would indicate the cookies didn’t spread at all, but then you mentioned they were flatter than pancakes. Did you weigh the ingredients? I am finding that the weighing the oats in particular is very helpful. When I use a measuring cup and then weight it, it can be a couple tablespoons up to 1/4 cup off.
This cookie completely spread thin. I weighed ingredients, pulled butter straight from the fridge and only did 10 seconds in the microwave. I have an oven thermometer so I know my temp was correct. Flavor is good though. Just wish they wouldn’t have spread.
Hi Amber, did you also weight the oats? I sent you an email to confirm if you used the flour measurements in the recipe, which is based on 140g/cup
I browned my butter, and weighed my dry ingredients which I had never done before, it really does make a difference! They are delicious! Only added 1 cup raisins and 1/2cup walnuts!!! A keeper for sure!!
Now I have to try these with brown butter!