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
Came out perfect. Soft & chewy. Thank you for a great recipe.
Wonderful Bradley, thank you!
Need to add more flour to make them not flat. I had to add an extra half to 3/4 cup.
Wow that’s a ton of extra flour, and realistically not needed. Flat cookies can sometimes be the result of under measuring ingredients (unless you’re using a scale), butter temperature and even the type of pan used. Also if you perhaps used quick oats instead of rolled old fashioned oats, that also can effect results.
I have never left a review before, but this recipe deserves to be praised. I hesitated on putting the tablespoon of cinnamon in but I am so glad that I did! These cookies are amazing and your recipe is going into my family cookbook. Thank you so much! I am sure that they will disappear quickly.
HAHA! I understand the hesitation! I am so glad you trusted the process and gave it a try!
I LOVE the fact that the butter doesn’t have to be at room temp!!! Can grab them from the fridge and start baking!! And they do turn out chewy which I love in a cookie!! Thanks for posting your recipe!!
Awesome Heidi, thank you!
Can I use salted butter and does quick oats make a big difference?
Yes, salted butter is fine. Quick oats will result in a different texture and can lead to more spreading. I would not recommend.
really good! nice and chewy! i used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, yum!
Thank you for sharing!
I haven’t tried these yet, but I was wondering if anyone could tell me how many carbs there would be if I halved the sugars with Splenda.
Hi Brenda, you’d be better off finding an online calculator to do this if you are trying to track it specifically using the ingredients you plan to bake with
Love the butter idea, I’ve been baking for a long time and never heard that. I hate waiting for room temp butter. Glad I didn’t have to refrigerate the dough don’t like waiting for that either.
Thanks for the great recipe when you need an oatmeal raisin cookie, you need it asap.
You are so welcome Barbara, I am glad you enjoyed it!
I just made these and they are SO GOOD!!! I love that they came out a little fluffy and are not completely flat. Made exactly according to the recipe — no changes needed! This one is a keeper! Thank you Julianne!
Amazing Lisa, thank you so much!
Great recipe sweet and perfect oatmeal cookies every time I have made them. Just now had a moment to say a little something about them I recommend giving them a try !
Love that Sandy, thanks for sharing!
Amazing delicious fantastic recipe
Thank you so much Scottie!
My grandkids and I made these the other day. The flavor was amazing but ours came out too crunchy. I cooked the second batch 1 minute less and they still had some crunch. Next time we make them, should I take another minute off the cooking time?
Hi Tammy, yes, crunchy equals over baking. The baking time will differ depending on the type of pan, type of oven and the true internal oven temperature. I would keep an eye on them the last 3 minutes of baking. Once the top of the cookie is no longer “glossy” or shiny looking, they can come out of the oven.
The taste of these cookies is amazing. Sadly, my cookies flattened out significantly, not really rising at all. I’m not sure if it’s due to my doubling the recipe, but something wasn’t quite right. Still tastes great, just too thin for my liking.
Hi Audrey, doubling the recipe would not contribute to spreading unless you forgot to double something. I truly cannot figure out why some people have issues with these spreading, I can’t replicate it in my kitchen. Contributors to this could be butter temperature, under measuring flour (did you perhaps weigh the flour), or ingredients substitutions like a different variety of oats or something.
These are absolutely the best oatmeal raisin cookies I have ever made! And the tastiest!
Thank you so much Alyce!
Would using gluten free flour and gluten free oats effect this recipe at all?
There’s a note about this in the post. I have done this with gluten-free oats but not in combination with GF flour. Theoretically, a 1:1 cup replacement flour should do the trick.
Spread like crazy even after trying to refrigerate dough. Won’t be making again.
Hi Donna, how was the butter to start? It sounds like something was off with your dry ingredients. The recipe is overwhelmingly successful for my readers and also on the hundreds of Pinterest reviews. Though every once in awhile, people have reported spreading. The only things that would contribute to that is recipe substitutions (maybe a different kind of oat), butter that is too warm or mismeasuring of ingredients.
The cookies came out amazing!
One thing that might be causing the spreading or flattening of the cookie for some is using old baking soda? I have had that problem before but when I changed out my baking soda to a new one it made a huge difference.
Hi Lovita, unfortunately it’s difficult to know because some people swap ingredients but don’t understand they are altering the recipe
We substituted dried cranberries for the raisins and added 1/2 cup white chocolate chips! This is a delicious recipe and we will definitely make it again! Thank you for sharing!
You are so welcome Michelle! Thanks for sharing!
Family loved these! I also added some chocolate chips. Mine took 14 minutes and the recipe made 54 cookies. I’m in Colorado so not sure if altitude effected the bake time.
Hi Lisa, thanks for sharing! Every oven and pan will be a bit different. Sounds like you made smaller cookies to get so many, but that just means more to share!
These are seriously THE BEST oatmeal raisin cookies I’ve ever made. My MIL raved about them too. Definitely adding to my must-make cookie list every year.
New caption, “so good they’ll even impress your MIL”. haha thank you so much!!!
These cookies were delicious! I will be making again!
Wonderful, thank you Stephanie!
My husband’s favorite cookie is oatmeal raisin so being senior citizens I’ve tried many recipes through the years but always was looking for a soft, thicker cookie that kept fresh longer. Hurray! These are perfect!! I soaked the raisins to plump them and added chopped walnuts. I only wish I’d found this recipe as a young woman. We LOVE these. Thank you! (so chewy and full of flavor!)
Oh my gosh Donna, that is the ultimate compliment! I am so glad you found this recipe, even if it took a while for you to get here.