Classic Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies Recipe (2024)

By Melissa Clark

Updated Feb. 5, 2024

Classic Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies Recipe (1)

Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(5,281)
Notes
Read community notes

Full of nubby oats and plenty of sweet raisins, these lightly spiced cookies are pleasingly chewy in the center and crisp around the edges, with a hint of butterscotch from the dark brown sugar. They keep really well, so you can make them up to a week in advance and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They’re also great for mailing when a package of cookies is in order.

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Ingredients

Yield:3 dozen cookies

  • 1cup/227 grams (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, more for pans
  • 1cup/200 grams dark brown sugar, packed
  • cup/66 grams granulated sugar
  • 2large eggs
  • 1tablespoon/15 milliliters vanilla extract
  • cups/187 grams all-purpose flour
  • ¾teaspoon salt
  • 1teaspoon baking soda
  • 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • ¼teaspoon ground cardamom or ground ginger
  • 3cups/270 grams rolled oats (not instant)
  • cups/225 grams raisins

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (36 servings)

144 calories; 6 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 84 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Classic Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies Recipe (2)

Preparation

Make the recipe with us

  1. Step

    1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two large cookie sheets, or line them with parchment paper or reusable silicone liners.

  2. Step

    2

    Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a large bowl until creamy. Add brown and granulated sugars, then beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Then, beat in vanilla extract.

  3. In a separate bowl, use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom.

  4. Step

    4

    Set mixer on low speed, and beat flour mixture into the butter mixture.

  5. Step

    5

    Stir in oats and raisins.

  6. Step

    6

    Spoon out dough by large tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie.

  7. Step

    7

    Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, about 9 to 13 minutes. Centers will still be quite soft, but they will firm up as the cookies cool. Cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

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5,281

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Hugh Cheney

For the few, the brave, the naughty; soak the raisins in dark rum while you prepare the dough. Add the raisins and the remnants of rum as the final step. Enjoy the cookies warm out of the oven with cold milk or as a co*cktail.

Lynda H.

The best thing you can do for oatmeal, chocolate chip, etc. cookies is to refrigerate the dough for 8 hours or overnight. Chilling the dough firms the fat, so cookies spread less. It also concentrates the flavors and creates cookies with chewy-crisp (rather than soft) texture. (If you urgently need cookies--and don't we all?--bake what you need right away, then chill the rest of the dough. And see for yourself the improvement in the cookies made with chilled dough.)

Susan

If you soak the raisins in hot water for about 15 minutes before adding them the cookies will be more moist and chewy.

Heath Quinn

If you leave out the spices, the butterscotch threads of vanilla, butter and brown sugar dominate, and it's fabulous.

Apples'nOranges

I like to lightly toast the oatmeal for 8-10 minutes while the oven preheats, just till light golden and fragrant. Don't let them get brown. (I think it may have been Molly O'Neill who suggested this trick.)

Emily D

Also, as someone who nearly always reduces the sugar in recipes, I don’t think these need a reduction. The sweetness level is perfect. I’m seeing a lot of deviations from the original recipe which is also something I do often, but if you’re considering making these I would start with the original because it’s fantastic, and you should experience the actual recipe!

Kim

i substitute dried cranberries instead of raisins. you can also add crushed walnuts. great recipe!

Jan

For those who like both raisins and chocolate chips in their oatmeal cookies, try dark chocolate raisinets...the best of both worlds!

sujatha92

Delicious! Made these with the tweaks I always make to cookies: cut the sugar and mixed in different flours. So cut brown sugar to 3/4 c, cut white sugar to 1/4 c, used 1/2 c white flour, 1/2 c almond flour, 1/2 c white whole wheat flour. I think I could cut the brown sugar to 1/2 c and they would still be fine. I have not made the true recipe to compare texture of my adjustments, but these cookies as I made them were perfect. I imagine they would be delicious as written.

Elinor

I baked these twice in one week and the second time made the mixing of all ingredients easier by 1. adding raisins to the sugars/butter/egg/vanila. (Mixed in by hand.) 2. Then added the oatmeal to the bowl of dry ingredients, combined them, then added about 1/3 at a time to butter/sugar/egg/ raisins. Combining everything with a spoon worked fine and was much easier to get an even mix of ingredients.

Allie

Dried cranberries or - even better - dried cherries are terrific too. No need to plump either of them beforehand.

Ryan

I substitute chocolate chips for raisins. Delicious.

Houston500

Fabulous cookies. I reduced raisins to 1 cup and added 1 cup chopped pecans. Wonderful.

Starchgirl

Old fashioned, delicious, healthy oatmeal cookies! Certainly they're healthy enough for breakfast! I did have to bake them for 15+ minutes to get them brown on the edges. They were still soft on top, but after 5 minutes resting on the cookie sheet, they were perfect.

Connie

Convection bake for 8 minutes.
Very good; moist and tasty. We quite enjoyed.

Laura

Add chunked dark chocolate (along with the chocolate dust) instead of raisins. Add cinnamon. Mix all dry ingredients and add all at once to butter mixture. Chill overnight, but let soften before scooping. Rave reviews. But they’re great just as the recipe dictates too!

Karen

Excellent cookies. I had dried cranberries on hand. Other than that, followed the recipe. I wouldn’t change anything. Yummy.

Carol

In my hands, 3 c Bob’s Red Mill rolled oats weighs 338 g, much more than the 270 g specified in recipe. Cookies made with 3 c oats were on the dry side. Next time, I’ll weigh out 338 g oats rather than using measuring cup.

Katherine

These were amazing! I recommend scooping the dough into balls and then refrigerating for at least an hour. These seem prone to melting/spreading in the oven. Chilling them beforehand made a big difference. I still had a few with butter melting out but just used a round cookie cutter to reshape them.

cecerecr

I refrigerated the dough, as suggested in comments, but I could hardly scoop the dough out it became so hard! Suggestions?

MAK

Lovely oatmeal cookies. I added pecans and used dried cranberries instead of raisins because that is what I had in the kitchen. I will make these again.

Katirene

Perfect spice blend and excellent texture. Rave reviews from everyone ages 2-70!

Karen Kenjosian

I couldn't decide between the cardamom or ginger, so I used an 1/8th teaspoon of both. It was a great call! My yield was 3 1/2 dozen using a #2 disher. I checked each batch at 9 minutes (oven verified @ 350°F), but every iteration required the full 13 minutes. The cookies have a delightfully crispy perimeter with a pleasant chew in the center. I am officially converted from the Vanishing Oatmeal Cookie recipe on the Quaker Oats container.

First time making oatmeal cookies

At what point do you add the oatmeal?

Karen Kenjosian

Step 5Stir in oats and raisins. But, TBH, I added all the dry ingredients at the same time with fantastic results.

maureen

no too sweet at all! doubled the recipe and used raisins/walnuts in half, chocolate chips/walnuts in other half.

Lauren

I made these gluten-free by substituting 1 and 1/4 cups superfine almond flour and 1/4 cup cornstarch for the all-purpose flour. Used only ~1/2 cup raisins, chopped ~1/2 cup dates and rolled the chunks in a little extra almond flour to keep them from sticking together; toasted ~1/2 cup of pecans, chopped and added them as well. The cookies came out moist and chewy and everyone wants the recipe.

fiona

Make sure to soften the butter!

Nancy

One word - Delicious as written. Not a big fan of oatmeal cookies so these were made for my husband. The aroma while baking was so amazing I found myself trying a warm cookie right out of the oven. Needless to say it wasn't the only one I ate. I did substitute chocolate chips for the raisins because I didn't have any on hand. The cookie almost had a cake-like texture.

Rachel

Really good-made with only cinnamon

Chris Giarraputo

Have nade this recipe (exactly as written) numerous times and loved it.Played with it lately- unsweeetened shredded coconut, crushed walnuts, dried tart cherries- and love it even more!

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Classic Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should you soak raisins before baking cookies? ›

Raisins: I love to soak the raisins in warm water before using. This step is optional, but it guarantees they are plump and soft. Blot dry before adding to cookie dough. (You can also use this cookie dough to make my white chocolate chip cherry oatmeal cookies.)

Why are my oatmeal raisin cookies so dry? ›

Possible causes: (1) you don't use enough liquid, (2) you don't use enough fat/oil, (3) you over mix them, (4) you cook them too long, (5) you cook them at too low a temperature. Overbaking can cause the cookies to lose moisture and become dry. Another factor could be the amount of fat or liquid in the dough.

Why didn t my oatmeal raisin cookies rise? ›

The Problem: The Butter Is Too Soft

Room temperature butter is just the right consistency to incorporate air when it's creamed with sugar. These trapped air pockets result in risen, fluffy cookies. If the butter is any warmer, it won't incorporate enough air and your cookies will have less rise.

Which oatmeal is best for cookies? ›

Go for old-fashioned oats or rolled oats (they're the same thing, but sometimes go by one name or the other). They result in the perfect chewy cookie.

Why do you have to boil raisins before baking? ›

Rehydrate them to plump them up before eating. Place the raisins in a bowl and pour boiling water to cover. They'll soften in minutes. This also works great when adding raisins (or other dried fruit) to recipes when baking.

What raisins are best for baking cookies? ›

Some of us think they belong in no foods ever—especially not in cookies where they might be cruelly mistaken for chocolate chips. Something we could all agree on, however, was that golden raisins are far superior to their brown, shriveled counterparts. They just taste better. They're fruitier.

How do you moisten oatmeal cookie dough? ›

Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

How do you keep oatmeal raisin cookies from going flat? ›

Flat oatmeal cookies can be a bummer, but there are easy fixes! Here's how to prevent them: Chill the dough: This helps the fat solidify and prevents spreading. Aim for 30 minutes or even overnight.

Why are my homemade oatmeal cookies hard? ›

Overbaking is the most common cause of hard oatmeal cookies. Cookies continue to cook on the baking sheet even after they're removed from the oven, so try taking them out when they're just lightly golden and still a bit soft in the middle. They'll firm up as they cool, resulting in a chewier texture.

Should I use baking soda or baking powder in cookies? ›

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

What happens if you put too much butter in oatmeal cookies? ›

Greasy mess: Extra butter means more fat, making the dough greasy and difficult to handle. Spreading like crazy: Cookies lose their shape, spreading thin and flat instead of staying nice and round. Uneven baking: The excess fat can burn easily on the edges while leaving the center undercooked.

How unhealthy are oatmeal raisin cookies? ›

Both whole grain oats and raisins are a good source of fiber. The presence of whole grain oats will also help you stay fuller longer. That said, oatmeal raisin cookies are still cookies with higher butter and sugar content than other snacks, so they should only be considered a healthy snack in moderation.

Is it better to use quick oats or old fashioned oats for oatmeal cookies? ›

Old fashioned oats provide a chewy, nutty texture and flavor to oatmeal cookies. They are thicker and heartier than quick oats (instant oats). I don't recommend using quick oats because the cookies won't have as much texture and you want a nice and chewy oatmeal cookie that is hearty with lots of texture going on.

Should oatmeal cookies be refrigerated before baking? ›

As a general rule of thumb, you should refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. More than that, and you won't see a noticeable difference in the final product. Once the dough has chilled, let it warm up at room temperature until it's just pliable (about 5 to 10 minutes).

How long to soak raisins for cookies? ›

Cover the raisins with room temperature liquid and soak for 30 minutes. After that time has passed, they're ready to use!

Why do you soak raisins for cookies? ›

Soaking raisins has several benefits for your baking. First, it plumps up the raisins, making them softer and juicier, improving their mouthfeel. Soaking these fruity goodies also prevents them from absorbing moisture from the batter during baking.

Should raisins be soaked or not? ›

Soaked raisins emerge as bone allies, containing essential nutrients like boron and calcium. Boron plays a crucial role in bone formation, while calcium contributes to overall bone strength. Soaking raisins facilitates better absorption of these bone-nourishing elements, enhancing overall bone density.

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