Soft and chewy with that trademark homemade flavor, these are the best soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. Made with brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, chewy oats, sweet raisins, and a secret ingredient, this recipe wins for flavor and texture. Your family will love these easy oatmeal raisin cookies!
There are two types of people in this world. Raisin haters and raisin lovers. I fall into the latter category. Besides homemade apple pie, oatmeal raisin cookies are my favorite dessert. There’s something incredibly magical about the chewy texture, soft centers, plump raisins, and cinnamon flavor. Please tell me I’m not the only raisin lover!!
What Makes These Oatmeal Raisin Cookies The Best
The competition is strong, but here’s why you’ll fall in love with these cookies.
- Moist and tender centers
- Slight crisp on the edges
- Sweetened with brown sugar
- Loaded with oats
- Studded with raisins
- Cinnamon spiced
- Buttery flavor
- 30 minute chill time
It doesn’t get much better than this!
Ingredients in Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Oatmeal raisin cookies are made with very basic ingredients.
- Butter: Butter is the base of any delicious cookie recipe. Make sure you are using room temperature butter.
- Brown Sugar + Granulated Sugar: Sugar is not only used for sweetness, but also for providing structure and tenderness. I like to use more brown sugar than white sugar because (1) brown sugar has incredible flavor and (2) brown sugar contains more moisture than white, which produces a softer cookie.
- Eggs: Eggs help bind everything together. You need 2 eggs in this recipe.
- Pure Vanilla Extract + Salt: Both provide flavor.
- Cinnamon: Raisins, oats, and cinnamon are winning flavor combination.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda helps the cookies rise.
- Molasses: Molasses is my secret ingredient! 1 scant Tablespoon enhances all the wonderful flavors of these buttery, cinnamon-sweet oatmeal raisin cookies.
- Flour: Flour is the structure of the cookies.
- Oats: There are a ton of oats in this recipe! Oats provide a fabulously chewy texture. I use and recommend old fashioned whole oats here—just like I do for flourless peanut butter oatmeal 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.)
I like to add chopped walnuts. Nuts are totally optional but highly recommended. These simple ingredients combine to make the best oatmeal raisin cookies!
How to Make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
There’s only a few steps between now and a batch of warm oatmeal cookies. 🙂
- Cream butter + sugars: Use a hand or stand mixer to cream the softened butter with both sugars until smooth, about 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Add eggs, vanilla, + molasses: Add eggs, then mix on high for about 1 minute until incorporated. Add vanilla and molasses, mix until combined.
- Dry ingredients: Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a separate bowl. Pour this into the wet ingredients. Combine together on low.
- Add the extras: Beat in the oats and raisins on low speed. Dough will be thick and sticky.
- Chill: Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30-60 minutes.
- Roll: Roll cookie dough into balls and place on a lined baking sheet. I love using these baking mats.
- Bake: Bake the cookies at 350°F (177°C) for 12-13 minutes until lightly browned. The cookies might look under-baked, but they will continue to set as they cool. This is the secret to a soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookie!
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough is Sticky
This oatmeal raisin cookie dough is sticky, so don’t be alarmed. The cookie dough needs to chill for about 30 minutes before baking. I don’t recommend keeping this cookie dough in the refrigerator for much longer because your cookies won’t spread. The oats will begin to absorb all of the wonderful moisture from the eggs, butter, and sugar and won’t expand as they bake. Sticky dough is good dough!
More Favorite Cookie Recipes
If you love these oatmeal raisin cookies, try any of these SOFT cookie recipes. You’ll wonder why you haven’t baked them sooner!
- Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Oatmeal Scotchies
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft & Thick Monster Cookies
- Maple Brown Sugar Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 26-30 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft and chewy with that trademark homemade flavor, these are the best soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. Your family will love these easy oatmeal raisin cookies!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) unsulphured or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap; I prefer Grandma’s brand)
- 1 and 2/3 cups (209g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups (255g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats*
- 1 cup (140g) raisins (see Note below)
- optional: 1/2 cup (64g) chopped toasted walnuts
Instructions
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the eggs and mix on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and molasses and mix on high until combined. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Beat in the oats, raisins, and walnuts (if using) on low speed. Dough will be thick, yet very sticky. Chill the dough for 30-60 minutes in the refrigerator (do the full hour if you’re afraid of the cookies spreading too much). If chilling for longer (up to 2 days), allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Roll balls of dough (about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie) and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. I recommend using a cookie scoop since the dough can be sticky. Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft and under-baked. Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will continue to “set” on the baking sheet during this time.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. Baked cookies freeze well—up to three months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well—up to three months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Here’s how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Oats: For these oatmeal raisin cookies, I use old-fashioned whole oats. They provide the ultimate hearty, chewy, thick texture we love!
- Eggs: Room temperature eggs preferred. Good rule of thumb: always use room temperature eggs when using room temperature butter.
- Raisins: Soak your raisins in warm water for 10 minutes before using (blot very well to dry them) – this makes them nice and plump for your cookies.
- Adapted from Loaded Oatmeal Cookies & Oatmeal Creme Pies. Recipe originally published on Sally’s Baking Addiction in 2014.
Reader Comments and Reviews
First attempt at baking a cookie for a gift package to troops deployed in Afghanistan. His Mom said they really enjoy home baked goods, so I thought I’d give it a try. Followed direction like a chemistry experiment. Cookies came out delicious, looked, smelled just like a little bit of home. Mine were crunchy held together but not as moist and chewy, just a little dry.
Is there any modification to make them more chewy or perhaps even gooey?
Thank you, I’m sure it will be hit overseas!
I don’t usually comment on things but..this was the first recipe I’d ever tried for oatmeal raisin cookies and it’s definitely the best ever! I’ve made them a few times now and everyone loves them…one of my work friends absolutely loves oatmeal raisin cookies and says they’re the best ones she’s ever had!
The cookies taste great, but mine are actually spreading TOO MUCH. I even cut back a bit on the butter and added some extra oats and flour and the issue remains. Any advice?
Hi Nick, Cookies will overspread if there’s too much fat and not enough flour to soak it up. Did you make any changes to the recipe? We use this base recipe in a lot of cookies and haven’t experienced quite as much spread. Regardless, if you decide to try the recipe again, adding another 2-3 Tbsp of flour will help. Make sure you chill the cookie dough too and, if you’re interested, we have a blog post 10 Guaranteed Tips to Prevent Cookies from Spreading.
I’ve been looking for a moist chewy oatmeal cookie and I found it with this recipe. My only complaint was the cookies didn’t spread as much as I’d have liked. I’ll add a little less flour or oatmeal next time or maybe not refrigerate the dough. The flavor was perfect. I ran out of brown sugar so I only put in 3/ 4 cup. Still sweet enough. Thanks for this great recipe.
My first time ever making oatmeal raisin cookies and these turned out AMAZING. I usually don’t chomp my own cooking down but this was irresistible. Moist and chewy on the edges perfect !!
I tried making these and followed the instructions step by step but my cookies don’t flatten out. Theyrr still almost like the balls I originally rolled.. Could I be doing something wrong?
Not at all– it could be a variety of things such as the oats soaking up more liquid or the weather being too dry. If you try the recipe again, I recommend you reduce the flour by a couple Tbsp or removing 1/4 cup of oats from the recipe. Less dry ingredients = more spread.
My husband likes soft cookies, so I thought I’d try these. They’re good, but I need to bake them at least 15 minutes so they don’t fall apart. Next time will use less vanilla – the whole tablespoon was too much. Liked the hint of molasses! I used a 2 Tablespoon scoop and it make exactly 36 generous sized cookies.
Since the raisins are soaked in warm water for 10 minutes before baking, wouldn’t this lead to the raisins going mouldy in less than a week? I live in Singapore where it is hot AND humid all year round. I am worried about mould growing & ruining all my effort.
Hi Julie, that shouldn’t be a concern since they’re baked in the cookies. Feel free to skip the soaking step if you’d like though! It’s optional.
Dang! These are literally the best oatmeal raisin cookies I’ve ever had. Nice work, Sally. The first batch of cookies was gone before they were all completely cool (and it’s just me, my husband, and my 5 year-old). I swapped honey for the molasses (cuz I had no molasses) and it was delicious. Changed the texture completely. Famazing.
I think I love you, Sally…. Thanks for the recipe!
This is the best oatmeal raisin cookie recipe I have ever tried! I used an ice cream scoop to get the right size, shape and consistency. I doubled the recipe and it worked well, but had to be careful with the mixer not to spill as the bowl was very full. Thanks for a great recipe!!
Really delicious. I halved the sugar and it was definitely sweet enough
I made these because of the wonderful description of how-to. Needing to use up some white chocolate chips, I substituted them for the regular ones and added craisins and walnuts. They were perfect! Chewy and sweet and delicious. And I DID let them cool on the baking tray- although it was hard to wait!
Excellent thanks for sharing
Like some other commenters, my cookies spread a lot, even though I refrigerated the dough for over an hour. But I doubled the size, so it wasn’t a problem. They weren’t too thin. Hubby loved them.
Do use the full tablespoon of vanilla, even though it costs a fortune these days. It smells and tastes great.
Really good, I’ll definitely be making these again!
I made these cookies exactly as the recipe stated. I added chocolate chips to the last half of the dough. Both ways were definitely a “hit”. They were moist and chewy. I’m sure I will get requests for them again.
Tried this recipe for first time. I don’t eat them but my husband really liked them. Only problem was that they fell apart. Is there anything I can do to keep them together?
Hi Shirley, We are glad your husband enjoyed these! If you try the recipe again you can let them cool for longer on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack. The cookies will continue to “set” on the baking sheet during this time.
Flavor is great, but the never flattened out. They turned to be almost like a breakfast treat, which isn’t bad, but not was I was going for.
Sounds like too much flour. Try sifting or weighing the flour, ap flour is 120 grams per cup. Good Luck
I cut back the oats to 2 1/2 cups and only chilled the dough for about 45 minutes instead of an hour. That seemed to do the trick, came out just fine.
The best ever. These were made at my boyfriend’s request and persuaded me to like Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. SO. GOOD.
The flavor is amazing, however, not a single cookie that I baked stayed together. Every one of them fell apart even though they were fully cooled on racks. I even tried baking a batch longer, got hard edges, soft, chewy centers, but initially, still just fell to pieces.
Delicious! Made them with dried prunes and coconut.
Husband and grandkids love these cookies!! They are a little crisp on the edges and soft in the middle. I used the cookie scoop, refrigerate the dough for an hour and a half and bake for 12 mins. Turned out perfect!!! Don’t need to use parchment paper if you don’t let the cookies sit for more than five minutes. Thanks for an awesome recipe Sally. I bake these once a week and it doesn’t last long in our house.
These are the best Oatmeal cookies I have ever had!
I didn’t change a thing and made them as is. The perfect cookie!
Hi Sally! Love all of your recipes. Is there a way to make these into a “no chill” cookie? Thanks!
Hi Jess, If you skip the chilling step they may spread too much in the oven. If you are interested, here are all of our No Chill Cookie Recipes.
Delicious. I would recommend chilling for the full 60 minutes and using two spoons to create the dough spheres. First batch I only chilled 30 and used greased hands to roll and they flattened out too much in the oven. But still tasty.
Hello! Your recipe sounds amazing! I’d like to make them today however I only have quick oats. Do you think they will not come out as tasty?
Hi Rachel, If you use quick oats your cookies won’t be as chewy since they absorb more liquid. Use the same amount as old-fashioned oats.
I made them without the chilling time. They did not spread out far but were delicious.
Hi! I’ve made this recipe 2 times and my cookies don’t seem to spread at all. Should I eliminate the refrigerator time? They look so good in your pictures! So frustrating! LOL!
Hi Suzanne, Any change you wait awhile before chilling the dough or using quick oats instead of whole oats? If so, the oats will begin soaking up some liquid, so the cookies won’t spread as much. Make sure you’re spooning and leveling the flour as well. If you decide to try the recipe again, you can try skipping the chilling or even reducing the flour by 2-3 Tablespoons.
Very nice, just i did with less sugar:)
And ones with almond and chopped chocolate for cooking, they are delicious. Thank you for the recipe
This is my first time baking oatmeal raisin cookies & will be my go-to recipe now!
They came out delicious!
I didn’t use the walnuts, but did opt for the molasses. I baked one batch for 12 mins and another at 14-15 mins just to test the difference of my oven timer and preferred them on the softer side at 12 mins. I will definitely try this recipe again and substitute butter with coconut oil!