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
I just made these cookies exactly as printed but chose to omit the cinnamon. They baked perfectly @ 350 in 14 minutes, just lightly browned around the edges with the tops still light and looking under cooked. I chilled the batter for the full 60 minutes and the cookies were a perfect size, no running. Cooled for 5 minutes, and they turned a nice even brown and are perfectly soft and chewy. I will be making these again for sure. They are not too sweet as most cookies are. I am not a fan of raisins but find that Trader Joe’s jumbo raisin medley stay soft and plump with a tangy taste. I am sure these cookies will have more flavor after a couple of days stored in an air tight container.
Did everything as recipe required. In addition I added cranberry. Super delicious. Thank you for the superb recipe!
Made them last night, I did use the toasted walnuts and also added about 1/4 c. Shredded unsweetened coconut flakes. They were absolutely delicious! Don’t understand the reviews that reference lack of taste, these were so flavorful. I will be as this recipe and making again!
My husband and I loved the cookies. I made them a few weeks ago and will make another batch for an upcoming road trip. I followed the recipe exact and they were delicious. ( I do soak my raisins in rum instead of water to plump them up) I think I will add chocolate chips this time and maybe cranberries. The baking time was spot on for my oven. A definite keeper for me.
Love this recipe. It needs to bake closer to 20 minutes. We also turn it into a power cookie by adding pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, dark chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, and unsweetened shredded coconut.
I like the idea of adding coconut and dark chocolate. I’m definitely going to try that.
Did everything as recipe required. In addition I added cranberry. Super delicious. Thank you for the superb recipe!
I could not get this cookie recipe to bake properly. I gradually turned the heat down to 275, but still ended up with barely cooked batter. Very runny. Too much butter? I don’t know…
Hi Gail
I disagree. Perhaps you are not using room temperature butter and eggs. The sugars and eggs must be thoroughly creamed before adding the eggs. If you add the eggs one at a time and mix them until the yolks and whites thoroughly mixed. When adding the dry ingredients flour cinnamon baking soda oats and raisins try folding those in. I have found using a mixer for those items toughen the dough. Also I do not chill my batter I bake the cookies immediately and they are the best oatmeal raisin cookies I have ever made. This recipe is a definite keeper. In my opinion anyone who doesn’t like these cookies is really not an oatmeal raisin cookie fan. Give it another try.
This is the best recipe for Oatmeal cookies that I have ever tried! I did swap out cranberries instead of the raisins! Perfect! Thank you!
I just made them. We ate 6, and gave 6 to my elderly neighbours. The rest will be eaten in 2 days. I followed recipe exactly. Except no walnuts.
These are so good! Even my husband who hates raisins was gobbling them up! I am allergic to eggs, so I substituted the 2 eggs with flax eggs, and it worked beautifully. Love the added flavor that molasses brings!
These ARE The Best Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Ever!! with…
Raised Moist and tender centers yet crisp on the edges.
Sweetened with brown sugar, Loaded with oats,
Studded with plumped raisins and pecans,
Extra Cinnamon spiced and Lots of vanilla,
With molasses as a secret ingredient,
Buttery flavor with 30 minute chill time.
They don’t last long at our house so I’ll bake them often.
Want to try with Cranberries or Dark Chocolate Chips instead of raisins.
Thank You for sharing…I will not buy Oatmeal cookies from Aldi again!!
I didn’t think I could make them as good, but these are even better!!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Delish! I tried this recipe with 1/2c butter and 1/2c organic vegetable shortening instead of the 1c butter. Phenomenal! crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle! Also love using my cookie scoop! Uniform in size and shape and your hands won’t be sticky:)
Followed directions exactly as written , but didn’t have time to chill. They turned out perfect! Great recipe!
I have made these cookies on multiple occasions and they are delicious. Followed the recipe exactly with the exception of the raisins. I used chocolate covered raisins instead of regular raisins. I froze the bag of chocolate covered raisins before adding them in. It helps to keep the chocolate from coming off the raisins. Did not add any nuts.
A few days ago I made this and added butterscotch chips and thought they tasted divine. Today I looked through all your oatmeal recipe once more and saw you had one solely with butterscotch chips. I think both ingredients pair wonderfully well with oatmeal! Next up for me – Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Cookies with M&M!
I just made these cookies I exactly just self risising flour and man these are the best cookies I have ever made thank you
I came across these oatmeal raisin cookies by Sally. I almost did not make them. Because Im trying to cooking lower fat and sugar. I thought about adapting the recipe, but it sounds like this person knows her stuff. I know better than to dive into a recipe. We should read it entirely first. But I did not do that. I got salted butter. The tips really made me want to try this recipe. Its in the fridge chilling, and Im waiting. Why? I should just skip this step. Well… it appears that chilling the cookies helps the fat form and then when they cook the fat releases slower and contributes to the cookies shape. And why did this recipe call for unsalted butter? I bought salted butter and adapted the recipe here, so… heres hoping they turn out well. Unsalted butter allows the cream of the butter to contribute to the flavor of the cookie and salted butter can cloud the cookies flavor. I think Ill be making these cookies again. Ill post about how they turn out. But its an exciting blog.
These were absolutely delicious! Disappeared within minutes and got lots of praise from the family. I substituted half the butter with tahini without any issues other than needing to flatten my dough balls out a little before baking to help them spread.
Very good but I thought they needed more raisins and nuts. Would adding more change the texture or require more of the other ingredients?
Shouldn’t be a problem. Feel free to add more.
Tried it and it’s really good. Thank you so much Sally.
This recipe was highly rated so I gave it a try. It’s a good basic recipe, but I felt like it was missing something. I soaked my raisins and I do think that helped. But it was either something about the oatmeal or the batter as a whole. They looked and smelled wonderful. I added some ground nutmeg to the last batch, but felt fresh nutmeg may would work better. I do not like nuts in my cookies so I opted out of the walnuts. I can’t put my finger on what would make this better. I used a 1 1/2 TBSP cookie scoop and got around 37 or 38 cookies.
Made double batch , they are amazing , I refrigerated for 30 min , preheated and we rolled all the dough into balls and kept cooking used 2 cookie sheets and parchment paper worked great.
This recipe is my new favorite! It is the only one that reminds me of cookies my mother baked for us when I was a child. So simple and so delicious! I followed the recipe except that I added an additional 1/2 C of raisins. Divine!
This is a tale of two cookies. The first batch I baked the night I made the dough, and the second batch I baked the next morning. I followed the recipe and instructions precisely, but the first batch dropped and ran significantly. I ate them all, and they were delicious, but they looked terrible and I wouldn’t have given them out. I think maybe there was uneven oat distribution. The couple that turned out great seemed to have more oats in them.
The second batch, which chilled overnight and was not brought closer to room temp before baking, was still very sticky. By the last few cookies I could barely make the balls due to how much was stuck to my fingers. They kept their form much better, but the spread was still far from uniform.
Still, so incredibly delicious and great texture. For what it’s worth, I did not use walnuts, did use old fashioned oats, and did soak the raisins. Maybe I didn’t dry the raisins enough? I don’t know. I’m definitely going to hold on to this recipe and use it again. Maybe it was an unseen error on my part in the very beginning. I might try reducing slightly the molasses and vanilla, and/or adding a tablespoon of powdered milk to the dry ingredients.
Thank you so much for this recipe.
I refrigerated the dough for 30/60 minutes depending on batch 1.2 or 3 and the time it took for me to cool and transfer trays and repeat. I did a double batch (one with walnuts one without) Towards the end I flattened my dough balls slightly to help them spread- more like disks and they looked better to me!
That’s My ONLY suggestion and more of a visual preference!
These were FANTASTIC!
Absolutely Devine!!
Hi Sally ,
Can I substitute Sultanas for the Raisins in this recipe?
Would I need to adjust the batter if I did?
Thanks!
Hi Tom, we haven’t tested this recipe with Sultanas but don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Would love to hear how they go ☺️
The best cookies I have made yet. My family is addicted. Absolutely love this recipe and the great tips.
Very good! I didn’t have molasses, didn’t let the dough chill, didn’t soak the raisins & dropped dough from a spoon instead of rolling into balls & they they still turned out great.
These cookies are DIVINE! I made them for my family and neighbors at holiday treats, and everyone loved them so much, I made a second batch. The only change I made, was I substituted 1/2 cup of normal flour for 1/2 cup of whole wheat, and I added an extra 1/2 cup of pecans, in addition to the walnuts, and added the tiniest smidge of cayenne. THEY ARE SO GOOD!!
I added only I cup of sugar ((mostly brown). Raisins and toasted walnuts. The recipe did make 35 cookies…with one rolled Tablespoon. The second batch, I flattened them a bit with a fork. Just as tasty, but larger.
I made these cookies for a friend at work. when asked why they were brown I said well they have brown sugar in them. I think if I ever made these again, i would use more white than brown, but otherwise they are pretty good. Wondering if these cookies would freeze well after baking?
Hi Kim, Brown sugar contains more moisture than white, which produces a softer cookie. You can use light brown sugar instead of dark brown for a lighter color cookie. The baked cookies do freeze well for up to three months.
Sally, I have to say that this recipe is like a Golden Ticket. I made an old family recipe that didn’t have a whole lot of instructions for the sequence of ingredients. My dough was so sticky, it was a nightmare to work with. I tried your recipe and WOW! Adding the molasses and vanilla after mixing the eggs, butter and sugar did the trick. They come out perfect every time. My dad, who does not like raisins at all, is now the biggest Cookie Monster in the family. Thank you!!
Thank you for this amazing recipe, and all your recipes! You never do me wrong, Sally 🙂
Made these to drop-off at my friends house (COVID), she texted and said these were the best cookies she’s ever had! And I would agree, these cookies are great!