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 followed the recipe to the letter, including chilling the dough, but was disappointed with the results. The cookies turned out more like muffin tops and were very cakey rather than chewy. Browned up very quickly in the oven and did not look like the picture. I suspect that the issue is to do with the weight conversions as I am British and use weights for baking. My limited knowledge of cup measures is that they can be inaccurate depending on technique which probably explains why the reviews are so mixed. Weights should not suffer this problem so I suspect that the ratios/conversions are just not right here. The flavour however is good. Could use more raisins for my taste. My search goes on for a chewy cookie recipe!
Hi Ellen, we test all of our recipes multiple times using both metric weights and cups. Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try!
I followed the recipe almost exactly added extra tablespoon molasses , soooo delicious
I never make avcomment but I’m making these for the second time this month. For my family the molasses adds a special zing. These disappear quickly. I followed recipe including refrigerating dough.
first time one of your recipes failed me big time. I was so disappointed….spread like crazy and practically burned even though i did it 1 minute less than required time.
Hi Kathryn! So sorry to hear that you had trouble with this recipe. Make sure to start with proper room temperature butter and to chill the cookie dough as instructed. Here’s more tips to help keep cookies from spreading next time!
I love your recipes! I just had a couple of oatmeal raisin cookies which led me to look at your recipe and I will make these cookies very soon. One quick question… I live in Denver Colorado and want to know if there is anything I need to add to adjust for high-altitude? Most recipes recommend one additional tablespoon flour. Do you agree?
Hi Patty! I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
These are so delicious and honestly so easy. They are exactly what they say they are: soft and chewy. The taste is perfect! I use craisins in mine and added walnuts. I also added a bit more cinnamon just for fun. Seriously, these are amazing! My go to oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. I did leave them in the fridge for about 45 minutes before baking, and I kept the extra dough in the fridge as the batches were baking. Mine did not spread into a puddle, they stayed thick, soft, and chewy.
Best Oatmeal Raisin cookies! I made sure I followed your tips for successful baking and they came out perfect. Everybody loved them. I will be making another batch very soon.
I loved this recipe my cookies turned out just the right thickness and nice and chewy just the way I like them. I used salted butter without adding any more salt. I replaced the flour with 1 cup Robinhood all purpose gluten free flour and 1/2 a cup almond flour for a nice gluten free option. 1cup packed brown sugar was plenty sweet, no need to add granulated sugar in my opinion. Chilled for 45 minutes, will make sure to try soaking raisins next time as I missed that information. 36 good size cookies from the batch and didn’t last two days!
Can the recipe be divided in half
Hi Kit, Absolutely. Simply halve all ingredients.
This is the best oatmeal raisin cookie recipe I found they are awesome. I will be making these from now on
I just finished baking our third batch, had to leave them in the fridge a week as life got in the way. I did everything, by the recipe but soaked the raisins in brandy, added slightly more blackstrap molasses, use the new Purecane sugar replacement which with the molasses gave the flavor of brown sugar. This is the best batch and we don’t have to worry about the sugar. Mine did not flatten themselves but we liked the higher shape anyway and I measured everything on the scale. It is by far the best ever Oatmeal raisin cookie recipe I have ever used and I am 84 years old and our fave cookies are oatmeal raisin. Thank you so much! My daughter in law, April Lofthouse, loves all of your recipes. Next recipe will be the white chocolate, cherry recipe.
The cookies were Soo yum I love the molasses and added walnuts came out soft and chewey
First time i made they were very good, second time i threw them out, only thing is i didn’t put in refrig first the second time. I can’t remember if i did the first time Don’t know what happened.
So very good! Made the recipe as written and it’s perfect. Freezes really well too.
I would not make these again. I weighed my ingredients, made sure my butter was properly softened according to the guidelines in Sally’s article on room-temp butter, double-checked my oven’s temperature and adjusted accordingly, took care to properly chill the dough, etc etc. My cookies spread and sank and turned out thin and strangely dark, I suppose due to all the molasses (in the brown sugar + the extra added). I made multiple batches and measured everything both times, so I know it wasn’t a random error. As I tested the dough with individual cookies, I added more flour in a little at a time, and they still continued to spread, albeit it not as much. In the second batch I used butterscotch chips instead of raisins, and those turned out even worse and very unattractive: bright orange chips in a thin, dark, lumpy, puddly cookie. I find them all very sweet too, and that coupled with the texture issue leads me to believe there’s an issue with the ratio of sugar and fat to flour. I will be looking elsewhere for a standby oatmeal cookie recipe. Thanks anyway.
What a smart idea, I did soak in hot water for 5 minutes let cool and finished in the wet Ingredients. Incredible recipe with this tip
can i omit or substitute the molasses? i don’t have any on hand but have everything else and want to make some thank you cookies for a neighbor, oatmeal raisin are their favorite. can’t really jump up in my truck nor bend my leg properly to drive at the moment as i injured my knee cleaning up hurricane debree. :/
Hi Angelita, you can simply omit the molasses without any replacement.
I added 1/2 cup of flour and an extra 1/4 cup of golden raisins with dried cranberries and cherries. (I just prefer this mix over plain old raisins and that way these delicious cookies taste more like ENGLISH flapjack.) I flattened my balls of cookie dough as I found they didn’t really spread the first time. The molasses is a touch of genius! *chefs kiss*
These cookies turned out excellent! I will soak raisins in all recipes from now on.
Your recipe is spot on.
Sometimes I use dried blueberries, turns out great. The family loves them
Both. Thank you!
This is my second time trying this recipe and I always chill my dough for at least an hour. Both times these cookies flattened out way too much. Likely will not be trying this recipe again.
These were an absolute hit! I was obviously too quick to judge them by their appearance. They are quite a bit flatter than I am used to but everyone loved them and it is the flavor that counts at the end of the day.
I used a light metal pan and a center rack, chilled the dough, and half my batch burnt on the bottom. It also doesn’t taste sweet enough to me, and I don’t think I’ve ever said that about a cookie recipe. I wouldn’t make this recipe again.
I’ve never been a fan of oatmeal raisin cookies, but it’s my neighbor’s birthday and that is what he wanted. I used your recipe (used golden raisins) and added walnuts). Then after baking half of them, I added Lilly’s sugar free semi-sweet chocolate chips to second half. All turned out fabulous, and every one loves them.
Great cookies. They’re just as described. And do soak the raisins. We are addicted in this home.
I want to try the white chocolate ones next.
Read all the comments, so made sure to chill chill chill….but they still came out spread, flat and too soft. I used the weights rather than measuring cups as well. Any ideas?
Hi Andrea, if your dough was sufficiently chilled and all ingredients were weighed, it’s likely that your butter may have been a bit too warm. Here’s more on what room temperature butter really means — hopefully this will help for the next batch!
This is the best oatmeal raisin cookie recipe!!! Followed instructions exactly (chilled for 30 minutes). Flavour delicious and shape of cookies perfect. Made 30 cookies. Will double recipe next time.
I think the weights are way off. I was using cups and weighing just to test and use as a reference for other recipes, and the flour and oatmeal weights were about 50-100 grams different to what the recipe lists. I would suggest using cups if you have access to them.
I love Oatmeal Raisin cookies! I weighed all ingredients as stated. I baked on the higher end because, though I strained the raisins, I did not blot them dry. This added moisture to my batter which required the longer baking time. I wouldn’t change a thing. I used light Muscovado and Pure Raw organic sugars. Because brown sugar clumps I break it up with my hands. Granulated sugars I grind to fine texture because it prevents a grainy batter. Flat vs. not flattened is a matter of preference. And, it could also be a result of the mixing technique used. How long you beat your eggs matter. I add one at a time just until incorporated. Total mixing time matters as well. I always sift my flour to the appropriate measure. Baking, unlike cooking, is an exact science. It teaches patience. And when successful, it’s bliss! The recipe rocks. And I will be using it again. I’ve already eaten three while writing this review. May even add some rum liquer next time. Happy Baking!
mine ended up burning on the bottom when i cooked them. i followed the recipe perfectly. any reasons why this may be?
Hi Olivia, it could be the pan you are using. Is your baking sheet a darker metal? And are you baking them on a lower oven rack? I recommend the center rack and a lighter metal baking sheet.
They may have gotten too hot on the bottom! Lol first kidding!
But…
If it happens again send me all the burnt ones! They sound yummy!
Mine did too first time. Turned out my oven thermostat was off and needed calibration. Hope yours is actually heating to the correct temperature!
If your pan is dark, back them on tin foil.
Turned out very flat. Won’t be using this recipe again.
I would try them again, viola. Follow the recipe closely and don’t forget the baking soda.
But I just took my third batch out of the oven after watching my sister make them a couple times and they’ve all came out like bakery level taste, shape, form.
Did you refrigerate? I spread my dough up the sides and hollow out the middle to let the cool air get to the dough evenly and quickly and I went 40 min.
But when they come out right, you will love the texture, flavor, soft and chewy goodness. I promise!
I like flat oatmeal cookies. Thx for sharing. 8
Turned out perfect, I altered it a bit. I used all white sugar and used 2.5 tbsp molasses. We only had quick oats. I used the stand mixer. After mixing in the eggs after about 3 minutes I add in baking soda and salt then I add in flour. Saves me from sifting them together. I added white chocolate chips in place of raisins. I did not chill, they went straight to the oven. Will definitely make again.
I added a little extra flour in mine and they were awesome best oatmeal cookie recipe I found yet
thx so much my family loved it these are so good I CRAVE THEM LIKE EVERYDAY!!!!!
I was looking for a recipe that was like the Pepperidge Farm oatmeal raisin cookie and this one came very close—I would add another 1/2 cup of raisins though but never knew to soak them—excellent tip. This will be my go to recipe for sure—thanks!
Soak raisins in eggs and vanilla then not wasting all that flavor from the raisins!
I’m so thrilled! I followed the recipe exactly, except that as suggested i replaced the brown sugar with jaggery and omitted the molasses. Yummy soft and chewy cookies!!
Oh my word!! So I followed this recipe and added a few of my own touches. I added,
Nutmeg- 1/2 teaspoon
Macadamia nuts
And went with the walnuts.
I chose not to chill as I use quick oats. I chose 11 minutes which made them in perfection. This is hands down the best recipe I’ve used for Oatmeal Raisin cookies!!!
Thank you thank you. So much better than any store bought cookie out there!