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
They came out soft and chewy. Really good, next time I’ll add a little more brown sugar as I typically like to taste it.
My husband loves these cookies! They are his go to snack for traveling. I cook a batch and he nibbles as he drives.
Wonderful recipe but I do have a question. I have used stick butter before for this recipe but my father-law-passed and we have a whole tub of Country Crock soft butter can I use it for this recipe? Thank you
We do not recommend using spreadable butter in cookie recipes, as it will cause the cookies to over spread.
Perfect cookies! Especially if you measure the flour as directed! I also add a touch of cardamom along with the cinnamon!
The best oatmeal cookie recipe ever…every time turns out perfect
First time making homemade oatmeal raisin cookies…this was a success! I did not add molasses because not on hand, but will definitely add on the next try. Definitely will make these again!
This by far is the best raisin oatmeal cookie I have ever made. This recipe made 52 cookies.
my kids ate them all in one week. I used the rasins, chopped pecans and added a few chocolate chips..
Addictive!! Good oatmeal fiber too!! Fabulous!!
Thrilled to hear this, thank you!
This is my go to oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. My whole family loved it and it was gone in just a few days. Instead of eggs I use 1/4 cup Greek yogurt for each egg to make them egg-free so my little sister can eat them.
I made these cookies! Talk about amazing. These were the best cookies I ever had. When the craving for cookies returned, I came back here. This time Ive made chocolate chip. Everyone loved them! Not a single cookie left. Ive made three batches of these.
All I have is the quick oats – how much will that change the consistency? Making them for my daughter’s baby shower.
Hi Elizabeth, quick oats will work in a pinch (same amount), but your cookies won’t be as chewy since they absorb more liquid.
This recipe is the best ever, I LOVE THEM!! I
I followed this recipe to a T, and the cookies turned out perfectly! My husband and daughter both got a glaze over their faces that translated to a warm & fuzzy feeling of well-being! It’s a total keeper!
Hi Sally,
I was hankering for a chewy oatmeal cookie recipe to try. Thank you so very much for sharing this delicious (easy to make) recipe. I don’t do raisins and I didn’t have molasses. Nevertheless, this will be my #1 go to for oatmeal cookies.
This recipe was SOOO good!! I don’t typically comment on stuff like this but kudos to the chef that created this cause WOW! An thank you for sharing. Instead of malosses I used maple syrup an followed the rest of your directions to the recipe with soaking the raisins ahead of time. I also used an ice cream scooper instead an it still turned out fantastic. Comes out perfect every time with 14 minutes in the oven. I forgot how many we had made because the first batch was already gone! Lol.
Full disclosure here, had you asked me prior to making these if I liked oatmeal cookies I would have responded with astonishment and asked what was the point of a cookie without the word chocolate in the title? I figured these were safe because, of course, I wouldn’t eat them. But OH. MY. GOD. Without a doubt THE BEST oatmeal cookie – actually ANY cookie – I have ever eaten! Even putting a few chocolate chips onto the tops of a few of them didn’t help – they were perfect as they were! I used a smaller cookie scoop and so they came out the perfect size to, in theory, just eat one or two with a cup of tea. We made these to give to neighbors, but even then the 2 of us ended up eating almost 1/2 the batch that night and only had a few left over. I have been given a request that these MUST MUST MUST be put onto the Frequent Rotation list! I always add extra cinnamon and vanilla to recipes, but the addition of the molasses blew my mind! THANK YOU for this AHHHHH-MAZ-ING recipe!
Hi Lillith, we are SO glad you loved these! Happy baking.
You should have left the tip about the raisins up in the directions I didn’t see it till after I’d already made them Love the recipe though
Can I make this without raisins?
Hi Tenna! You certainly could give it a try, the cookies may spread a bit more without any add-ins. Or you may love these iced oatmeal cookies (without icing!).
I made these cookies today. Very tasty but they stayed in a ball shape (they cooked right through). Any idea what I might have done that caused them not to get flat? Many thanks!
Hi Laurie, so glad you enjoyed them! How did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to measure your flour. This ensures it isn’t over measured, which can soak up too much of the wet ingredients and prevent the cookies from spreading properly. If you find they’re not spreading, you can always take the pan out and gently bang it on the counter a few times, then return it to the oven. This should help initiate spread. Hope this helps for your next batch!
I had the same issue as well and I used a kitchen scale to weigh all my ingredients. I tried the bang on the counter technique and it did help a bit
Look healthy and sweet, will make it today.
I just finished making these and they are delicious!! I used honey instead of molasses because that’s what I had on hand. I also used more raisins and did soak in warm water for the 10 minutes. I really liked the end result!! I have gas oven and it’s pretty temperamental so it took a bit of figuring out exactly the right temperature and amount of time but I did get a variety of a little over baked to just right and loved them all!
Seems that I get a different result each time I make these. Last batch was absolutely perfect. This time – tasty but flat as a pancake. Any ideas what went wrong?
Hi Kathy! Could the butter you started with this time be a bit warmer? Room temperature butter should be cool to the touch and is key for cookie texture!
This recipe is amazing as written but I’m wondering if I could use the same recipe to make oatmeal raisin bars?
Hi Shari, We haven’t made this exact recipe as bars but we’d recommend making them in a 9×13 pan. We’re unsure of the exact bake time. Let us know if you give it a try.
Made this recipe and honestly sooo delicious! My kids loved them. I did use only 1/2 cup of butter and it was still moist and plump! I made half a batch and froze the rest for a quick fix. Thanks for the recipe
Cookies hot out of the oven. My husband gave them a thumbs up (he had one that had coooled off). Thanks for all the great tips, especially about soaking the raisins and how to know when to take them out of the oven (I am always so hesitant when the centers don’t look done). I followed your directions and the cookies came out great. Next time I will try the secret ingredient…molasses. Thank you!
I was wondering if you had a gluten free variation of this recipe?
Hi Grace, we have not tested this recipe with gluten flour, but let us know if you do.
I have made this recipe dozens of times exactly as written, and it is by far my favorite. My college age daughter and her friends ask for these every single time they come home, and I’ve also sold these at several events. This recipe and your blueberry lemon scone recipe have made hundred of people happy! And made me look like a genius. Thank you Sally for sharing your brilliance!
Sally, This cookie recipe is Hall of Fame worthy! I have made this cookie recipe more than any other in my long life! It is my favorite cookie and always a hit when I bake them as a gift. I agree the molasses add depth of flavor. I also add 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 2-3 T. ground flax seeds, and toasted pecans instead of walnuts (I’m from Georgia and pecans rule!). Instead of 1 1/2 cups of white flour, I have used 1 cup white flour and 1/2 whole wheat flour to boost fiber. It is a very forgiving recipe for personal modifications such as mine. I love your recipes and visit your website often. Thank you!
Perfection! Thank You Sally, I never leave comments until now.
Easy to make and a recipe the whole family loves!
I would like to make giant cookies using a 2.5″ diameter cookie/cupcake scoop. How should I adjust the baking time and temperature?
Hi Lisa, we’re unsure of the exact bake time, but it will be just a few minutes longer. Same temperature, though. Enjoy!
I warmed brandy for the raisins and added a dash of cloves. No molasses on hand, subbed honey. They are a bit chewy but very light in the centers. Will definitely make them again.
Subbed Honey!