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
Broke apart like granola.
These were so easy to make and OUTSTANDING!! nice crisp on edges and soft in the inside. I found that 13 minutes were perfect to bake.
I followed this recipe exactly as written and my cookies were perfect! I love chewy cookies and I was worried that 13 minutes might be too long in my oven but I took a chance and they couldn’t have turned out better – and SO delicious!
Can you soak the raisins in whiskey or other liquor?
Absolutely!
I made these for my husband’s birthday and they were delicious! Thanks for this recipe. I followed directions to a tee and they turned out perfectly. My only change was to substitute cranberries for raisins, as that’s our preference.
If I prefer smaller cookies do I just adjust baking time accordingly?
You bet!
My friend made these for me and they are perfectly chewy and delicious!
They came out great! Everyone loves them! What is the best way to thaw frozen baked cookies to retain the structure & flavor?
Hi Lesa, you should be able to let these come to room temperature from the freezer. Enjoy!
Hi! I’m trying to figure out why my oatmeal cookies spread so much when baking. It happens every time I bake them and I follow the instructions to a tee! Any ideas how to keep that from happening?
Hi D, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. Starting with butter that’s too warm is the most common mistake. These tips on how to prevent cookies from spreading will be helpful to review for next time. Thank you for giving these a try!
I found the same issue, they spread to include the entire sheet. Although I salvaged them by cutting them into squares while still warm. I was looking for chewy cookies, tried the recipe with more flour as well, didn’t help ;(
I can’t wait to try your recipe. Quick question, if you chill the cookie dough for more than 24hrs, do you know if the flavors of the cookies change at all?
Hi Mo, the flavor profile will be the same, but the longer you chill the cookies, the more they will hold their shape/prevent spreading during bake time.
Is there a substitute for the molasses?
Hi Tonja, you can just leave it out or replace with pure maple syrup.
The best ever! Never going back to another recipe again.
I usually have issues with cookies mounding instead of spreading. These spread more than the usual cookie recipe but still looks more mounded than yours in the picture. I usually mix my cookie dough with a wooden spoon rather than a mixer. Could that be an issue? I refrigerated the dough for one hour.
Hi Ruth, we’re so sorry to hear you had troubles with these cookies. It sounds like there may have been too much flour in the dough, soaking up all the wet ingredients and preventing spread. How did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure just the right amount of flour. Thank you for giving these a try!
I make these all the time, my kids love them. I found this after realizing they no longer make them for stores I shop at
The Best! Made these for the first time as I was craving a good oatmeal raisin cookie. I have almost single handedly eaten the whole batch. They are the perfect texture and sweetness. Nice and chewy. Followed the recipe exactly and they turned out excellent. Baked about 11 to 12 minutes but cooled them completely on the pans before moving to a rack. Almost added the nuts but decided to be a purest – perfect. As always – Sally’s recipes are spot on. My son and I both are avid followers.
I made these cookies . So good . I didn’t have a cookie scoop but I found that having wet hands worked perfect No sticky fingers ! Thank you again for a great recipe
Sally has increased the flower from 1 an1/2 cups ti 1 and 2/3 cups since the first time I printed this recipe. Was there a reason for this?
Hi Kate, that is correct. A couple of years ago, I slightly increased the flour to help reduce excess spread.
The cookies were tasty but did not get as think as I hoped…what should I add to make them a bit thivcker?
Hi Par, this post on how to prevent cookies from spreading will be a helpful resource. If all else fails, you can try adding a couple extra Tbsp flour to your dough should you wish to try these cookies again. Thank you so much for giving these cookies a try!
I also used golden raisins instead of the plain’ol traditional ones.
I forgot the eggs until after I added the oats. I said what the heck better late than never. Let’s hope they turn out okay. I’ll submit another comment and let everyone know what the outcome is.
Turned out just as we hoped, a true soft cookie! Yum!!! I was worried since my baking soda was old, bought new box and read after made the dough box is for fridge/freezer only. Thankfully it worked. (Was only type at that store, looked like traditional baking soda)
hi sally! i’m really excited to try this recipe. i’m planning on substituting half of the butter with browned butter. i know i’ll need to add back in some water for whatever’s evaporated, but my question is: since the browned butter will be in liquid form, should i add a bit more flour to counteract that?
thank you in advanced!
Hi Dean, that sounds delicious! We haven’t tested the cookies that way so can’t guarantee how they’ll turn out, but I think the main thing I would change is to chill the dough for longer (at least 2 hours) to give the liquid brown butter time to firm up. That said, our recipe for brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies doesn’t actually require any chilling, so you could also try baking just a couple right away and see how they turn out! You may determine they bake up just fine with no chilling; if they overspread, chill the dough and try again later. As for adding more water and/or flour, that’s hard to say without seeing/feeling the dough… because oats also soak up liquid, it may not be as important to add extra flour here. Let us know how it goes!
I am not an amateur baker and I always consider your recipes to be the “creme de la creme”! However, I made these and followed all the directions including the baking of them after 30 minutes chilling in the fridge. I was not very impressed with them, to be honest. So, I decided to use my freezing the dough balls method (what I do with most of my cookies) to see how these fared. I used a cookie scoop to make them into balls and froze them overnight. I baked them the next day and “VOILA”! Deliciousness! The difference is amazing!! Try it – it takes them up a good couple of notches. They had no issue spreading and were night and day difference to me. I would have given 5 stars, except I had to alter your directions to get what I considered a 5 star cookie. Thanks for all your amazing cake recipes and now this one, too!
I’ve made these a number of times and wondered how the recipe compared to my Mother’s from years ago. It seems your white sugar is cut in half and the flour is 1 1/2c. in Mom’s. She only calls for a one minute cooling on pan. I think I’ll give hers a go just for fun.
Absolutely perfection.
Hi- I do love this site and the wonderful recipes. My question is this- do you have a good substitution for cinnamon? I am allergic, so it makes baking many recipes rather bland.
Hi Wendy, instead of cinnamon, you could try another warm spice (or blend) like nutmeg, cloves, ginger, or all spice. The flavor of your cookies will vary depending on what you choose. Hope this helps!
Maybe cardamom? But I would put about half of what the recipe calls for
Absolutely excellent recipe
These taste wonderful! Mine are coming out darker and more spread out than your photos. I chilled the dough for just under an hour. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Angela, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. Starting with butter that’s too warm is the most common mistake. These tips on how to prevent cookies from spreading will be helpful to review for next time. Thank you for giving these a try!
Hi, I’ve made these before and they turned out great! I now live in a college dorm and don’t have any need for a whole jar of molasses–could I substitute honey for the molasses?
Hi Evangeline, many readers have reported success using honey, but you can simply omit the molasses if you don’t have any on hand. Either way should be fine.
I Love this recipe. My cookies turned out beautifully! I would like to sign up for your emails when I’m wondering does your organization sell email addresses or will my email address be completely ?private?
Hi Marian, we’re so glad you enjoyed these cookies! We do not sell email addresses. You can sign up for our email list here. Thank you!