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
Can you substitute Maple Syrup for the Molasses?
Hi KL, yes, you can replace with pure maple syrup. Enjoy!
These were fantastic. Exactly what I want in an oatmeal cookie
Absolutely delicious!! They were a hit! I was surprised by the amount of vanilla, but they didn’t disappoint. Loved the addition of the molasses too!
That tablespoon of molasses and vanilla are perfection and this recipe is more than worth the hype
As molasses plus whit sugar = brown sugar, why noot just all brown sugar? Thanks
This recipe is a keeper. The cookies These cookies always turn out delicious. Thank you so much.
Sally’s recipes never disappoint! I made these with raisins I had been soaking in bourbon for a couple months and they were amazing!
WOW! This recipe is genius! My family and I couldn’t stop eating them. I haven’t had the chance to bring them to work because it doesn’t last at home.
Did I say how much I love you for giving the weight of all the ingredients that don’t get measured by the spoon? This is the only way to make a repeatable recipe. Thank you so much! Oh, the cookies are great too.
Soak raisens in bourbon heat a little and let sit til rm temp
I halved the recipe exactly, except a little extra raisins. Even my husband who hates raisins lived the cookies. Followed directions to the letter. Let the batter chill overnight. Used uSA baking sheet, parchment paper wasn’t even necessary.
Not bad. The molasses gave the cookies a nice chewy texture. But I have to say, far far too much sugar. I would cut it in half. No wonder diabetes is rampant in this country – – we measure our sugar in recipes by the cup, whereas in European recipes, sugar is measured by the spoonful.
The best oatmeal raisin cookie recipe I’ve tried! Makes delicious, soft cookies. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
I really appreciate that you provide the weighted measurements. It contributes to the success of the delicious recipes on your site. I soaked the raisins in a wee bit of rum since no kids were are around this week.
I used brown butter instead of regular butter and it was a DELICIOUS substitution. These came out wonderful!
I want to do this but dont have easy access to molasses. Is there an alternative you could suggest?
Also love all your recipes and I’m slowly making my way through them. Thanks for sharing the love!
Hi Sakeena, you can just leave it out or replace with pure maple syrup.
I love this recipe but I roll the batter into a very firm log by rolling and pressing in on the ends and rolling some more. I then wrap it on Saran Wrap and rolling it some more very evenly. I put it in the fridge for 2 hours to overnight. I then slice it into 1/3 to 1/2” slices and space it out on a parchment covered cookie sheet. I bake it at 350 for 8-10 min depending pie thin I slice it. It is yummy!
They flattened out quite a bit even though I chilled the dough first but my boyfriend ate every single one of them…and I’m making a second batch tonight. He requested oatmeal raisin cookies when I was making Christmas cookies and he loved them. They aren’t my favorite type of cookie but I felt they were pretty good, as well.
The first time I made this, I used applesauce in place of eggs. It was too sweet with only cinnamon.
I added 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/8 tsp ground cloves to round out the sweetness – perfect for winter!
The applesauce and rehydrated raisins were key to keeping the cookies moist and chewy.
Wonderful recipe overall. Thank you.
These were bland. Not very sweet and fairly flavorless. They looked pretty though and had a nice texture. I followed the recipe exactly as directed. I would never make them again.
My dad who is really picky loved this recipe. He ate almost all the cookies I gave him. My neighbors also loved them. I love the molasses. They also didn’t turn out dry any time I made them.
Dry and tasteless. I usually love all the recipes here, but theses are, by far, the worst oatmeal cookies I have ever tasted.
Sally,
Thank you for your recipe. It took me back to my French/German Great Grandmother’s oatmeal cookies she made for me. Have a Great and Prosperous New Year!!
I have been making my husband oatmeal raisin cookies for 40 years and this is THE BEST recipe I have ever made!!!!! Thank you for sharing these!!!!
I loved making these cookies! They didn’t last very long!
Good flavor but very dry.
Hi Beeba! Dry cookies can be caused by over-baking, or too much flour/oats in the dough. How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
Dry and tasteless. Will not use this recipe again
If I want to double the recipe I just double the ingredients? I know sometimes it can be different. Thank you
Hi Jamie! Yes, this cookie recipe should double well.
Made these cookies exactly and I found them lacking in flavor.
This was my first time making any type of oatmeal cookie. The recipe was easy to follow. I added an extra half Tbsp (2 total) of molasses & portioned the cookies before chilling for 30 minutes. They came out chewy & delicious without being overly sweet tasting.
Best oatmeal cookies ever! I always add finely chopped pecans and more raisins. I get compliments every time I make them!!
Can I cut this recipe in half? Thank you!
Yes, you can halve this recipe if you wish. Enjoy!