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
Followed the recipe completely. Did not add any nuts. They came out perfect. Delicious taste. Soft and chewy. Definitely will be made many more times I’m sure.
Thank you Sally!
You’re recipes are definitely making my friends and family happy right now. I’m doubling them, baking and leaving them on doorsteps!
I tried your chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe last week and it was phenomenal. Now I want to try “chewy ” oatmeal raisin. My question is this, to get the same texture, why do you not use melted butter, corn starch, and extra yolk in this recipe. Also cab I substitute chocolate chips without ruining the integrity of the cookie.
Thank you.
Hi Melissa! The two are simply different recipes to make up for the reduced amount of flour and the addition of oats. Oats and brown sugar make these extra chewy. You can use chocolate chips instead of raisins like I do with my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Made these delicious cookies, I added 7oz of almond paste to the recipe and baked them 13 min and wow the almond paste combine with the nuts and raisins gave wonderful added flavor. thanks try it!!!!
This is my second time baking these, very delicious!
Do you have an approximate calorie count per cookie?
I just baked these cookies, leaving out the molasses . they stayed in a ball and did not spread at all. Seemed very odd. Toward the end I pressed them down because i didn’t want oatmeal cookie balls. What happened ?
Hi Susan! Did you wait awhile to bake or chill the dough for longer than the recipe states? The oats will begin soaking up some liquid, so the cookies won’t spread as much. If you decide to try the recipe again, you can try skipping the chilling or even reducing the flour by 2-3 Tablespoons.
These truly are the best oatmeal raisin cookies I’ve ever made. I did steal a secret from another recipe and left the raisins to sit in the beaten egg and vanilla for an hour. It gives them a wonderful texture. Thanks for this terrific recipe!
Perfectly delicious cookies! I used pecans, since I didn’t have walnuts. Another great recipe by Sally and I love the addition of molasses!
AMAZINGGG RECIPE!!!!!
Made these for my husband for his birthday. Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are his absolute favorite, and even he agrees that this recipe is THE best. I added just one small touch of my own—and man was it a good call. I still soaked the raisins in warm water prior mixing them with the batter so that they were nice and plump, but I also added half a shot of Crown Royal Salted Caramel Whisky to the water for flavor, and let them soak for a good hour or so before drying them with a clean paper towel and adding them into the rest of the mixture. The flavors compliment one another soooo well. Just finished making a second batch tonight. What better way to bring some much needed comfort while stuck inside on quarantine.
These came out great and we love them. I’ve never seen an oatmeal cookie recipe with molasses in the ingredients but I’m so glad I had some in my pantry because I think it really makes a difference in the taste. Thank you for sharing.
4/5/2020
Thanks for the recipe! It’s already my third time making cookies based on your website. However, this time fails. Cookies are flattened starting from 8 mins and become so thin. I already fridge them for an hour before bake. Any thoughts?
Hi Gloria! I actually have an entire page dedicated to troubleshooting flat cookies: 10 Guaranteed Tips to Prevent Cookies from Over-Spreading. I know you’ll find it all very helpful.
well they didnt come out at all like the picture. Too brown at the edges and underdone in the middle. Followed the recipe exactly except for the molasses (didn’t have any). They spread too far despite being in the silpat. The last tray, i chilled again before baking and used parchment rather than the silpat. I also tried reducing the oven temp to 340*.
They still spread too far. Very tasty but not at all pretty. Not sure what I am going to do with them as they cannot go into the cookie jar the way they are. Maybe make a whoopie pie filling and sandwich them….
Hi Sally! I noticed the sugar measurements are a bit different than the ones in your cookie book recipe. I haven’t made these before and I’m wondering which recipe I should follow (I’m sure either will turn out amazing!). Thanks!
I just baked the cookies following the recipe from the book today. The sugar measurement is slightly more there – 300 g and only dark brown sugar was used. I found the cookies to be a little too sweet perhaps since molasses were added too. The next round I’ll try with less sugar. Also chilling of the dough wasn’t stated in the book (please correct me if I’m wrong). Hence I found my dough a little difficult to manage and they spread too much during baking. I stopped baking after trying two batches and refrigerated the rest. I’ll bake them tmr. Hopefully the oats haven’t absorbed all the moisture from the dough. Overall the cookies were very tasty. Will definitely be baking these again.
Thanks for your reply! I did make this recipe and they were great, although I definitely need to chill the dough for at least an hour next time because some of my cookies spread and some didn’t (weird?). And I did soak my raisins, the recipe in the book omitted that step.
i used leftover bacon grease to coat the pan 😀
the outside edges of the cookie are a bit crispy which is great and expected out of home made cookies, delicious. i just need to compact the ball and smash it like a hamburger because otherwise the cookies can crumble
In life, I had to modify these slightly based on what we had on hand, but they still turned out delicious. We used dried cherries because when you live in Michigan like us, that’s what we keep in the house. I soaked them still like you said. And then I had to mix whole rolled oats with Irish steel cut. I replaced molasses with maple syrup and walnuts with pecans. It all worked out and they are super delicious!!! Thank you.
I did make this recipe. They turned out fairly well and taste good, but just some too chewy. I am wondering if there is a trick to forming the balls not being too dense. While my batch turned out soft and chewy, they are too dense. I think they should have been a more thin chewy cookie. Sally, do you form just a loose ball and not pack them down a little?
Hi Dodie! For a little more spread, try reducing the oats and/or the flour so there’s less dry ingredients soaking up the wet ingredients.
WOW, these were the best oatmeal cookies I’ve ever had. I followed the recipe exactly as shown even adding the walnuts. The molasses is a great added ingredient that gives the cookie that extra little bit of oomph and the walnuts give it a great little crunch. This is a keeper, so thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Baked cookies today and I would say that the cookies are soft, chewy and the taste is perfect to me and my family. My granddaughter really loved them and she’s hard to satisfy.
These cookies were OUTSTANDING. Beautiful vanilla flavor and so soft and chewy. I did not have molasses on hand, so I used honey and I think they turned out great. Also, I did a second chill of the dough in the freezer for about 10 minutes, after I placed the cookies on the baking sheet. It helped reduce spreading more 🙂
Thanks for this recipe!
This cookies are delicious. Easy to make and bake. Thank you.
These are excellent!!
I have tried many oatmeal rasin cookie recipes searching for a fluffy, moist cookie. This is by far the very best recipe for that kind of oatmeal raisin cookie. Thanks for sharing!
I loved these! They tasted so good!
Great recipe but would suggest reducing the per cookie amount. They were massive!
I love this recipe. I added toasted pepitas instead of nuts and my kids couldn’t wait so I barely chilled the dough and they came out lovely at 12 min on foil on a dark sheet. Yum and thanks!
These cookies were excellent!!!
Will definitely make again and try other variations.
Thanks Sally
5 stars! I made these today for the first time… texture, flavor and very easy to make… my husband is loving everyone of them.. I managed to try one myself LOL… but, I don’t think that they will last. Thank you very much for the recipe! I love that they are soft and chewy! Amazing!
I made these cookies yesterday while raining outside. Also I froze them first then baked them. Not sure if that affected the cookies. The cookies were flat and not crispy but still very delicious.
My picky husband gave this two thumbs up. I added 2 Tblsp of milk to keep it moist since I only had quick oats in the cupboard
I added craisins along with the raisins…great recipe. Thanks so much for detailed instructions.
Hi Sally, my husband like them in jumbo sized. Would you have any recommendation on how to modify the size of these cookies, including suggestions for changes bake time? Thank you!
Hi Marcie, I link to the cookie scoop I use in step 4 of the recipe above. I usually use the medium size scoop but you can certainly use the large (which is about 3 TBS of dough per cookie). The bake time will be slightly longer, bake until the edges look lightly browned.
Thank you!
Love this recipe! Cookies so soft and chewy!!
Hi, Sally! I just baked this recipe and this is by far the best oatmeal cookies I’ve had! Thank you!