Tender, chewy, and perfectly spiced, these easy-to-make cookies are just like the ones Grandma used to make and the aroma while baking is heavenly. A delicious way to get your oats!
If you’re looking for the ultimate oatmeal raisin cookie, this is the recipe for you!
These cookies are perfectly spiced with cinnamon, studded with plump raisins, and graced with undertones of butterscotch.
By volume, the recipe calls for twice as much oats as flour, which creates the quintessential nubby texture. Despite the generous use of oats, however, the finished cookie is tender with just the right amount of chewiness–and they maintain their moist, fresh appeal for days.
One of my oldest recipes (and my dad’s favorite), these cookies lend very well to a gluten-free adaptation. Donovan, who far prefers chocolate chips over raisins in his cookies and is not gluten-free, recently reported that he was astounded by how good a gluten-free oatmeal raisin cookie could taste!
While baking together recently, my aunt and mom were discussing how much their father (my grandfather) adored these cookies and raisins in general. My aunt wholeheartedly agreed, and my mom laughed at how she still picks out the raisins.
Lucky for my mom and others like her, this cookie may be enjoyed with mix-ins other than raisins. A list of options is included in the recipe notes.
Though I tend towards the classic recipe, dried cranberries and white chocolate chips (sometimes with pecans) is my current favorite combination when I do stray. It’s also a festive option over the holidays. But whichever way you make them, this cookie is absolutely one to enjoy all year round.
Because these cookies hold up well, they are well suited to care packages. Keep them in mind when sending holiday gift boxes or care packages to college-age children.
Emily recently pointed out that oats and raisins are both excellent sources of fiber. (In her support or raisins, she also mentioned that they are basically grapes without the water!) The fiber makes these cookies a satisfying treat, as it offers a sustained sense of fullness.
While delicious straight from the oven, I think these cookies taste even better on day two, once the flavors have had time to meld and settle into the oats.
The cookies maintain freshness for quite a few days and may be refrigerated or frozen for longer storage.
Classic Oatmeal Raisin CookiesYield: about 4 dozen
Sweetly spiced and delightfully chewy, these cookies are often a surprise hit and can be customized in a variety of ways.
Ingredients
- ½ cup plus 6 tablespoons butter (196g), softened
- ¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
- ½ cup (96g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1½ teaspoons (7ml) vanilla
- 1½ cups (190g) all-purpose flour (a gluten-free cup-for-cup blend works well if needed)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups (270g) old fashioned oats, uncooked
- 1 cup (150g) raisins*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In large bowl, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer (stand or handheld) until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add the combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well. Add the oats and raisins; mix well.
- Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheets (the latter is simply for easier cleanup). Tip: for uniformly shaped cookies, I use a small ice cream scoop. You may also roll the dough into balls—no need to flatten.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until just cooked through the center and very lightly golden. Cool 1 minute on the cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely.
- Storage: The cookies will stay fresh for 5 to 7 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Freshness can be extended by storing in the refrigerator. These cookies freeze very well, too.
OptionsMix-in options:
•Use dried cranberries in place of the raisins.
•Omit the raisins entirely and make cinnamon oatmeal cookies.
•Add a half cup, give or take, of chopped pecans or walnuts.
•Add a half cup of shredded, unsweetened coconut.
•A mix of white chocolate chips and dried cranberries is also tasty, and they look festive on a holiday platter.
•Semi-sweet chocolate chips are fair game, too. However, when making with chocolate chips, my preference is to omit the cinnamon.
Prefer bakery-size cookies? I often make these cookies twice as big (using ¼-cup ice cream scoop), adding approximately two minutes to the bake time. For holiday platters, I tend towards the smaller cookies associated with the larger yield.
To make bar cookies: Bake for 30-35 minutes in an ungreased 13×9-inch metal baking pan. Check a few minutes early, as all ovens vary.
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- ½ cup plus 6 tablespoons butter (196g), softened
- ¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
- ½ cup (96g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1½ teaspoons (7ml) vanilla
- 1½ cups (190g) all-purpose flour (a gluten-free cup-for-cup blend works well if needed)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups (270g) old fashioned oats, uncooked
- 1 cup (150g) raisins*
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In large bowl, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer (stand or handheld) until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add the combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well. Add the oats and raisins; mix well.
- Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheets (the latter is simply for easier cleanup). Tip: for uniformly shaped cookies, I use a small ice cream scoop. You may also roll the dough into balls—no need to flatten.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until just cooked through the center and very lightly golden. Cool 1 minute on the cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely.
- Storage: The cookies will stay fresh for 5 to 7 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Freshness can be extended by storing in the refrigerator. These cookies freeze very well, too.
Mix-in options:
•Use dried cranberries in place of the raisins.
•Omit the raisins entirely and make cinnamon oatmeal cookies.
•Add a half cup, give or take, of chopped pecans or walnuts.
•Add a half cup of shredded, unsweetened coconut.
•A mix of white chocolate chips and dried cranberries is also tasty, and they look festive on a holiday platter.
•Semi-sweet chocolate chips are fair game, too. However, when making with chocolate chips, my preference is to omit the cinnamon.
Prefer bakery-size cookies? I often make these cookies twice as big (using ¼-cup ice cream scoop), adding approximately two minutes to the bake time. For holiday platters, I tend towards the smaller cookies associated with the larger yield.
To make bar cookies: Bake for 30-35 minutes in an ungreased 13×9-inch metal baking pan. Check a few minutes early, as all ovens vary.
Emily joined me to bake a batch of these heavenly cookies recently. A cookie scoop makes evenly portioned, nicely rounded cookies a breeze.