This is my family’s favorite recipe for classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies! They’re richly flavored, perfectly soft and chewy, and SO easy to make–no mixer required! Recipe includes a how-to video.
Raisin Lovers, Rejoice!
The not-so-popular cousin to everyone’s favorite chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin cookies often get a bad rap. Sure, raisins are hardly a substitute for chocolate chips…BUT they do have their place, especially in soft, hearty, and lightly spiced cookies. And yes, as someone who isn’t a fan of raisins, I stand by that statement!
Compared to my other oatmeal cookie recipes, these are a softer, richer spin on my classic oatmeal cookies, a close sister to my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and a sturdier version of the soft sandwiches of my oatmeal cream pies. They’re super flavorful, perfectly chewy cookies that can easily hold their own against any plain old chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Easy to make–no mixer required!
- Incredibly flavorful with notes of brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, and butter.
- Carefully crafted to handle raisins with a flavor designed to complement the addition (much better than just tossing raisins into your favorite oatmeal cookie recipe!).
- Can be made ahead of time and even frozen.
- Stays chewy even after baking.
What You Need
I’m combining carefully-selected ingredients to create the tastiest oatmeal raisin cookies out there. Here are a few that make a big difference in this recipe:
- Molasses. This intensifies the flavor of the dark brown sugar and helps make these oatmeal raisin cookies soft and chewy. It is the perfect complement to the raisins and cinnamon and (otherwise bland) oats, and a tablespoon is just the right amount (I found any more overwhelmed the flavor of the cookies).
- Oats. Use old fashioned rolled oats. Substituting instant or quick oats could make your cookies dry and crumbly.
- Dark brown sugar. I prefer the flavor of dark brown sugar and love how it tastes with the molasses; however, light brown will work in a pinch.
- Unsalted butter. As with most of my recipes, I recommend using unsalted vs. salted butter in this recipe. We’re melting the butter today, which not only makes this recipe easier and quicker to prepare, but it also gives the cookies an extra buttery flavor and chewy texture.
SAM’S TIP: Don’t skip the chilling step! Chilling the dough is necessary since we use melted butter; it allows the dough to become firm enough to scoop and bake without spreading all over the baking sheet. Chilling also allows the flavors to mature and develop, which ultimately creates the best-tasting cookies.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Combine cooled, melted butter with brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon.
- Add the eggs, stirring until fully combined, then stir in the vanilla and molasses.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gradually add them into the wet ingredients.
- Add the oats and raisins, then cover and chill. Bake for 10-12 minutes and enjoy!
SAM’S TIP: Pull the cookies out of the oven when the edges are set and the centers are still underdone–TRUST ME ON THIS! They’ll finish baking outside the oven on their cookie sheet and will be perfectly soft once cool. If you let your cookies bake completely in the oven, they’ll be overdone and could end up dry and crispy 😩.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s not necessary, but it can make them more flavorful and plump. If you’d like to do this, soak your raisins in warm water for about 10-15 minutes and pat dry before adding to the dough.
While storing in an airtight container helps, the trick actually happens before and during the baking process. Using certain ingredients (in this case dark brown sugar, molasses, melted butter) and making sure to not overbake will keep your cookies soft long after baking.
While you could, I’d recommend making my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies or oatmeal cookie bars instead. This recipe was really designed for raisins!
I think you’ll agree with my many taste testers that this is the BEST oatmeal raisin cookie recipe!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled until no longer warm to the touch
- 1 cup (200 g) dark brown sugar firmly packed
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 Tablespoon molasses use a molasses that says “unsulphured” on the label, I like “Grandmas” and “Brer Rabbit” brand
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
- 3 cups (290 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 ½ cups (225 g) raisins
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine melted, cooled butter, sugars, and cinnamon and stir until well-combined.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) dark brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Add eggs and stir well, then stir in molasses and vanilla extract until completely combined.2 large eggs, 1 Tablespoon molasses, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt.2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon table salt
- Gradually stir dry ingredients into butter mixture until completely combined.
- Add oats and raisins and stir until oats and raisins are uniformly distributed.3 cups (290 g) old-fashioned rolled oats, 1 ½ cups (225 g) raisins
- Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes before baking (see note if you would like to chill longer).
- Once dough is nearly finished chilling, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Once dough has finished chilling, remove from refrigerator and scoop into rounded 1 ½-Tablespoon sized scoops. Drop scoops onto prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 2” (5cm) apart.
- Bake on 350F (175C) for 10-12 minutes. The centers will look slightly underbaked still but allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet and they will finish cooking to perfection, leaving you with soft, chewy cookies.
Notes
Making dough in advance
This cookie dough may be made up to 5 days in advance of baking, simply store it tightly covered in the refrigerator until ready to use. Note that the dough becomes quite firm if it sits longer than 1 hour, so you may need to let it sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes or so before it is easy to scoop. Cookie dough may also be scooped, wrapped tightly, and frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies will stay fresh for at least 5 days.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Mary Stanek
These were wonderful & I will be making them again soon! Simply delicious. Thank you for a great recipe.
Sam Merritt
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Mary! 🙂
Amanda
I just had a request for oatmeal raisin cookies this morning, so I came straight to you! These cookies DID NOT DISAPPOINT! Oh my goodness. I’m adding these to my favorites. Thank you for always having delicious recipes!!
Sam Merritt
I’m so glad they were such a hit, Amanda! 🙂
Barbara
Great cookie recipe! I had about 1/4 of the raisins the recipe calls for, so I used some craisins and chocolate chips.
Sam Merritt
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Barbara! 🙂
Nina Wheeler
Sam – this is the best oatmeal raisin recipe I’ve ever made, par none. I don’t care what I did with the other recipes, the cookies always ended up spreading flat. These cookies bake perfectly like in a bakery. Thank you so much for sharing. I am going to start following you and looking for your other recipes.
Sam
I’m so glad they were such a hit, Nina! 🙂
Alicia Eakins
My son turned 27 yesterday. Instead of cake, he asked for oatmeal raisin cookies. I watched a lot of your YouTube videos but came to the website for this recipe. They were AMAZING. He and his two roommates said they were the best oatmeal raisin cookies they’ve ever had!
Sam
I’m so glad they were such a hit, Alicia! Happy birthday to your son! 🙂
nikki
the cookies are sweet and chewy
David L.
Outstanding cookies. My daughter lost her tiny baby mind after her first bite, and to be honest, so did I, Chewy, well spiced and the perfect kick of saltiness. Make these, you wont regret it.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you both enjoyed them David 🥰
Carmen
These are the best oatmeal raisin cookies I have ever eaten. My family loves them. Perfect flavor and texture. I have to be careful not to bake them too long – 9 to 10 minutes really is sufficient. Then let them set on the pan 4-5 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack. I put my baking sheet in the freezer to cool before I put another cookie dough batch on it. I use parchment paper on my pans. I alternate between two pans. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Margaret Kuhn
OMG! First time making these but won’t be the last. Best oatmeal raisin recipe. Mine stayed puffy, moist and perfect balance of flavor with plenty of raisins. I love the deep flavor from the molasses and dk brown sugar. Very delicious cookie. Thank you so much for this recipe. I always look forward to making your recipes.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for the review, Margaret! We are so happy the cookies were such a hit for you 🩷