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 hereโjust 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. ๐
- 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 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) 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 flourย (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. (Hereโs a helpful tutorial if you need guidance onย 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 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). 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 wellโup to three months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze wellโup 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 onย Sallyโs Baking Addiction in 2014.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I love this recipe, have made several times. I would like to decrease oats to 2 cups, do I need to add more flour?
Thanks
Hi Cindy! That would take some testing. We recommend following the recipe as written for best results, but let us know what you try!
Can’t wait to try these!
What would be your suggestion for making these large bakery style cookies?
Thanks!
Hi Naomi! You can make larger cookies with a slightly longer bake time. Bake until lightly browned on the sides.
Iโm so sad. Made these for my husband but I subbed GF AP for reg AP. The dough tasted good, they baked up beautifully butโฆthey are SO bland. I know this recipe is , it was definitely my fault they didnโt turn out. They taste like beans . Any tips on how to modify with GF flour and not have them turn out horribly?
Hi Meg, we’re so sorry to hear that swap didn’t work well for you. Unfortunately, we do not have much experience baking with gluten free flour so we can’t offer much advice here. All-purpose flour really is best for this particular recipe. It may be better to find an oatmeal raisin recipe that was written for using gluten free flour. Thank you for giving these a try!
Very solid recipe. The tip of leaving them on the tray for five minutes when they look a little bit undercooked in the middle was perfect. I made a kitchen sink version with raisins, chocolate chunks, and pecans.
The last tray of this recipe is now in the oven, and definitely will be a favorite cookie recipe in my house going forward! I can tell they won’t last long! Softball chewy with such a scrumptious flavor. Thx for this recipe.
I have made these cookies twice, and both times they come out as little balls – no spreading. What am I doing wrong????
I make the chocolate chip cookies all the time and they spread nicely and are thick and chewy.
I thought it might be the creaming of the sugar and butter. I watched video – it was hard for me to see the difference, but my butter was room temp.
Help!
Hi Lisa, 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. You could also flatten out the dough balls before baking to help initiate more spread.
I made these cookies again today and weighed the flour. What a difference!!! My flour measured in measuring cups was 20g more than the recipe!! Using weight measurements, my oatmeal raisin cookies were great! Nice and chewy, moist, and tasty! Thank you for your expert advice!
These are SO GOOD! I chilled the dough for about and hour & had very little spread when baked. The taste of molasses is undetectable but gives a delicious depth of flavor.
Could I use coconut oil instead of butter?
Hi Sheila, You can try using solid coconut oil instead, but it will change the flavor slightly. Enjoy!
Can I use maple syrup to replace the molasses?
Hi Marion, you can simply leave out the molasses if you don’t have any.
Thank you. I did put a Tablespoon of maple syrup in to the mixture and the cookies were delicious. Not because of the maple syrup but because it is such a great recipe.
My grandchildren will devour them Iโm sure.
Could you make these with cranberries and and white chocolate chips?
Absolutely!
Hi! Just made your oatmeal raisin cookies for the second time. Whole family loves them. Could you supply the nutritional information. My mother is watching her cholesterol and sodium intake and would love to try a cookie. Thanks
Hi Karen! We donโt usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
These were divine, soft chewy and the best flavor but we wanted more raisins, would that be okay? Anyone try adding more raisins successfully?
Hi Sarah, you could add a bit more raisins, but keep in mind that adding too much more may make it hard for the cookie dough to stay together. You could always press some into the tops of the baked cookies when they come out of the oven. Glad you enjoyed them!
These taste phenomenal! My first bake turned out soft and chewy, but the second (from the same dough) turned out cakey in texture. Iโm wondering if that has to do with my chill time? Regardless delicious!
These are the best!!
Great recipe, thank you!
I love the flavor of these cookies but they are too soft. I followed the directions comment except for baking them four minutes longer but they are so soft they are bendable. What can I do with the next batch? I like them soft rather than crunchy.
Hi Sally! Do they still seem underbaked? Does your oven run a little cold?
Hi Sally, I really want to make this cookie but do not have any molasses on me. Should I just make the without it?
Hi Jenn, you can skip the molasses if needed.
This was the best oatmeal raisin cookie recipe I have tried yet. Delicious.
Absolutely amazing!!!!
I’ve made other things using Sally’s website, e.g., bagels, pretzel bites, etc., and everything always comes out well.
This cookies are no exception. I could have eaten at least 6 of them especially as soon as they came out of the oven. But I made them to bring in to work.
My colleagues LOVED them.
One said that they were not too sweet.
Yes, the taste, the consistency, everything. Perfect.
I followed the recipe exactly, including weighing the ingredients.
It is important to leave space for the cookies to spread. Also, follow her timing exactly. As Sally said, at first, they don’t look done, but they will “set” in the pan. Trust the process. You won’t be disappointed!
Thanks a lot, Sally!!!!
These cookies are phenomenal! I have to follow a gluten free diet, and substituted an all purpose gf flour blend in these, and they turned out so darn good! Soft, chewy, and packed full of flavor! This is going to be my new go-to oatmeal cookie recipe!
This is my favorite oatmeal raisin cookies! I double the raisins because I love them, cut down the molasses just a tad. & add about a 1/2 tsp more of cinnamon. Definitely take the time to soak the raisins. That is a great tip and I think makes a difference. I used to be inpatient about chilling cookie dough, but I do it with this recipe and it is worth it! Thank you for all if your great recipes. You are my go to when looking for new baking recipes.
Well I chilled them for 30 min, but they didn’t spread at all. The cookie taste good but still not what I was wanting. I live in Florida, could it be the humidity?
Hi Sandra, 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. You could also flatten out the dough balls before baking to help initiate more spread.
This is an excellent recipe. I have been searching for a new oatmeal raisin recipe. This will be the one I use from now on. I did add more raisins that it calls for because I love them. Chilled for an hour.
I just made these cookies. They are so good! I baked a small batch after chilling the dough for one hour. They spread quite a bit, so I refrigerated the dough overnight. They came out perfect, and the dough was much easier to work with after chilling longer. Thanks for another great recipe.
Too much butter.
They spread into plates as opposed to soft cookies.
They taste alright, but are not very cookie like.
Maybe altitude plays a roll (weโre at 6800feet).
I will try 3/4C instead of a full cup of butter &/or add 1/4C more flour & see what happens.