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 2 minutes. 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
Question can you use mini chocolate chips in these or any chocolate chips
Hi Radha, absolutely! We swap for chocolate chips in these chocolate chip oatmeal cookies all the time.
These are a must in my Christmas cookie line up with a few exceptions….dried cranberries not raisins, and pinch of nutmeg. I also drizzle them lightly with almond bark and a pinch of clove. DEVINE!!
The recipe was a hit with our Christmas cookie swap group.
Just one question, why do you say not to use blackstrap molasses?
Hi Stan, we find blackstrap can be too bitter and overpowering in most baking recipes.
Hello! I just want to say this recipe is a hit every time I use it. This year for Christmas I’m baking some for friends and co workers, although I’m be tight on time, I made the dough and formed the cookies and placed them in the freezer. My question is if I freeze the baked cookies will they come out just as good as they normally are? And how long should I let the dough sit out from the freezer before baking them?
Hi Crista, yes, the cookies should be just as good as they usually are if you follow the instructions for freezing the cookie dough balls. You can bake them from frozen, no need to thaw; just add an extra minute or two to the bake time. Enjoy!
Hi Sally, Your cookies have a very good flavor, but mine came out flat as pancakes. I wouldn’t call this recipe “soft and chewy”. My thought is maybe you could add to this recipe by giving hints as how to mix the butter and sugar in such a way that they would come out plump and soft. I, for one, would be very grateful. Merry Christmas!
Hi Rita, thanks for giving these cookies a try! We’re so sorry you had trouble with these spreading. Here are our best tips to prevent cookies from spreading which should help for next time. We have an entire post with a video tutorial on how to cream butter and sugar that you might find helpful!
Hello.. I have used the Quaker oatmeal cookie recipe forever..but my taste buds wanted deeper flavor n just a change. After all these years you’d think I’d know better..but put cold eggs in my creamed mixture n of course it did curdle. I did add lil flour at a time and eventually it creamed it up, but they turned out cake like not as your pictures..flatter n more chewy looking. They taste good, but not quite the end result I was hoping for. Any feedback?
Thanks n Merry Christmas
Hi Kathleen! A too-thick cookie is usually caused by too much flour/oats in the dough. How did you measure? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post. Hope this helps!
I adjusted for altitude (7800 feet) and had to bake longer than the recipe called for, otherwise I followed the recipe to a T. These are delicious- a nice , moist, plump cookie. My husband loves them.
I don’t have a hand or stand mixer. Will the cookies turn out good if I whisk / mix using a hands?
Hi Bina, you can use a spatula or sturdy wooden spoon—it will just take some arm muscle to properly cream the butter and sugar!
Can I half the recipe for half the yield?
Absolutely.
I would like to make these gluten free with almond flour. what changes would I need to make?
Hi Nancy! We don’t recommend almond flour as it has very different baking properties and is not always a 1:1 swap. We haven’t tested it, but you might have success experimenting with a gluten-free all-purpose flour like Bob’s Red Mill or Cup4Cup. If you give anything a try, we’d love to know how it goes for you!
If you follow the recipe and all the extra tips these are absolute perfection! I can stop eating them!
My hubby picked up quick oats instead of the rolled oats. Can I combine them? I don’t have enough of the regular oats and I don’t want to waste the other ones. Just a side note, I soak my raisins in a gently simmering whiskey or cinnamon bourbon. Lots of raves on them. I look forward to trying out your recipe!
Hi Susan! Whole rolled oats really are best for these cookies, but you can use some quick oats if necessary.
Mine spread more than those pictured, which gave it crispy edges to go with the chewier middle, which I loved! The molasses gave a lovely but subtle depth of flavor. Excellent cookies.
I don’t usually take the time to review a recipe, but this one deserves it! This is by far THE BEST oatmeal raisin cookie I’ve ever made! The flavor is fantastic! They are soft and chewy and just fabulous! Make these! You won’t be sorry! I ate more than 1/2 dozen of these myself in one day (I refuse to divulge the actual number! lol!)
Hi,
I was wondering how much ginger I can use in this recipe? I love a slight ginger taste in my oatmeal raisin cookies. Thank you,
trb
Hi Zenith, feel free to add some ground ginger to your tastes. Enjoy!
Is there a way I could refrigerate these overnight?
Hi Erin, absolutely. Allow them to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking.
I didn’t have molasses but made this for a friend who likes oatmeal raising for birthday and turned out great. Thank you!
Can I reduce the amount of butter. I made a different recipe of oatmeal raisin cookies with same amount of butter and family all said they were too buttery.
Hi Sabrina, we can’t offer any advice on a different oatmeal raisin cookie recipe, but we do find that the measurements as written are perfect for the intended flavor and texture of these cookies.
I do not see what the measurements of the ingreadents
Hi Heather, see the gray recipe card for full list of ingredients and instructions. You can find it by scrolling towards the bottom of the page or by clicking the pink “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page.
Great Cookies
was wondering if i can not use the molasses will they still come out correct?
Hi Amanda, you can leave it out if needed.
This recipe does not set up. Classic Sally’s baking addiction only using baking soda as the leavening will screw you over when baking every time. Don’t trust this blog!!!
Hi Rachel, I’m so sorry to hear you had trouble with this recipe. That’s definitely not the experience I want for anyone. These oatmeal raisin cookies should set up properly, even with only baking soda as the leavening. Baking soda is standard in many chewy cookie recipes, especially those with brown sugar and molasses, because the dough is naturally acidic enough to activate it.
A few things can cause cookies to overspread or seem too soft, and I’m happy to help troubleshoot:
-Butter too warm can cause cookies to spread too much.
-Under-measuring flour (even slightly) also leads to a softer, looser dough.
-Dough not chilled long enough can impact structure as well.
If you’re open to it, I’d love to help figure out what went wrong so you get the chewy, soft-set oatmeal raisin cookies you were expecting. Thanks for your feedback.
I’ve made this recipe at least 35 times and it’s the best oatmeal cookie recipe and recipients have all said “these are the best oatmeal cookies they’ve ever had”
The absolutely best recipe ever!
Love oatmeal raisin but not a fan of these. Wish I had left out the molasses.
I made these last night and they spread a lot more than I thought they would. The dough was chilled for probably 2 hours. Are they supposed to spread out do much, and are they supposed to be this soft and sticky? They never did firm up. Delicious though.
Hi Diane, I’m sorry this happened–happy to help troubleshoot. There are a lot of variables in what could be causing your over-spreading issue. You may simply need to add a couple extra Tbsp of flour to the dough next time. Here are our best tips to prevent cookies from spreading. Hope it helps for next time!
I want you to know that I’ve adapted quite a few of your recipes to gluten-free and even some to gluten-free / vegan – and they are fabulous. My friends (and customers!) say that if everything gluten-free (or gf/v) tasted as good as the things I make, they’d eat it more often! (Ha!) – thank you for making these easily adaptable recipes. You’ve made my life and those around me brighter with these recipes.
The best Oatmeal Raisin cookies I ever ate and I’m 73 years young and have eaten plenty of them. These by far are the best. Thank you for the recipe.
Wonderfully delicious setup for perfect chewy cookies!
I’ve used this before, but I made them today using browned butter. The difference is subtle…it must be one of those umame flavors…but it kicks them over the top.
Did you use this same recipe but brown the butter first?
Hello Sally!
If I omit the raisins will it be as chewy?
Thank you for all these wonderful recipes!
Hi Gigi, feel free to omit the raisins—the cookies will still be chewy. Or you can try these plain iced oatmeal cookies instead.
My husband rated them 5 star and wrote it on the recipe so we can remember next time! Thank you so much! I didn’t change a thing.
I have tried many of your recipes and I LOVED them ALL! Looking forward to baking this holiday season using more of your delicious recipes! Thank you for sharing them. I appreciate how you use butter and sugar, people try not to use real ingredients these days. For good reasons I suppose. You keep it real. I like that.
Hi Sally,
I am going to try these this year. Whenever I make Oatmeal raison cookies, I keep missing that deep Oat-y flavor, even when using more oats. I get the texture. Do you think toasting the oats first would work with this recipe?
Hi Jim, we haven’t tried toasting the oats before using in the cookie dough, so are unsure of the result. If you give it a try, please report back!
Try substituting Barley syrup for the molasses.
Is it possible to make this recipe into a bar form and just bake longer?
Hi Pamela, We haven’t made this exact recipe as bars but we’d recommend making them in a 9×13 pan. We’re unsure of the exact bake time. Let us know if you give it a try.
I don’t have walnuts at home. Could I substitute them with Almonds?
Hi Ashley, you can simply omit the walnuts if you don’t have any. We haven’t tried these cookies with almonds, but they are a much harder nut, so pecans would be a better choice in terms of replicating the texture of the walnuts.