Oatmeal raisin cookies are one of my favorite cookies of all time. These soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies are so easy to make and are perfect for breakfast or as a snack. The raisins add sweetness, and the oats add amazing chewy texture. Plus, these are made with cinnamon and nutmeg for extra comforting flavors. So good!
I’m a huge fan of oatmeal raisin cookies, specifically soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. If they are not soft and chewy, I’ll pass. Texture is everything for these cookies.
What makes these cookies soft and chewy is the ratio of flour to butter, as well as the raisins and oats. The oats absorb a lot of the moisture in the dough as the cookies bake, creating a nice chewy texture. So essentially, almost every ingredient in these oatmeal raisin cookies helps achieve that soft and chewy texture that I absolutely adore.
Plus, they are insanely delicious! If you love raisins, you need to make these soon.
Simple Ingredients
Super basic baking ingredient list here! Chances are you already have most of these ingredients to make oatmeal raisin cookies at home.
And again, if you are like me and love raisins, you most likely have raisins at home as well. Anyone else buys raisins in bulk…? Anyonee?
Here is an overview of the ingredients you will need:
- Flour: All-purpose flour works great.
- Ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg: For aromatic flavors. The ground nutmeg can be optional, but highly recommended.
- Baking soda: The baking soda will help the cookies rise a little bit and also get a beautiful golden brown color.
- Salt: To bring out the flavors.
- Unsalted butter: Make sure it is softened at room temperature so that you can easily cream it with the sugars.
- Light brown sugar: It will add sweetness and moisture, and provide a soft and chewy texture.
- Granulated sugar: I complemented the brown sugar with some granulated sugar for better caramelization. It will balance out the texture and not make the cookies too soft or chewy. While I love soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies, they can’t be too soft either.
- Eggs: For structure.
- Vanilla extract: For flavor.
- Old-fashioned oats: These will add texture and also chewiness as they absorb the moisture from the dough. Do not use instant oats or steel-cut oats.
- Raisins: For flavor and texture.
Quick tip: To get that soft and chewy texture, stick to the ingredient proportions in the recipe card below.
The proportion between flour, butter, and sugar is mainly what makes these oatmeal raisin cookies soft and chewy. The amount of oats and raisins does too.
Of course, other factors also make cookies soft and chewy, but these are the main ones. For best results, try not to adjust the ingredients too much unless you’re absolutely sure about a substitution.
Making These Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Is Easy
Just a few simple steps required for these cookies. Below is an overview. Specific instructions can be found in the recipe card below, as always.
- Mix the dry ingredients: Just whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Cream the softened butter with the sugars: Make sure the butter is softened at room temperature. Creaming butter with sugar helps aerate the batter, so you’ll have lighter, less dense cookies.
- Beat in the rest of the wet ingredients: To the creamed butter and sugar mixture, just mix in the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Mix in the dry ingredients: Add the dry ingredients you mixed gradually until a sticky dough forms. It will be very sticky, don’t worry.
- Mix in the oatmeal and raisins: On low speed or with a rubber spatula, fold in the oats and raisins. This recipe calls for 3 cups of oats. Yes, 3 cups. It seems like a lot but this will add to the chewy texture.
- Refrigerate: Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes. No more than that. If the dough is too cold, the cookies won’t spread in the center.
- Bake! At 350 degrees F for only 11-13 minutes, or until the bottom and edges are golden brown.
As you can see, the methods used in this soft oatmeal raisin cookie recipe is very similar to other cookie recipes. Nothing too out of the ordinary. They are so easy to make!
Refrigerate Dough For 30 Minutes Only
This dough needs to be refrigerated before baking. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes only. Unlike your typical chocolate chip cookies, for example, oatmeal raisin cookie dough is packed!
The dough is packed with certain ingredients that don’t melt (oats and raisins), so the colder the dough is, the harder it will be for the cookies to expand properly. Instead, you could end up with mountain-looking cookies.
So, to avoid this, be sure to make the dough and refrigerate it for 30 minutes only. Now, if you’re making these cookies ahead, read below for instructions!
Make Ahead and Freezing
Make ahead: Make the dough and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, making sure it touches the dough. Before baking, let the dough sit on the counter for about 30-35 minutes at room temperature so it’s not cold. This will help the cookies expand. The dough should be sticky and scoop out easily.
Freezing: Scoop out the dough into 1.5 tablespoon balls and arrange on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze until they are firm, and transfer to a freezer-friendly container or bag. The cookies can be baked frozen, just bake them for an additional 1-3 minutes until golden brown on the bottom and around the edges.
These soft oatmeal raisin cookies are always going to be a favorite of mine. Soft, chewy, perfectly sweet…so good! Plus, I really like raisins, so these are perfect.
This recipe makes about 25 cookies, and they keep really well for about 5 days in an airtight container. Sometimes I even make a double batch!
Here are a few more recipes to satisfy your cookie cravings:
- Lemon Ricotta Cookies
- Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
- Carrot Cake Cookies
- Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Tips for Success
- Use old-fashioned rolled oats. Do NOT use instant or steel-cut oats.
- This dough needs to be refrigerated before baking. Refrigerate the dough for a maximum of 30 minutes. If the dough is too cold, the cookies will not spread properly.
- The dough will be very sticky. I’d recommend using a cookie scoop.
- Make-ahead and freezer instructions included under Recipe Notes below.
Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg - (optional)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature - (equiv to 2 sticks)
- 1 ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats - (do not use instant or steel-cut oats)
- 1 ½ cups raisins
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients: flour, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a mixer on high speed, cream the softened butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl if needed. On medium speed, beat in the eggs, one at a time, and add the vanilla extract until evenly combined. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until no pockets of flour remain. Do not overmix.
- Mix in the oats and the raisins on low speed or using a rubber spatula. The dough should be very sticky. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap is touching the dough. Refrigerate for a maximum of 30 minutes (if the dough is too cold, the cookies won’t expand properly).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F while the dough is chilling. Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper.
- After the dough has refrigerated for 30 minutes, use a cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoon capacity) to scoop out the dough onto the prepared sheet pans. Make sure the cookie dough balls are about 2 to 3 inches apart. You may need to bake them in multiple batches. Note: I'd highly recommend using a cookie scoop because the dough will be very sticky.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until they are slightly golden brown around the edges. Remove them from the oven and let them sit on the sheet pans for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool. Enjoy! Note: These cookies keep well for 5 days at room temperature if you store them airtight containers.
Notes
- Special equipment: electric or stand mixer, cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoon capacity), parchment paper, sheet pans.
- Which type of oats to use? Use old-fashioned rolled oats. Do NOT use instant oats or steel-cut oats.
- Light brown sugar and granulated sugar: Try not to change the proportion between these two sugars. This recipe uses 1.25 cups of brown sugar to achieve the chewy and soft texture, as well as granulated sugar for better caramelization to provide some structure (so they are not too soft).
- Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes max. If the dough is too cold, the cookies will not spread properly.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop out the dough. The dough will be very sticky.
- Make-ahead: The dough can be refrigerated (cover with plastic wrap, plastic touching the dough) for up to 2 days. Let the dough sit on the counter for 30-35 minutes before using.
- Freezing: Scoop the dough into cookie balls onto a sheet pan, and put it in the freezer to firm them up. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer-friendly container or bag and freeze for up to 2 months. No need to thaw the dough before baking, just bake for 1-3 minutes longer, or until the bottom is golden brown.
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