Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

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Soft and chewy oatmeal cookies filled with the perfect amount of raisins are a classic that will never stop being made in my house. These have been Sean’s favorite cookies for as long as I can remember.

Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I’ve been making this recipe since we were newlyweds (has it really been over 25 years?!) and the recipe is timeless for a good reason. These really are the best oatmeal raisin cookies.

(And I take no credit for that. The recipe below is very lightly adapted from the ancient recipe on the side of the Quaker oatmeal packaging.)

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With simple pantry ingredients, a bit of butter, a couple of eggs, and a generous handful of raisins, these cookies come together in very little time at all.

The dough freezes well, as do the cookies, so I frequently double or triple the recipe to have it on hand all the time.

What’s not to love about having cookie dough stashed in the freezer?

I was sick over the holidays a few years ago and I was craving oatmeal cookies, but I didn’t have any in the freezer. Side note: This cookie dough freezes beautifully, so I highly recommend stashing some away for future baking.

Sean made a batch of these cookies for me that Christmas and they turned out perfectly. Baking is not his thing at all, so having an easy and reliable recipe helps!

In addition to keeping cookie dough in the freezer, I recommend tucking a few of the cookies in the freezer too. I love having them for snacking on with my morning coffee.

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are irresistible

Kitchen Tip: I use this bowl, this sheet pan, and this cookie scoop to make this recipe.

Soft Oatmeal Cookies with Raisins

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

  • butter
  • white sugar
  • light brown sugar
  • eggs
  • vanilla extract
  • flour
  • baking soda
  • kosher salt
  • old-fashioned oats
  • raisins
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Soft Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe

To make these cookies, start by preheating the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat the butter on med-high speed until smooth and almost fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugars and continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth again.

In a separate bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients except the raisins. Gradually add this mixture to the wet ingredients, half at a time. Stir until fully combined. Add the raisins and stir well.

Using a medium-size scoop, drop the dough onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. (For larger cookies, make the dough balls golf-ball size and put just 6 on a baking sheet at a time.)

Bake for 8-9 minutes. Remove from the oven before the cookies are browned and when they still look soft in the center.

Let the cookies cool on the tray for 5-10 minutes; this will allow them to finish baking without overcooking. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Crispy, chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Cookies without Chocolate

The pro-raisin / anti-raisin Oatmeal Cookie argument will probably never be solved. And while I love a terrific Chocolate Chip Cookie, I also love quite a few cookies without a bit of chocolate in them.

If you’re not a chocolate lover, I recommend also checking out Coconut Lover’s Oatmeal Cookies,  and Almond Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies.

Maple Nut Scone Cookies. Mexican Wedding Cookies, and Glazed Lemon Drop Cookies are a few more delicious options.

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Crispy, chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

4.91 from 33 votes
Soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies filled with the perfect amount of raisins are a classic.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes
Total Time: 24 minutes
Servings: 36 small cookies, 18 med/large cookies

Ingredients 

  • 3/4 cup butter softened
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 1/3 cups raisins

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat the butter on med-high speed until smooth and almost fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  • Add the sugars and continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
  • Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth again.In a separate bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients except the raisins. Gradually add this mixture to the wet ingredients, half at a time.
  • Stir until fully combined. Add the raisins and stir well.
  • Using a medium-size scoop, drop the dough onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. (For larger cookies, make the dough balls golf-ball size and put just 6 on a baking sheet at a time.)
  • Bake smaller cookies for 8-9 minutes. (Bake larger cookies for 14-15 minutes.) Remove from the oven before the cookies are browned and when they still look soft in the center.
  • Let the cookies cool on the tray for 5-10 minutes; this will allow them to finish baking without overcooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 129kcal · Carbohydrates: 21g · Protein: 2g · Fat: 5g · Saturated Fat: 3g · Cholesterol: 19mg · Sodium: 104mg · Potassium: 86mg · Fiber: 1g · Sugar: 9g · Vitamin A: 131IU · Vitamin C: 1mg · Calcium: 13mg · Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @barefeetkitchen or tag #barefeetkitchen!

{originally published 1/5/12 – recipe notes and photos updated 7/5/23}

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are a classic cookie that I can not resist.

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Mary Younkin

Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

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  1. Elsie Limage says

    Just love this recipe. I just made these wonderful cookies and I love this recipe. Thanks for the Tip on taking them out early. I have often wondered why my cookies always look like they are about to burn.Thank you again.5 stars

  2. Anonymous says

    I have made these cookies twice in the last 2 weeks, my family loves them even the ones who don't like raisins. I will be baking another batch this weekend. Taking them out early is definitely key to the perfect cookie. Thanks for a fantastic recipe.5 stars

  3. rnmom502 says

    These are now my absolutely favorite oatmeal cookies! Didn't have raisins so I used craisins. They provided that same subtle sweetness that raisins do. After the first batch I learned to get them out of the oven at 9 minutes exactly even though they still looked quite raw. Once they cooled a few minutes they had that "just right" chewiness to them. If you bake them longer they are still delicious if you want that crispiness minus the chewiness. I went ahead and rolled the remaining dough into small balls and froze them. A small ice cream scoop is great for portioning them.5 stars

    • Mary says

      If I recall correctly, it makes about 30 cookies. I’ll make a note of the results next time I make the cookies. Thanks!5 stars

  4. Nin says

    The recipe sounds looks good. I would like to test these out today but I only have quick cooking oats. Could I use quick cooking oats or would it mess up the recipe

  5. Pepper says

    I made these cookies and they came out absolutely delicious. They made a hit with the whole family. They were easy to make and are soft and chewy. I soaked the raisins in some hot water for ten minutes before adding to the batter. Make these. You won’t be sorry.5 stars

  6. Cindysoo says

    Do you think the cookies would still turn out if the sugar was reduced to 1 cup in total? Would you have to adjust anything else to compensate?

    • CINDY MERRILL says

      Thanks for your reply. I just made them. I used a firmly packed 1/2 cup of brown and 1/2 cup of white sugar. They are amazing. I yielded 39 cookies. The only thing I can see that is different from yours, is that they did not flatten out in the oven. But I really do not feel it took anything away from their flavour.
      I will definitely make these again.
      Thanks for your recipe!5 stars

    • Mary Younkin says

      I’m glad you like the cookies, Cindy. How did you measure the flour for the cookies? It sounds like you might have had a bit more flour in the cookies, since they didn’t flatten out.

    • CINDY MERRILL says

      This could be my problem because cup measurements are very inaccurate. I have three cup measures that are all different. 250ml, 240ml and 236ml. All very close but it would be so much easier if flour was measured by weight. No worries though, we loved them so much, I will make them again soon and I will use a scant cup measure.

  7. Jacquelyn Smith says

    Has anyone living at high altitude tried this recipe? I never know how a recipe will turn out unless it has specific high altitude instructions.

  8. Courtney says

    I froze some of my cookie dough. I am ready to bake more of them (they were devoured!). Do you put them on the tray frozen or allow the balls to thaw?5 stars

    • Mary Younkin says

      I’m glad you like the cookies, Courtney! I typically set them out and thaw them on the cookie sheet and then bake. You can bake from frozen though, just add a few minutes time.

  9. Tom says

    I’ve tossed all of my other oatmeal cookie recipes. These are so good and easy to make. I added chopped pecans since I had them and as you know everything is better with pecans.5 stars

  10. Allison says

    This recipe was perfect, easy to follow and my cookies came out delicious. I will make these again. Next time I’m going to use cranberries.5 stars

  11. Sonja Mattingly says

    I made these the other day and they were so good but I didn’t have kosher salt I had to use a other salt I called iodized and I didn’t know if I could still use it if there’s was a difference in the salt because I didn’t have old fashion rolling oats I use the quick 1 minute oats and I don’t know if it was the salt or the oats but it was dry when I try to scoop it in the pan they still taste good but I need your help in why they turn out dry I also use 1 1/2 stick of salt butter so could have it been the butter or salt or oats ?

    • Mary Younkin says

      Hi Sonja, iodized salt is a much smaller grain than kosher, so in the future you’ll want to use about half as much salt when substituting that way. 1 1/2 sticks of butter is 3/4 cup, so that should have been fine. The quick oats might have possibly absorbed more of the moisture? Unfortunately, I really can’t guess what might have gone wrong without being in your kitchen with you. Hopefully, the cookies still were tasty.

    • Sonja Mattingly says

      I was Wondering do you mix the oat in the flour mixture or just do half of the dry ingredients and then the oats because the last two times I made them two different oat which the old fashioned work out perfectly and I used kosher salt way more better then iodized salt

  12. Carol says

    Hi Mary. No idea what i did wrong. I followed recipe perfectly. Came out of oven and they were delicious. I let them cool for longgggggg time as I had grandaughter pop in so it was well over 2hrs before putting in cookie jar (with sealed lid) and here i am 5 days later, rebaking them because they went from being perfect chewy to soft yuk and stuck together in jar.