How to make oatmeal raisin cookies that are soft in the middle, a little chewy on the outside and full of warm flavors like cinnamon and vanilla.
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How to Make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
These oatmeal cookies are very easy to make and you don’t need any fancy equipment – only a hand mixer. We love easy recipes like this one. Another bonus to this recipe is that you can adapt it — we love to use a combination of regular and golden raisins, but you can add dried cranberries, dried cherries, nuts or even chocolate chips to make chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.
You can make these oatmeal raisin cookies in minutes. Below are our top tips for making them.
Make the cookie batter by beating softened butter with sugar until creamy. I like to use brown sugar when making oatmeal cookies since it helps to make the centers soft and adds a little extra caramel flavor to the batter.
For structure, we add egg. Then for even more flavor, we pour in some vanilla extract. It’s the combination of brown sugar, butter, and vanilla that makes this cookie batter taste so good! (For vegan cookies, take a look at our extra easy oatmeal cookies recipe.)
For the dry ingredients, we add flour, oats — we prefer rolled oats for their texture, warm baking spices, and some salt. Since posting this recipe, we’ve been asked about using different kinds of oats in the batter. While instant oats will technically work when making these cookies, we highly recommend rolled oats. The rolled oats provide a lovely chewy texture to the cookies. Steel cut oats are not a good option for these cookies.
If you don’t usually have rolled oats in the house and are looking for more ways to use them, try our strawberry banana baked oatmeal, blackberry baked oatmeal, and this apple crisp, which uses rolled oats to make the topping.
To combine the wet and dry ingredients, we add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture in a few batches and then stir in raisins. A hand mixer makes quick work of this.
As I mentioned above, we love using a combination of golden and regular raisins for these cookies. In addition to that, we actually “plump up” the raisins before adding them. To do it, just add some hot water to the raisins and leave them for a few minutes. In this time, the raisins rehydrate a little and plump up. Drain them, then stir them into the batter.
By the way, for a slightly less traditional oatmeal cookie, take a look at our oatmeal cookies with cranberries and white chocolate chips or our recipe for edible oatmeal cookie dough.
To bake the cookies, you can make the cookies as big or little as you like. Just before baking, we lightly press balls of dough down onto the baking sheet to help them spread and bake into perfectly shaped cookies. After some time in the oven, the cookies smell incredible and are ready to be devoured.
More Of Our Favorite Cookie Recipes
How to Make The Best Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies — This easy recipe makes cookies with crisp edges and chewy middles.
Easy Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies — We love these easy double chocolate cookies with butter, cocoa powder and extra chocolate chunks.
Soft Ginger Cookies with Chocolate Chips — I love the spiciness of these ginger cookies and they can be made in under 30 minutes.
Ridiculously Easy Peanut Butter Cookies — Delicious peanut butter cookies that are naturally free of flour, butter, and dairy.
In December 2012, we partnered with OXO to help raise awareness about a wonderful charity dedicated to fighting pediatric cancer. We were not paid for this recipe, however, OXO products were provided for use in the making of our recipe and video. To learn more, please visit Cookies For Kids’ Cancer.
Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
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This oatmeal raisin cookie recipe makes cookies that are soft in the middle, a little chewy on the outside and full of warm flavors like cinnamon and vanilla. They are very easy to make and you don’t need any fancy equipment – only a hand mixer. We use two types of raisins in these oatmeal cookies for color and extra texture (the golden raisins are slightly softer). You could, however, choose to only use one kind or substitute them for other dried fruit and they will still be fantastic.
Makes approximately 16 cookies
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup hot water
3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup (200 grams) packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup (100 grams) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
3 cups (270 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
Directions
1Heat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2Add raisins to a small bowl then cover with hot water. The hot water helps the raisins to become plump and juicy. Set the bowl aside for about 10 minutes.
3In a large bowl, beat the room temperature butter and sugar with a hand blender until creamy, about 2 minutes. (You can also use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Add the egg and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract then beat until combined, about 1 minute.
4In another bowl, use a whisk to combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Next, add the oats then stir until well combined. Add the oat mixture to the butter and sugar mixture in thirds, beating after each addition until incorporated.
5Drain the raisins then gently press down or squeeze them to remove any extra water. Stir them into the cookie batter. (Use a spatula or spoon for this, not the mixer).
- Bake Cookies
1Drop dough by two tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. (You can also use a large cookie scoop for this). Then, wet the tips of your fingers with water and gently press cookies down until they are about 1/2-inch thick. If some of the cookies have no raisins showing on top, steal a few raisins from the bowl and add to the tops of the cookies (they are prettier this way).
2Bake cookies 10 to 15 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown, the center is still soft. Cool cookies on baking sheet for 10 minutes then move to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- This cookie recipe has been inspired and adapted by Joy of Baking’s Recipe
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1 cookie
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Calories
240
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Protein
3 g
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Carbohydrate
36 g
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Dietary Fiber
2 g
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Total Sugars
19 g
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Total Fat
10 g
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Saturated Fat
6 g
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Cholesterol
34 mg