Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies ~ soft, chewy loaded with oats and raisins and just the right about of sweetness. Lightly crisp bottoms perfect for dunking. An easy, classic recipe.
It’s about 17 degrees outside today with 8″ of snow on the ground. Translation: stay inside and bake instead of running the errands on my list.
Days with temps in the teens are meant for indoor activities – especially baking! It warms the house, makes it smell better than any candle and as an added bonus, you’ll end up with a tasty snack.
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for the win.
What kind of Oatmeal Raisin Cookies do you like?
There are definite standards when it comes to classic, nostalgic recipes, like this one. If you like crispy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, this isn’t your recipe. I created these the way I like them: soft and chewy with crispy bottoms. Perfect for dunking.
If your mom or grandma made Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, chances are good they were just like this. Old fashioned with rolled oats (not instant), cinnamon and vanilla and the right balance of moisture that makes them soft. You can’t beat it.
What’s in Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies?
- butter
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- vanilla
- all purpose flour
- baking soda
- cinnamon
- old fashioned oats (not quick oats)
- raisins
How to make Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies:
First add the raisins to a small bowl, cover with warm tap water then soak for 10 minutes. This softens the raisins and allows them to plump before baking. After soaking, drain them well then blot with a paper towel.
Preheat the oven to 350° then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl using a hand mixer cream the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth.
In a small bowl whisk the flour, baking soda and cinnamon then add these dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture and blend by hand. Blending by hands means you aren’t overmixing the dough. When it’s all combined, stir in the oats and raisins then refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes.
Add about 1 1/2″ balls (I used a small scooper) onto the prepared baking sheet leaving about 2″ between each cookie. Bake 10-12 minutes or until they’re golden on the edges but still look a little under baked in the middle and cool on the baking sheet 2 timed minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Because ovens vary in the baking process, it’s best to use visual cues instead of strictly times.
What makes these cookies chewy?
A high moisture content makes these cookies chewy ~ along with baking time, oven temperature and the liquid contained in butter, eggs and even the brown sugar (which has molasses that’s 10% water). Flour and oats slow the evaporation of the moisture.
Other holiday cookie favorites:
Here are a few more of my family’s favorite holiday cookies. I also make a Thumbprint cookie that I need to get on the blog asap. They’re rolled in crushed nuts and the thumbprint indentation is filled with fruity strawberry jam. So good!
Snowball Cookies ~ aka Russian Tea Cakes, Butterball Cookies or Mexican Wedding Cookies. Whatever you call them, these buttery, nutty, melt-in-your-mouth (never dry!) cookies are a holiday must!
The Grinch Cookies ~ made by my favorite little people! They start with a boxed cake, are simple to make and deliciously hard to resist. Bright green crinkle cookies with a heart two sizes too small. Perfect for kids of all ages.
Enjoy!
If you tried this Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe or any other on the blog then I’d love to hear from you with a comment or star rating!
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Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oats not quick oats
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
- Add the raisins to a small bowl and cover with warm tap water then soak for 10 minutes. This will soften the raisins and allow them to plump before baking. After soaking, drain them well and blot with a paper towel.
- Preheat the oven to 350° then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer cream the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- In a small bowl whisk the flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture and blend by hand (not the mixer) and when that’s combined, stir in the oats and raisins.
- Refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes.
- Add 1 1/2" balls (I used a scooper) onto the prepared baking sheet leaving about 2″ between each cookies. Bake 10-12 minutes or until they’re golden on the edges. They'll still look a little under-baked in the middle. Cool on the baking sheet 2 timed minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
These oatmeal raisin cookies are the best. I’ll have 5 or 6 for breakfast with my coffee till their gone or my trousers don’t fit anymore. They stay chewy and moist for days.
Thanks Ray – I couldn’t agree more – they ARE the best!! Every cookie jar needs these cookies right?
So I’ve looked all over the ingredient list and cannot find vanilla listed yet it’s mentioned in the directions. Help! How much vanilla do I use?
Awk!! Thank you Christy for the extra set of eyes! 🙂 It’s 1 teaspoon — I’ve updated the post – your catch is much appreciated!!
Oh no raisins and the measurement isn’t listed either…😩
Gotcha covered 🙂
Awesome! Ty so much. That was gonna be my best guess but you got back to me before I moved forward. Thanks. Will let you know how they turn out.
Fabulous! Very soft, chewy with nice crunch on the outside.😋
I’m less than happy with this cookies….followed the directions ( including chilling) they spread out into pancakes!
Hi there – this could be an issue with oven temp. An oven that hasn’t reached the correct baking temp causes the fat in the dough to melt before the cookie bakes, resulting in the dough spreading too much. Preheat the oven to the full temp before baking. — Bernie