Best Recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
This is NOT your grandmother’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe – it’s 20,000x better. With unique twists you’re going to crave, you’ll never bake another oatmeal cookie again.
Jump to Recipe
These are the Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
This recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies is not your typical oatmeal cookie. Read: it’s not crunchy, dry and overwhelmingly raisin-y. This oatmeal raisin cookie is super soft and chewy with the absolute BEST flavor. It might be slightly unconventional, but this recipe doesn’t have vanilla. TRUST ME. Omitting the vanilla allows these to be the best oatmeal raisin cookies, flavored completely by the oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon – giving it the ultimate homey, perfect chew that you want from an oatmeal raisin cookie.
But if you’re not a raisin fan, don’t sweat it! These are great as plain oatmeal cookies and are absolutely BOMB with chocolate chips or even butterscotch chips. Try it and thank me later.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie ingredients
- Salted butter, softened – I always use salted butter in my recipes.You can use unsalted, but just add a pinch of salt to the dough.
- Brown sugar – This is KEY in giving our oatmeal raisin cookies their delicious sweet, warm flavor.
- Eggs
- Milk
- Whole wheat flour – This is technically a copycat for the Great Harvest Oatmeal Raisin cookie, so we use whole wheat flour. And I LOVE the texture and oomph it adds to these cookies.
- Rolled oats
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon – Do not skimp on the cinnamon!
- Baking soda
- Raisins – Add raisins, chocolate chips or butterscotch chips! Customize as you please, they’ll all be delicious.
How to make an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, combine the butter and brown sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture. This will take about 2 minutes.
- Add in the eggs and milk, mixing thoroughly.
- Add the whole wheat flour, rolled oats, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and baking soda to the mixer and mix until a soft and almost sticky dough forms.
- Mix in the raisins until evenly distributed.
- Scoop 1 1/2 tbsp of dough ( #40 scoop) for each cookie. Flatten just slightly and add extra raisins to the top, if desired.
- Bake at 350° F for 9-11 minutes or until the cookies have spread slightly and no longer look wet and glossy on the top.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for at least 15 minutes for them to set up before enjoying.
How long to bake Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Bake these cookies for 9-11 minutes or until the cookies are starting to spread slightly! You’ll want to watch for them to stop looking wet and glossy on the top. Just make sure not to overbake.
Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe variations
Obviously to truly be an oatmeal raisin cookie, it needs raisins. But *technically, you don’t have to add in raisins. You could add in milk, white, or butterscotch chips for some extra flair.
How to store Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Once your cookies have cooled, store in an airtight container on the counter for 3-5 days!
Can you freeze Oatmeal Raisin Cookies?
Ab-so-lutely! These freeze great. Make sure your cookies are cooled and place them in a labeled airtight container or ziptop bag. Then place in the freezer and use within 3 months.
Can you freeze Oatmeal Raisin Cookie dough?
You totally can! I would recommend freezing the dough in balls. Scoop your dough into balls and flash freeze on a cookie sheet in the freezer until they are firm. Then place the dough balls into a labeled airtight container or ziptop bag. Then place in the freezer and use within 3 months. You can bake directly from frozen and tack on a few minutes or let them thaw and then bake as normal.
Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies FAQs
First, make sure your rising agents (baking powder and baking soda) are fresh! If they’ve been open for a while or are expired, they won’t work and your cookies will be flat.
You may have overmixed your dough or overbaked your batter! Make sure to follow mixing instructions and baking instructions and you shouldn’t have any issues!
This recipe does not require soaking the raisins before baking! Just go ahead and toss them in the mixer as is.
Other Classic Cookies to Try
- The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Classic Peanut Butter Hershey Kiss Cookies
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp milk
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, combine the butter and brown sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture.
- Add in the eggs and milk, mixing thoroughly.
- Add the whole wheat flour, rolled oats, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and baking soda to the mixer and mix until a soft and almost sticky dough forms.
- Mix in the raisins until evenly distributed.
- Scoop 1 1/2 tbsp of dough ( #40 scoop) for each cookie. Flatten just slightly and add extra raisins to the top, if desired.
- Bake at 350° F for 9-11 minutes or until the cookies have spread slightly and no longer look wet and glossy on the top.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for at least 15 minutes for them to set up before enjoying.
Made as directed but they went as flat as a pancake, thoughts?
Shoot, I’m sorry Judy! First, make sure your rising agents (baking powder and baking soda) are fresh! If they’ve been open for a while or are expired, they won’t work and your cookies will be flat. If the ingredients are fresh, you can add up to 1/4 cup of flour and see if that helps!
Best Cookie Ever, so easy to make we loved how big they are and how YUMMY they are!!
Thank you, Jack & Polly
The are the yummiest cookies! I added mini chocolate chips with the raisins & they were a huge hit! Thanks for another fabulous recipe!
Whole wheat flour gives it a healthy taste. Wish I used regular flour but texture was still good
I’ve tried other recipes by Karli and really liked them. I couldn’t get these to bake up right for me even with time and oven temp adjustments. I’ve done a ton of baking, and these were just too doughy and sweet for me. I think I prefer grandma’s old-fashioned crispy-style cookie to this sweeter, cakier version.
As a previous reviewer stated, my cookies spread like wildfire as well. I was so disappointed. However, as are all of Karli’s recipes, they tasted great. Sooooo….I made cream sandwiches out of them. I received rave reviews!
Would it ruin the cookies if I used all purpose flour? I’m sure it’d be better with whole wheat flour but currently don’t have that on hand.
I haven’t tried this specific recipe with AP. These oatmeal cookies use AP and you can definitely add raisins if you’d like: https://cookiesfordays.com/best-oatmeal-cookies/
I used all purpose flour and added 1/4 cup (so 2 cups total). I also live at 4000 feet, so that is a factor. The cookies were spread out before I added the extra flour, but much better afterwards.