Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe
Craving a comforting classic?  Make this soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe!  Chock-full of hearty oats, sweet raisins, and warm cinnamon. Â
Hey did you have a good weekend? Â What did you do? Â How was the weather where you live? Â Here in Philly it has been hot, hot, hot, and sunny. Â But you may remember I had mentioned that last week I would be in Washington state, touring an apple farm. Â I had such a fabulous time (more about that in another post), and it was really nice to experience some cool, clear weather. Â Truly, a breath of fresh air!
Before heading out, I worked out this fantastic soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe.  I’ve made a lot of oatmeal raisin cookies in the past, and they always come out a bit dry and hard.  I really wanted to figure out a way to make them more soft and moist, and I think I totally nailed it with this!
These cookies bake up moist and soft, with lots of chewy texture from the oats and raisins. Â Transfer them to an airtight container once they’re completely cool, and they’ll stay that way for days.
My son could hardly wait for me to hurry up and snap the pics so he could scarf these oatmeal cookies!  I think he ate about a dozen in one sitting, and I blame the intoxicating aromas that lured him into the kitchen.  Nothing says fall like the smell of cinnamon, oatmeal, and butter!
We ended up taking what was left to a party with friends, and they were a big hit. Â People kept asking if there was something else besides raisins. Â I think it was because I used a pack of mixed raisins. Â So, there were regular raisins as well as golden raisins in the pack. Â I thought it would make the oatmeal cookies look more interesting, but I guess it really just made people confused!
Regardless of what kind of raisins you use, this oatmeal raisin cookie recipe is a keeper for sure. Â It’s definitely earned status as a family favorite around here. Â I’m sure I will be making them again and again. Â If you want to mix things up a bit, I think they’d be terrific with nuts added (pecans or walnuts would be great), or you could even substitute the raisins for cranberries, chopped dried apples, or chocolate covered raisins.
Hope you enjoy this oatmeal cookie recipe as much as we did!
Tips for a nicely shaped cookie:
- Make sure the butter is softened. Â It should be room temperature, not cold.
- Really whip the butter and sugar together until very pale and fluffy. Â It should look almost white. Â This takes between 3 and 5 minutes.
- Don’t overwork the dough. Â Just mix in the dry ingredients until combined, and then turn the mixer off. Â Overmixing will develop glutens that may prevent the cookies from spreading properly.
- Scoop the balls of dough to 1 1/2 tablespoons. Â If they are larger than that, they may spread too much. Â If they are smaller, they may not spread at all.
If you are a cookie monster (like me!) be sure to check out the “cookies” category of my recipe index!
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Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (170.25 g) unsalted butter, (1 1/2 sticks), softened
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (165 g) light brown sugar,, lightly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (81 g) old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup (32 g) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt,, to taste
- 12 ounces (340.2 g) raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment.
- Place the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed until very pale and fluffy (3 to 5 minutes).
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, beating until completely incorporated.
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, then add the flour, oats, cornstarch, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt, stirring on medium-low speed just until all the ingredients are combined (do not over-mix).
- Stir in the raisins.
- Use a 1 1/2-tablespoon cookie scoop to drop balls of cookie dough onto the prepared sheets, allowing about two inches in between (for spreading).
- Bake (one sheet at a time) on the center rack of the oven for 7 to 9 minutes, or until set around the edges and just barely beginning to turn golden.
- Cool completely on the baking sheet, then transfer to an air-tight container for storage.
I baked all 4 cookie recipes..they were all amazing. My grandson and husband couldn’t get enough of the chocolate chip. My favorite is oatmeal raisin. I boiled the raisins/dried cranberries to plump them up, let them cool before stirring in the batter. These cookies are awesome. Thank you for these recipes.
You’re so welcome. I’m really happy you & your family are enjoying them!
Looking forward to trying this!
Awesome, hope you enjoy!
I’d like to add walnuts. Any recommendations for amending the recipe?
Sure you can add walnuts if you’d like! You might want to chop them up roughly first but other than that you shouldn’t really have to change much about the recipe. Good luck and I hope you enjoy!
Can I give this more than 5 stars?????? Oh my goodness! I’m usually lukewarm about oatmeal cookies but these are a game changer for me. So soft and delicious doesn’t even scratch the surface! Thank you thank you thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes,
You are so welcome Kristin! I’m thrilled you loved the recipe so much. Thanks so much for the glowing review!
I’ve never used cornstarch in cookie dough . What’s the  purpose? Does it make the flour  lighter similar to cake flour ? Thank you.
Hey there! I’ve written pretty extensively on this topic- I would encourage you to sign up for this free guide: bakingamoment.com/subscribe. There’s a lot of great info in the 5-part series, and you can also find a pretty good explanation here: https://bakingamoment.com/cutout-cookies-neat-edges/. Hopefully this is helpful!
I baked these amazing cookies once before. The raisins added were perfection itself.
Everybody loved them, kids as well as adults.
But, I have some questions please.
Why is flour used with the oats?
Can I pulse the oats a couple of times before using?
Thank you for this great recipe
You can pulse the oats if you’d like- you will just not have quite the same kind of texture if you do. The flour is needed as well- most cookie recipes do require flour.
I haven’t had these in years! These are thick, chewy and perfect!
I’m not a fan of raisin in my cookies but I am absolutely making these and subbing chocolate chips! And the golden raisins used could sway me – love that small twist!
These are the BEST oatmeal cookies!!
Are these the perfect oatmeal cookies or what?
My fav cookies
I love soft cookies!
Hi Allie
Can this dough be refrigerated overnight, then baked off.
Hey Jackie! I’m so sorry for the late reply. I haven’t tried that myself but I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t work. You might just want to cut back on the flour slightly, in my experience cookie dough seems to dry out a little bit as it sits. I hope that helps! Good luck and enjoy!
These look so soft and chewy Allie! Love that you used golden raisins, I never would have thought of that!
Thanks Karen! The raisins were so plump and sweet! 🙂