Crisp on the edges, chewy in the center, and cinnamony through and through, these oatmeal raisin cookies could be kissing cousins to the classic Quaker recipe. And, in fact, they contain almost exactly the same ingredients. Still, we find these oatmeal raisin cookies to be perceptibly different from the classic. In a good, albeit sorta indefinable, way. That doesn’t mean you can’t have your own way with them, notes author Stacy Adimando. So go on, create your own riff by swapping countless less-expected stir-ins for those predictably healthful raisins, whether dried cherries, chocolate-covered raisins, toasted almonds, toffee bits, dark chocolate chunks, cranberries, chopped soft caramels, chopped chocolate-covered peanut butter cups…uh, we could blather on and on, though frankly, we’d rather hear ’bout what you choose to toss in your cookie batter.–Renee Schettler

☞ Like oatmeal cookies? Try these:

A stack of several oatmeal raisin cookies on a wire paddle.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

4.85 / 19 votes
These oatmeal raisin cookies are soft and chewy, buttery and brown sugary, like the quintessential oatmeal cookie. Add in a handful of raisins and you've got yourself something close to cookie perfection.
David Leite
CourseDessert
CuisineAmerican
Servings24 cookies
Calories72 kcal
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Resting Time10 minutes
Total Time40 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1 (4-ounce) stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats or quick-cooking oats
  • 2/3 cup raisins (or substitute fresh blueberries)

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • With a stand or electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix a bit more.
  • Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into a second bowl.
  • Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and run the mixer on low just until combined. Stir in the oats and raisins with a spoon. (If using blueberries, first stir the oats into the batter then carefully stir in the blueberries.) The dough may seem stiff and dry, but that’s okay.
  • Scoop out tablespoon-size balls of dough onto the sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
  • Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through baking. (If you prefer your oatmeal raisin cookies on the chewy, gooey side of things, take them out of the oven at exactly 12 minutes.)

    ☞ TESTER TIP: It can be tempting to leave these cookies in the oven longer—don’t fall for it. They’re best when they're good and chewy and barely starting to crisp on the outside. Which means they'll be a little delicate, so observe the instruction to cool them slightly on the baking sheet.

  • Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack, if you can muster that sort of restraint, and enjoy.
The Cookiepedia

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The Cookiepedia

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Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookieCalories: 72 kcalCarbohydrates: 16 gProtein: 1 gFat: 1 gSaturated Fat: 0.2 gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2 gTrans Fat: 0.002 gCholesterol: 8 mgSodium: 77 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 6 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2011 Stacy Adimando. Photo © 2011 fahrwasser. All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

This is the perfect oatmeal raisin cookie—chewy on the inside and wrapped in a slightly crisp outside. There’s just the right amount of cinnamon added.

I tried 2 variations: 1 with just raisins and another with dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, and semisweet chocolate chips. While I don’t think using cranberries and chocolate would alter the texture of the cookie, I did leave the cranberry/chocolate dough out on the counter a little longer, which made for a flatter, more crisp cookie. Thus, if you like your cookies with a chewy center, refrigerate the remaining dough while baking the initial batch. These were delicious—better than most if not all oatmeal cookie recipes!

These oatmeal raisin cookies were deliciously moist and tender and drew rave responses from family and friends. You may consider doubling the recipe, as they’ll disappear quickly.

I don’t bake cookies often since my daughter is a great cookie baker. I shouldn’t have worried since these turned out great. I heard lots of mmms when my tasters got loose on them.

I was a little worried when the batter was so thick but mine baked up perfectly crisp but also a little chewy in 14 minutes.

I didn’t try any of the optional mix-ins but might next time. I used golden raisins since that’s what I had on hand. I ended up with 20 cookies using a small ice-cream scoop. I usually have all these ingredients so there’s no excuse not to whip them up again when hubby has a craving.

Company coming over last-minute, a cold rainfall on a Saturday afternoon, a tough day at work—all perfect reasons to whip up a batch of homemade cookies. (Not like you even need a reason.) Honestly, nothing hits the spot better or satisfies a craving like ooey, gooey homemade cookies. This recipe fits that need perfectly—it’s quick, uses pantry ingredients, and is adaptable to whatever your tastes may be.

The batter feels really dry when you first mix in the oatmeal, but don’t worry—with a few powerful stirs it comes together and the final product isn’t dry at all. And make sure you use good cinnamon; with only a 1/2 teaspoon, you need something really high quality to have the flavor come through.

To make sure these are at their best, only cook for 12 minutes, and be sure to rotate halfway through. I think if you like your cookies a bit gooey, you could even get away with cooking them for 11 minutes.

The original recipe is great, but I tried a few new combinations; in particular, salted peanuts with caramel bits was a true winner.

Yes, there are a million recipes for oatmeal cookies out there but this one is simple and it works exactly as written, while still giving you the freedom to try some great suggestions for add-ons. No special ingredients, simple directions, and I also liked that it made exactly the number of cookies promised. And these feel healthy!

A couple of hints about the recipe: it may seem like you won’t have enough batter to yield the promised number of cookies, but you will; just be patient and make sure it’s well mixed and all the raisins and oatmeal are coated. Baking times were perfect: 12 minutes with a rotation halfway through as directed. If you have a convection oven, either don’t use it or reduce the time to keep the cookies moist and chewy.

Try some of the suggested add-ons: I made 2 batches, 1 as written and the other using 1/3 cup of golden raisins, 1/3 cup of dried cherries, and about 1/4 cup of sweetened flaked coconut. They were great!

This is a no-frills oatmeal raisin cookies recipe that yields some very tasty cookies with an admirable raisin-to-surface area ratio. They’re wonderfully soft and chewy, not too sweet, and incredibly oaty, as they should be.

I ended up making half the recipe with raisins and the other half with chocolate chunks, and both worked really well. A great recipe if you’re looking for something easy and quick to make, or just want to eat a cookie that has enough wholesome ingredients that it won’t invoke lingering feelings of guilt…until you eat 3 or 4 of them.

I love really good homemade cookies. These oatmeal raisin cookies happen to be great. I make these more often than any other recipe in my arsenal. There are other recipes that I try, some of which I may put into the rotation, but these cookies I make again and again. They’re very easy to make, which makes them a bit dangerous, especially if you don’t have much in the way of self-control.

The first time I made them, I divided the dough into portions, and added different “add-ins” to each section— raisins, dried cranberries, chocolate chunks, walnuts, and slivered almonds that I’d toasted in a cast iron pan. I really recommend this kind of research. The hands-down winner for us was the dried cranberry and toasted slivered almond combination. After experimenting with amounts, I settled on a generous 1/2 cup toasted almonds and about 1/3 cup dried cranberries.

I baked the cookies with the rack in the center of the oven for 7 minutes, rotated the sheet pan 180°, and then baked for another 6 to 7 minutes. The cookies were still soft at that point, but they did firm as they cooled. Also, instead of baking all the cookies at once, I take tablespoon-size portions of the dough, roll them into balls, and place them on a sheet pan, which I then put in the freezer. After the balls of dough are frozen, I wrap them in 6-cookie portions, seal them in a bag with the baking instructions, and vacuum seal the bag. Voila. Instant homemade crisp, chewy, yummy oatmeal cookies, whenever you need—or just want—them.

This was a great straightforward oatmeal raisin cookies recipe that works as written. Chewy inside and crisp on the edges, the cookies have a nice contrasting texture. They’re not overly sweet but still have a complex flavor from the combination of brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins, while the oats lend heartiness.

This was a solid and tasty oatmeal raisin cookies recipe. The cinnamon was a particularly nice addition to an otherwise standard recipe.

I don’t like raisins, but my family and friends do, so I made half as written and half replacing the raisins with chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Both versions received positive reviews. The cookies with the dried cranberries looked particularly festive for the holidays.

This oatmeal cookies recipe has a bit more vanilla and raisins than my go-to recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies and I thought it produced cookies with a warmer, rounder flavor.

I took my cookies out after 12 minutes of baking and they were just right: slightly soft and chewy in the center and caramel-y around the edge. A good and reliable recipe that never goes out of style!

Right before making this oatmeal raisin cookies recipe I tried 2 other oatmeal raisin cookie recipes. Both were good, but one was a little more cakey than I wanted and the other was a little bland. When I saw this recipe I hesitated to try it, wondering if maybe I’m just not an oatmeal raisin kind of girl. I’m so glad I pressed on—these are exactly what I’ve been looking for: great flavor, crisp on the edges, chewy center…wonderful. I didn’t even have to wait to chill the dough; they still came out perfect.

My only issue was that the recipe only made 22 cookies, so make sure you double or triple this one so you’ve enough to share.

How often do cookie recipes look effortless? This one really is. It didn’t take long at all to get all the ingredients together. Even if I were low on baking ingredients, I could probably pull this cookie together. When eaten warm or cold, the cookies have a crisp bottom with a chewy center. The scent of cinnamon is delightful. The flavor is sweet enough but not overpowering. I really enjoyed the rich butter flavor of the cookie.

The raisins completed the cookie, giving them great balance. It’s a good thing this recipe only makes 2 dozen; it’s insurance from sitting down and demolishing twice as many at one time. These cookies are fantastic.

This recipe was like the one for chocolate chip cookies on the back of that yellow bag of chocolate chips–a classic to always have on-hand. Nothing fancy, just a standard chewy oatmeal raisin cookie. My one piece of advice is to make sure you have good, plump raisins. If you dug an old box out of the back of your pantry with hard, dried-out raisins inside, either plump them back up by soaking in hot water for a few minutes, or buy a fresh box.

I really liked the flavor imparted by the brown sugar. Gives it a little something extra. I found that 12 minutes resulted in lightly browned edges and bottoms with a soft texture, while 14 resulted in cookies that were browned all over and had a harder exterior and more chew. I preferred the softer version and so did my taste tester.

In less than 30 minutes, I had a batch of oatmeal cookies out of the oven and cooling. I had the oven on for something else and decided to take advantage of the oven as the day was young and it was going to get quite hot. I had never thought to add blueberries to cookies before and it was a really nice combination. My husband thought they were a refreshing change from chocolate chip. I used blueberries (frozen) instead of the raisins. They were very big blueberries that I picked over the summer. Smaller blueberries might have been a little better for the cookie, to spread out the blueberry flavor.

I used old fashioned oats (thick cut) so the batter didn’t feel very dry. The cookies baked for about 13 minutes and resulted in a nice chewy cookie (it took longer than the 12 as the blueberries were frozen).

This recipe produced an easy but still very tasty oatmeal cookie, in this case made with blueberries instead of raisins. The recipe was quick, start to finish in about 30 minutes. I used quick cooking oats.

The crisp version of the cookie took about 16 minutes to bake and the soft version took about 14.

My only concern in the recipe is the use of fresh blueberries, which I think would affect the length of time they could be stored. I was unable to determine this since I passed them out to friends and neighbors. I don’t believe there were any left after 2 days and therefore could not evaluate them.

Quick and nostalgic. That’s what came to mind when making and eating these oatmeal raisin cookies. They were also not cloying, clearly taking into account the sweetness of the raisins in perfect symmetry.

The butter and sugar came together in a beautiful light and fluffy color at about 3 min. At 1 min I saw the color change. At 2 min I noticed the texture change. By 3 minutes, the color had lightened yet again, and proved that not rushing is what baking is about.

I used raisins in this recipe, (I’m a traditionalist) and baked for exactly 12 minutes. This estimate is no joke. As these cookies are a favorite I made two batches. During the second batch the doorbell rang just as the timer was going off. Cookies were in the oven approximately 1 1/2 more minutes for a total of 13 1/2 minutes. Although still delicious, they were markedly more brown.

I have never met an oatmeal raisin cookie I didn’t like. I understand that for some they are a polarizing cookie. But to me they are the perfect mix of wholesome and satisfying. I simply cannot fathom not delighting in the chewy, spicy, sweetness that is an oatmeal raisin cookie. This recipe is nice because it ticks all the boxes and is a smaller batch so you aren’t tempted by having many dozen cookies lying around. And in a 2-person household that tries to be healthy, that is a big plus.

I managed to assemble the cookies in less than ten minutes and with a baking time of 13 minutes that leaves you with warm chewy cookies in less than half an hour (if you don’t mind scalding your mouth a bit…).

All in all, this is a recipe worth making. And worth revisiting.

Dear people who say they don’t like oatmeal raisin cookies because they are a betrayal of trust, try these. Try to eat just one—I ate THREE within 10 minutes of coming out of the oven. The raisins are plump and soft and jammy. The oats are toasted and nutty. Most importantly, these cookies are damned delicious. It’s really a shame they make a small batch, but at the same time, they are so delicious freshly baked. The bonus is that they take less than an hour to make, so cravings are easy to take care of. Don’t crave oatmeal raisin cookies, you say? You will after trying one of these. The dried-up raisins in the back of your pantry thank you.

A few notes: don’t increase the cinnamon or the raisins. The amounts are just perfect. You don’t want to be hit over the head with cinnamon and at 2/3 cups, you get just the right amount of raisins in each cookie. I baked them for exactly 12 minutes on darker non-stick cookie sheets.

I have cookie baking anxiety due to past issues with burnt edges and raw middles. I am constantly worried about using a new and unfamiliar cookie recipe, due to my inexperience. However, this recipe works perfectly as written even with the addition of blueberries instead of raisins. My blueberries were very small, which I think helped with the moisture added as they burst during cooking. They were delicious while warm and soft, but just as good when they cooled and got a bit chewier.

I cooked the cookies for 12 minutes, when they were slightly brown at the edges. This made them perfectly done. I don’t prefer crunchy oatmeal cookies, and they remained chewy but not crunchy after cooling.

Oatmeal raisin cookies are my absolute favorite cookie, and I’ve never been able to find a good recipe that is just right. This one comes pretty close to my ideal oatmeal raisin cookie. I would have preferred a slightly chewier cookie, but these are nonetheless, delicious! I love that you can control the texture of the cookie (soft or crispy) based on the baking time. If you put the cookies into an airtight container overnight, the cookies turn wonderfully soft and pillowy. Yum!

The cookies were nice and I would like to make them again perhaps with white chocolate chips instead of raisins, although this might also require the oats to be left out, so might become a different recipe.

I cooked the first batch of cookies for 15 minutes and they were darker than the picture. Therefore I decided to cook the second batch for only 12 minutes. They still looked darker than the picture and mine were smoother on top (less bumpy in appearance). The 12 minute batch were more chewy.

These cookies are very basic. They’re easy to make and they come together as expected. Unlike one of the other cookie recipes, this one calls for rounded tablespoons and they don’t spread too much. They’re a crispy cookie, rather than a soft cookie, though. (Mine looked like the picture but were a little crunchy?)




About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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60 Comments

    1. Diyah, you sure can. Tightly wrapped, it’ll last 4 to 5 days in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer.