These Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are richly sweet with just the right amount of chew. The raisins and walnuts add even more deliciousness to these soft, tasty treats.
If you love oatmeal cookies, then you should try our chewy banana oatmeal cookies and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (VIDEO).
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
These Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are soft, sweet, and so yummy. I love making them as a treat for home or adding them to a holiday cookie tray.
- TASTE: These Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are utterly delicious. The raisins and walnuts add just the right bursts of sweet and nutty.
- TEXTURE: Made with moist brown sugar, molasses, juicy raisins, and two types of rolled oats, these cookies are moist and chewy. The walnuts add a little crunch.
- TIME: These cookies take less than 30 minutes to make.
- EASE: It’s so easy and simple. This recipe has step-by-step instructions and photos so you can make the perfect cookies this holiday season.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Wet ingredients- Unsalted butter, Golden brown sugar, Granulated sugar, Eggs, Vanilla extract, and Molasses.
- Dry ingredients- All-purpose flour, Baking soda, Salt,
- Oats- Old-fashioned rolled oats and Quick-cooking rolled oats are both used in this Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe. The old-fashioned are larger and add more chew, while the quick ones are smoother in texture.
- Raisins– These add a lovely sweetness to the cookies. You can use regular or golden raisins.
- Walnuts– These nuts are mild with some sharp notes in their flavor that are a nice contrast to these sweet cookies.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Add chocolate- Add some chocolate chips, such as white chocolate, semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate. Chocolate chunks cut from a bar are also great.
- Substitute cranberries- You can use cranberries in place of the raisins for this recipe if you like. Plump them as you do the raisins and the cookies will taste amazing.
- Make them gluten-free- Substitute the all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour, 1:1. You can also make sure the oats are certified gluten-free.
- Substitute all one type of oats– If you only have old-fashioned or quick oats, then you can use one without the other. Just note that the texture will be slightly different depending on the type.
How to Make Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Soak the raisins. Place the raisins in a small bowl of hot water and allow them to soak for about 10 minutes.
- Beat together the butter and sugars. In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix for 2 minutes on high with an electric hand mixer.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and molasses. Now mix in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and molasses.
- Sift in the dry ingredients (minus the oats). Placing a fine-mesh sieve over the mixing bowl, sift in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Then mix on low speed.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Drain the water out of the raisins and add them to the cookie dough. Now add in both of the oats and the chopped walnuts. Mix until combined.
- Form the cookie dough balls. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scoop the cookie dough out. Then roll it into balls with your hands and place the balls back on the baking sheet.
- Bake. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes.
Pro Tip: I’ve found that it’s easiest to scoop the dough out with a trigger-release cookie scoop.
Recipe Tips
- Soak the raisins in water- Rehydrating the raisins makes them plumper and juicier so they add more moisture and flavor to these Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.
- Use both kinds of oats- Old-fashioned oats and quick oats both provide that distinct taste, but different textures. The quick oats will make the cookies soft and chewy, but the old-fashioned oats give them more chew because they don’t break down as much.
- Space the cookie dough balls about 1-2 inches apart- These cookies spread quite a bit so make sure the dough is rolled into balls and they are properly spaced on the baking sheet before going into the oven.
- Let them cool before moving them off the baking sheet- Allow them to cool for a few minutes before moving them to the cooling rack to avoid breakage.
FAQs
Should you soak raisins before baking cookies?
This extra step of soaking the raisins in order to plump them before baking is fantastic for moist cookies. The plumped raisins are incredibly juicy, which tastes scrumptious in an oatmeal raisin cookie.
How do you plump up raisins for cookies?
Place the raisins in a bowl of water and add boiling water to cover them. After a couple of minutes, the raisins will have rehydrated and become plump.
Serving Suggestions
These Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are so tasty and versatile. You can serve them with tons of other desserts or just enjoy them with an afternoon coffee.
- Cakes: Serve these cookies with a slice of Pumpkin Cheesecake (VIDEO), Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe with Raspberry, or Gingerbread Cake.
- Pies: Enjoy these Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Homemade Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Cobbler, or Blueberry Pie.
- Cookies: Pair them with some Chewy Nutella Cookies, Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies (VIDEO), or White Chocolate Florentine Cookies ( lace cookies).
- Beverages: Have one of these delicious cookies with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, Caramel Frappuccino (Starbucks Copycat), or Hot Chocolate.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: You can freeze the cookie dough balls by placing them on a baking sheet in the freezer, and then putting the newly frozen dough into a ziplock freezer bag until you are ready to bake them.
Storing: The best way to store these Oatmeal Raisin Cookies is in an airtight container so they remain chewy. You can leave them at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the refrigerator for about a week.
Freeze: Place them in an airtight container or in a ziplock freezer bag and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Yummy Cookies!
Full Recipe Instructions
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
These Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are delicious & easy to make. You'll love the soft, moist cookie with the crunchy walnuts & juicy raisins.
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Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 236kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup softened unsalted butter
- 1 cup golden brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
- 1 cup raisins soaked in hot water
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Start off by soaking the raisins in hot water for about 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, add 1 cup softened unsalted butter, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a mixing bowl. Then mix for 2 minutes on high speed using an electric hand mixer.
- Then mix in 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 1 1/2 tablespoons molasses.
- Now place a fine-mesh sieve over the mixing bowl and add 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sift the flour mixture in and mix on low speed.
- Then drain the water out from the raisins and add them into the cookie dough along with 2 cups old fashioned rolled oatmeal, 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oatmeal, and 1 cup chopped walnuts.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then scoop the cookie dough with a trigger release cookie scoop. Drop them in your prepared baking sheet, then roll the balls into your hands, then place them back into the baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 8-12 minutes, depending on how well baked you like them.
Notes
How to store and freeze oatmeal raisin cookies
STORING: Store in an airtight container so they remain chewy. You can leave them at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the refrigerator for about a week.
FREEZING: Place them in an airtight container or in a ziplock freezer bag and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls if you prefer to bake them fresh. Just place the baking sheet with the dough balls in the freezer and then put the newly frozen dough into a ziplock freezer bag until you are ready to bake them.
Nutrition
Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 170mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 257IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo of it and tag me on Instagram @simplyhomecooked or use the hashtag #simplyhomecooked so I can see it and feature it!
Hi, I’m Dina, so glad you stopped by! I believe life is too short for bad coffee and boring meals. With my easy to follow step-by-step recipes, you’ll be surprised at how quickly a wholesome and delicious meal can come together. I hope you find something you enjoy!
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Anita says
What can I substitute for molasses, syrup or honey.
Dina says
Hi Anita, you can use dark honey instead of molasses to achieve the same texture but the flavor might be a little different. It might not be as deep of a caramel-like flavor if you use honey.
Mary adler says
Very disappointed with this recipe, the cookies flatten out while baking, I rechecked everything I did. Still the left over batter is in the fridge, hesitant about tossing it because it has 2 sticks of butter in it, I don’t like waste ….oh well better luck next time. At 66 I’ve never messed up oatmeal cookies until now.
Dina says
Hi Mary 🙂 Thank you for your feedback. I have not had that happen with these cookies to me or anyone else who has made them. If you followed the ingredient quantities and the instructions exactly then it should have turned out. Another thing that can cause this is the oven temperature. When cookies flatten out it is often due to the butter spreading out while the cookie has not stiffened up. One thing to try is to chill the cookie dough balls a little before you place them in the oven. This will stiffen the butter and result in taller cookies. I hope that helps. If you give it a try with the leftover dough please let me know how they turn out. 🙂
Annie says
Hi Dina, how to make an eggless version of these cookies.
Dina says
Hi Annie, I am not too sure since I have not tested this without eggs. I know some people use Bob’s Red Mill Egg replacer for baking. I have personally never tried using it though.
Cassie says
Awe mine turned out flat but I’m guessing it’s because I didn’t drain the raisins enough. What size scoop do you use?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Cassie 🙂 Very happy to hear you gave my cookie recipe a try! If your raisins have extra moisture it can flatten out the cookies. Something you can try is to put your cookie dough in the fridge for a little. It will help stiffen them up and they won’t be as flat. I use a medium-size cookie scoop. I hope that helps 🙂 Let me know how it works if you give this another try!
Kae says
Hi! I’d like it to be a little crispy on the outside and chewy inside, can I lessen the brown and add more white sugar? And omit the egg yolk?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Kae, you can lessen the brown sugar and increase the white sugar to get a crisper edge. You may need to bake them a minute or two longer as well. I hope this helps 🙂
Jim says
Not sure why people are having issues….mine turned out great….added sugar free dark chocolate chips and they still were perfect. Made a triple batch….have you never used swerve instead of the two types of sugar? Thanks
Edith says
Can you use honey instead of molasses
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Edith, that would be an alternative however honey and molasses have different distinct flavors. This would be a personal preference if you wanted to use honey. Hope that helps and I hope you love these oatmeal raisin cookies 🙂