Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

4.98 from 35 votes

Chewy oatmeal raisin cookies are a favorite cookie recipe for so many - these are the perfect ratio of sweetness and chewiness - made with everyday pantry items!

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Cookies are my weakness! And these chewy oatmeal raisin cookies are no exception! They are a recipe from the cookbook Everyday is Saturday by Sarah Copeland. And she claims them to be the “perfect ratio oatmeal raisin cookies“. And tell you what, she’s so right! I’ve tried a few recipes in my days, but none were good enough to have a home on my site until I tried this recipe.

I’m truly building up this chewy oatmeal raisin cookies, but they deserve it. And you owe it to yourself to try them!

Final cookies fresh from the oven with bite taken out of one cookie
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Sarah says there are three kinds of oatmeal cookies:

  1. Over-sugared and raisin-laden
  2. Too wholesome (a hippie cookie in disguise)
  3. These little nuggets of joy you can’t stop eating—that just right kind of cookie.

“These live firmly in the third camp: sugar under control, but present, and no skimping on the butter. Cinnamon and vanilla give these big flavor. And, for the sweet-toothed, a sprinkling of raisins and chocolate chips do the trick.”

Ingredients for Oatmeal Cookies with Raisins

  • Dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
  • Wet ingredients: an egg plus egg yolk, vanilla, butter, and brown sugar (this melts away into the eggs for the wet mixture). You want the butter to be melted but not hot.
  • Add-ins: oatmeal, raisins, and chocolate chips. Toss in some walnuts for a crunchy, nutty addition.

How to make oatmeal raisin cookies

  1. Start by adding the eggs, brown sugar, melted butter, and vanilla to a mixing bowl.
  2. Then mix the wet ingredients. You don’t need a stand mixer or even an electric mixer. You can use a whisk, but whisk vigorously to make sure everything is well combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add this dry mixture on top of the wet mix.
  4. Now you’ll want to mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until you don’t see any more streaks of flour.
  5. And now’s the fun part. This is where the rolled oats go in, raisins, chocolate chips, and even nuts if you’re adding them.
  6. Fold all the add-ins into a tight batter.
Collage showing dry ingredients before and after mixing

Finally, you can use a spring-loaded cookie scoop to make evenly shaped cookie balls, about two tablespoons large each. And then you’re ready to bake them. You can also just make them 1 tablespoon each for smaller oatmeal raisin cookies.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie dough balls on parchment paper before baking

The great thing about these oatmeal raisin cookies is that they’ll continue to bake on the pan even after you remove them from the oven. So remove them when they’re a little underbaked-looking and you won’t be disappointed.

Tips for making the best oatmeal raisin cookies

These tips are from Sarah as she’s experimented with perfecting this oatmeal raisin cookie recipe:

  1. Use melted butter, not creamed butter. Basically the problem is that creamed butter can yield a wide range of results. If the butter is too soft, the cookies might spread too much. And if the butter is too cold, the final cookies won’t be chewy enough.
  2. Allow the prepared cookie dough to rest before rolling into balls. This makes them easier to roll into balls, which helps them keep their shape while baking, and making you look like the baking pro you are (now)!
  3. Make these cookies ahead of time. You can keep them in the fridge for 7-10 days. And you can even freeze them for 1 month. If you are making them ahead, be sure to shape them before you chill them because it may get harder to do so after chilling, and especially after freezing.
  4. Allow resting time before eating the cookies. It’s so tempting to grab a warm cookie from the oven and bite into it. But the texture of these cookies improves and gets chewier when cooled before eating. In fact, if you can wait even a few hours or overnight, it allows the brown sugar to settle and spread its scrumptiousness throughout the cookie.
Close up shot of bite taken out of one oatmeal raisin cookies

This oatmeal raisin cookie recipe is one of the best I’ve tried. It has the perfect ratio of ingredients to have just the right amount of sweetness and the perfect chewy bite. I love that it’s pretty much a no-fail recipe with similar chewy yummy irresistible results every time. And the best part is that you can make it with basic pantry ingredients and no fancy kitchen equipment.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Reprinted from Everyday is Saturday | Recipes + Strategies for Easy Cooking, Every Day of the Week by Sarah Copeland with permission from Chronicle Books, 2019

Cookies next to book they're from - Every day is Saturday

More oatmeal recipes:

If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!

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Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Chewy oatmeal raisin cookies are a favorite cookie recipe for so many – these are the perfect ratio of sweetness and chewiness – made with everyday pantry items!
5 from 35 votes
Servings 16 cookies
Course Dessert
Calories 191
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes

Ingredients
  

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  • Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, until well combined.
  • Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir in the oats, raisins, and chocolate chips, folding into a tight batter. Set the dough aside for 20 minutes to allow them to set.
  • Use a spring-loaded cookie scoop to scoop into 16 balls about 2 tablespoons each, and roll lightly in barely damp hands to make them round. Spread out on the prepared baking sheets and bake until puffed and golden, 10 to 11 minutes (they will continue to bake on the pans as they cool). Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Recipe: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Reprinted from Everyday is Saturday | Recipes + Strategies for Easy Cooking, Every Day of the Week by Sarah Copeland with permission from Chronicle Books, 2019
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about 7 days in the fridge or on the countertop.
Freezing Instructions: To freeze the cookies, shape them into balls and place them on a baking sheet in the freezer until very cold and solid, about 20 minutes. Then transfer to a freezer-safe plastic bag. Freeze for up to 1 month for best taste. You can freeze longer and the dough won’t spoil, but the flavor will lose its freshness.
Make Ahead Tips: You can make the dough ahead of time and shape the cookie dough. Then place in the fridge for 7-10 days until ready to bake.
Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe.
  • To make them gluten-free, use 1 ¼ cup gluten-free flour mix like Bob’s Red Mill. However I have not tested them with just almond flour or just coconut flour.
  • To make them vegan, replace the butter with melted coconut oil, and the egg with a vegan egg replacer.
  • If you prefer to skip the chocolate chips, you can use pecans or walnuts instead, or just add more raisins.
  • Instead of dark brown sugar, you can use coconut sugar.

Nutrition

Calories: 191kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 38mg, Sodium: 169mg, Potassium: 122mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 215IU, Vitamin C: 0.3mg, Calcium: 29mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Cuisine American
Course: Dessert

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Comments

  1. I love these cookies!! I did change up the nuts, I used what I had on hand. Almonds,
    pecans & pumpkin seeds in one batch.
    Hazelnuts, pecans & cashews.
    I used cranberries instead of raisins, mini chocolate chips plus a couple teaspoons of cinnamon. Soo good!

  2. Hiii, I made these cookies a couple days ago. They were delicious! They only issue was the texture. I have made lots of different oatmeal raisin cookies in the past and these came out a little eggy/cakey feeling. Not sure where I went wrong.

    1. So glad you enjoyed the flavor! Did you allow resting time before eating the cookies? The texture of these cookies improves and gets chewier when cooled before eating!

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