Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

These Oatmeal Raisin Cookies hold a place near and dear to my heart. They were first published in 2020 when I made the announcement that my wonderful husband, Nathan, had left his position as a CTO to help me run my business and see where we can take it together. Since that announcement, my business has grown in the most beautiful way, and a huge piece of that is because of Nathan’s support both with the business and at home.

These cookies really were the perfect way to make such an important announcement, because they are his favorite cookies. These Oatmeal Raisin Cookies went through a lot of rigorous testing until I got a cookie that was crisp on the outside, had the perfect amount of spread, and was buttery soft on the inside. I know that these are going to be perfect for celebrating in your house as well.

How to Make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

This is a brief overview of how simple it is to make these perfect classic cookies. For the full oatmeal raisin cookie recipe, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Mix the Dry Ingredients

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. If you don’t have a kitchen scale to weigh your flour, be sure to whisk it, then scoop it into a dry measuring cup with a spoon before leveling it off.

Cream the Butter and Sugar Together

This should be done with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Add the Eggs and Vanilla

Use a spatula to scrape down the sides in between mixing.

Mix the Dry Ingredients into the Wet Ingredients

Do this all at once to ensure that you don’t over-mix the flour.

Mix in the Raisins and Oats

Mix until just combined.

Form into Cookies and Bake

Use a cookie scoop to get even-sized cookies.

Tips and Tricks

These are great tips to follow for any type of cookie.

• Measure the flour correctly. Your best bet with flour and baking is always to weigh it. That being said, if you don’t have a kitchen scale, this measuring technique works great.
• Use room-temperature butter. This ensures the cookies spread the right amount. You should be able to push a finger into the butter, but not all the way through. The butter should still feel cold to the touch.
• Ensure your baking soda is fresh and don’t substitute baking powder. Test it by dropping a little in vinegar; it should bubble immediately.
• Thoroughly cream together the butter and sugar. During this process, the crystals of the sugar beat in the butter and add air to it. This is essential for a good chewy texture in your cookies, but it also expands the dough and makes for a recipe that yields more cookies.
• Use a good baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The baking surface changes how they bake. I love these sheets from Nordic Ware. They bake so evenly.
• Pour in all the flour at once. Mix on low just enough to get most of it into the batter, and then turn to high for a few seconds to incorporate the rest. This prevents overbeating the dough.
• Quick cooking vs. old-fashioned oats: The difference between old-fashioned and quick cooking oats is the size of the oat piece. Old-fashioned oats are whole, while quick-cooking oats are broken down. I prefer the chewiness that old-fashioned oats add to this recipe, but the recipe will work just fine with quick cooking oats.
• Use a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop. Not only does this make quick work of scooping the oatmeal raisin cookie dough into balls, but it also creates uniformly sized cookies that will bake evenly.

Freezing the Dough

You can bake these cookies right away without chilling, or you can freeze the dough balls for later. Follow the steps below for freezing this as cookie dough.

1. Form the dough into balls as instructed in the recipe card.
2. Place the dough balls on a piece of wax paper in the freezer and freeze for one hour.
3. Then transfer to an air-tight container until you want to bake them.
4. When ready to bake, place directly from the freezer onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and into the hot preheated oven.
5. Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Storing

Eat these chewy oatmeal raisin cookies warm from the oven or store in an airtight container for up to one week. This is a pretty solid cookie and would work for shipping if you are a sweet soul who does that sort of thing.

These can also be baked and frozen as cookies. Simply freeze them in a single layer for a few hours before stacking them in an air-tight container and returning them to the freezer. They can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.