Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies With Raisins: These oatmeal raisin cookies are my all-time favourite cookies. The middle is a little chewy, and the ends are a little crispy. There are a lot of oats and sweet raisins in every bite.
Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies With Raisins
- As soon as I could stand up and hold a spoon, my grandmother let me help her bake oatmeal raisin cookies. It was the greatest pleasure for me to lick the bowl after making these cookies. I learned how to measure and scrape down the sides of a mixing bowl.
Also See
Rolled Vs. Quick Oats Make Very Different Cookies
While both rolled oats and quick oats work well in this recipe, they do produce different results.
- Rolled oats yield chewier, flatter cookies. We recommend chilling the dough for a couple of hours (or up to 2 days, covered) before baking to keep the cookies from spreading too much. Avoid organic, rustic brands that produce extra-thick rolled oats. We like Quaker.
- Quick oats produce thicker, taller cookies. There’s no need to chill the dough before baking. If you do, you may need to add a minute or so to the bake time.
The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
By the way, if you make the cookies extra-large, they will be chewier, just cook them longer (20 minutes instead of 10).
Do not overbake these cookies! The edges should be brown, but the rest of the cookie should be very light in color.
If you use salted butter, omit the salt called for in this recipe. You can adjust the sweetness slightly by using between 1/2 cup and 2/3 cup white sugar (in addition to the brown sugar).
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, OR 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup brown sugar (light or dark), packed
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (10Â tablespoons)Â granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
- 3 cups rolled oats (old-fashioned or quick; do NOT use instant)
Method
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Preheat the oven and prep the cookie sheets: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 2 large cookie sheets or line with Silpat or parchment paper.
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Combine the butter, sugar, and eggs: In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the brown sugar and white sugar and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla extract.
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Add the dry ingredients: Mix the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in medium bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture. Stir in the raisins and nuts. Stir in the oats.
TIP
If you’re using rolled oats, we recommend chilling the dough for 2 hours (or up to 2 days) before scooping and baking.
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Scoop out the dough: Spoon out the dough by large tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie.
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Bake the cookies: Bake until the edges of the cookies turn golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. If baking 2 cookie sheets at once, swap their positions on the racks mid-bake.
Note that the cookies will seem underdone and lightly colored everywhere but the edges. That’s okay, they will firm up as they cool.
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Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
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Cool, transfer, and store: Cool 1 minute on the cookie sheets. Then carefully remove them, using a metal spatula, to a wire rack. Cool completely. They will be quite soft until completely cooled. Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 5 days.
