If you’ve ever bitten into a dry, flat oatmeal cookie, you know the disappointment.
These chewy oatmeal raisin cookies stay soft in the center, crisp on the edges, and thick enough to actually hold their shape. No cakey texture. No spreading into thin sheets.
Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies With Raisins (Chewy!)
I’ve tested these more times than I can count in my own kitchen, and the key comes down to sugar balance, chill time, and not overbaking (this is where most people go wrong).
They’re simple, freezer-friendly, and made with pantry staples. Just classic texture done right.
In this post
- How To Make This Recipe Step By Step
- Ingredient Swaps That Work
- Storage Tips
- Expert Cooking Tips
- How To Level It Up
Why This Recipe Works
Here’s why these cookies turn out so good:
- They stay chewy. The mix of white and brown sugar keeps the centers soft while the edges turn lightly crisp.
- They don’t spread too much. A short chill time makes a big difference here.
- Pantry ingredients. Nothing fancy. Just oats, butter, sugar, and raisins.
- Freezer-friendly dough. I always double the batch and freeze half. Future me is grateful.
Ingredients
- Old-fashioned rolled oats – Gives the cookies structure and chew. Quick oats work, but the texture will be softer and less hearty.
- All-purpose flour – Holds everything together and keeps add-ins from sinking.
- Raisins – Classic choice. You can increase the amount slightly if you like more in every bite.
- Brown sugar (or muscovado) – Adds moisture and depth. Muscovado gives a richer molasses flavor and extra chew.
👩🍳 You'll find the complete list of ingredients below the recipe card.
🥣 How To Make Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies Step By Step
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper if using.
- Cream butter and sugars. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer), beat butter, white sugar, and brown sugar for about 2 minutes until creamy.
- Add egg and vanilla. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract on low speed just until combined.
- Mix dry ingredients. Whisk flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine. Add dry ingredients to wet in batches. Stir in raisins.
- Chill (important). Freeze dough for 10–15 minutes. Skipping this step is the main reason cookies spread too much.
- Scoop. Roll into 12–13 balls (about 2 tablespoons each). Leave 2 inches between cookies.
- Bake 10–12 minutes. Edges should be golden. Centers will look slightly soft, that’s correct. Let rest 10 minutes before transferring to a rack.
👨🍳 Rita's Equipment
KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer
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Buy Now → What Readers Say
These are delicious 😋 light crisp outside and chewy center. I added chopped walnuts, mini chocolate chips in addition to golden raisins. I found 12-13 minutes worked best. Thanks for sharing! - Renee (blog comments) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rita's Tip
Don’t overbake. Remove the cookies when the centers still look slightly soft. They will firm up as they cool and stay chewy.
Tips
- Chill the dough. Even 10 minutes helps prevent flat cookies.
- Use a cookie scoop. A medium cookie scoop keeps the dough balls uniform so the cookies bake evenly and don’t spread unevenly.
- Room temperature butter matters. Too cold means poor mixing. Too warm causes greasy spread.
- Check your baking soda. Expired leavening leads to dense cookies.
- For perfectly round cookies, right after baking, swirl a round glass over each cookie to shape them.
- Want extra chew? Use both white and brown sugar. All white sugar makes them thinner and crisper.
❌ Don’t Make These Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies with Raisins Mistakes
- Skipping the chill time. Warm dough spreads fast. A quick chill keeps them thick.
- Overbaking. Take them out when the centers still look slightly soft.
- Using butter that’s too warm. Soft is good. Melted is not.
- Adding too much flour. Spoon and level it so the cookies don’t turn dry.
- Crowding the pan. Give them space so they bake evenly.
🍱 Storage Instructions
- 🍱To Store. Let cookies cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- 🥶Freezing. Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months in a sealed container. You can also freeze unbaked dough balls and bake straight from frozen. Add 1–2 extra minutes.
- 🔥To Reheat. Warm cookies in the microwave for 8–10 seconds to bring back that soft, chewy texture.
What To Serve With Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies with Raisins
Turn these chewy cookies into a simple dessert spread with one of these easy additions:
- A scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream
- Chocolate rice pudding for a cozy dessert plate
- Cottage cheese cookies for a mixed cookie tray
- Cut out sugar cookies for holidays or parties
- A small bowl of whipped cream and berries
- Warm caramel sauce for drizzling
- A side of fresh apple slices with cinnamon
Easy Dessert Recipes From Scratch
- Chocolate Rice Pudding
- Valentine Oreo Brownie Bars With Chocolate Ganache Glaze
- Cottage Cheese Cookies
- Cut Out Sugar Cookies
📖Recipe
Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies With Raisins (Chewy!)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Quaker Oats, old fashioned preferred rather than quick oats
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 stick, bring to room temperature
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¾ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
- Wet ingredients. In a bowl of stand mixer with the paddle attachment beat the butter, both sugars until creamy (medium speed). About 2 minutes.
- Add egg, vanilla extract to the butter mixture and beat again on low.
- Dry ingredients. In a medium bowl whisk together sifted flour, oats, sifted baking soda, sifted baking powder, salt, mix well and set aside.
- Add the dry ingredients in batche to the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined. Stir in raisins.
- Freeze the dough for 10–15 minutes until it feels like soft playdough. You can skip chilling if needed, but the cookies will spread more and may bake unevenly. The flavor will stay the same.
- Roll into 12–13 balls (about 2 tablespoons each) and place on baking trays. Leave 2 inches apart. For thinner cookies, use less dough and bake slightly less time.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until they start turning golden brown. Let rest in a pan for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to continue to cool.
- Once the oatmeal cookies are completely cooled (although they are very delicious when warm too) serve them with a tall glass of milk on the side.
Notes
- PRO TIP for perfectly round cookies! Once cookies are taken out of the oven, place an upside-down round glass cup or a larger cookie cutter over each cookie and quickly swirl it around to shape the cookie and smooth out the edges. Works like magic, EVERY TIME!
- I recommend freezing the dough between batches unless you have 2 ovens for multiple baking trays.
- Cookies will start turning golden brown towards the 10-12 minutes. But will change color even more once cooled. The center of the cookie should still be soft once finished baking.
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Looking for another easy oatmeal cookies recipe? Try this Sugar-Free Oatmeal Cookies With Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Banana Cookies or Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars.
More Quick Soft Cookies Recipes
FAQ
Usually the dough is too warm or wasn’t chilled. Warm butter causes cookies to flatten before they set.
Use brown sugar, don’t overbake, and let them cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Yes. Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum. Also check that your oats are certified gluten-free.
They contain more fiber because of the oats and raisins. However, they’re still a dessert, just with a bit more nutritional value than plain sugar cookies.
Jennifer Bolton
I can't wait to make these. I like that it only make 12 cookies. I was wondering what the calories are of each cookie?
Rita
sorry I don't have the nutrition just yet. But I like to use this whenever I need to know th nutrition: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Jennifer Todd
I'm going to make theses 1 day
Rita
thank you for commenting, let me know how these turned out!
Larry Twyford
Rita, the oatmeal cookies were out of this world. After one cookie I'm thinking "Eat your heart out mom". The freezing is really essential for a batch to be uniform. I put walnuts and choc chips and I know what I'm having for breakfast. Great recipe.Awesome thanks
Rita
thank you Larry, these cookies are one of the best classic cookies we love to bake often!
Renee Dwyer
These are delicious 😋 light crisp outside and chewy center. I added chopped walnuts, mini chocolate chips in addition to golden raisins. I found 12-13 minutes worked best. Thanks for sharing
Rita
thank you Renee!
Aimee
I made these cookies yesterday for first time. My friends and husband love them so much. It took me two days to find your recipe because I forgot to pin .Just found it and my friend wants a copy!!
Rita
Aimee thank you so much for such a great feedback. Sorry you had trouble finding the pin, here's one of the pins, just in case https://www.pinterest.com/pin/919015867688588813/
BeckySmith89
Loved your oatmeal cookie recipe, Rita! It was a hit with the kids and so easy to make. Perfect for a quick snack or school lunches. Thanks for sharing!
Rita
thank you Becky!
JFLSR
want to make your cookies even better? Try grinding your raisins before adding them to your cookie dough.
My mother always made them this way. makes them moister & softer.
Rita
I've never tried that, such a great tip,thank you for sharing!
susanne
This recipe was fire! Made it for the band and it was gone in minutes. Def making these again for the next jam session. Thanks for making me look good, Rita!
Karen
Amazing! Thank you Susanne!
SallySews
I've been looking for a recipe just like my grandmother used to make, and this is it! Your detailed instructions made it so easy to follow. What a wonderful way to bring a piece of my childhood back. Thank you so much, dear!
CookieWhiz
Make sure to use old-fashioned oats, not the instant kind. They provide better texture and spread. Happy baking!