These old-fashioned oatmeal cookies with raisins are the answer to your search for super delicious and healthy cookies that you and the family can enjoy as a nutritious snack or breakfast treat!
Loaded with protein and fiber, there’s really no better way to start the day than with a fresh-baked batch of chewy and soft oatmeal cookies filled with raisins.
For a touch of decadence, consider adding some chocolate chips and chopped nuts into the cookie batter with a drizzle of melted chocolate over the baked and cooled cookies!
We love good old homemade oatmeal cookies that are soft, with a perfectly chewy center and have delicious crispy edges. Make these cookies with or without raisins, both versions are equally good!
We love easy cookie recipes, from our Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies, Cookies And Cream Cookies to Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies. These Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies With Raisins are sure to please!
Why We Love This
- Grandma's oatmeal cookies - these chewy cookies are made with old-fashioned oats (Quaker oats or any oats really) with a combination of white and brown sugar and filled with raisins. Most of the ingredients are already in your kitchen and no special equipment is needed.
- Enjoy them any time - make a double batch and store them in the freezer for months until that craving hits!
- Budget-friendly - simple recipe made with widely available ingredients. With or without raisins or other dried fruit this is our favorite good old classic oatmeal cookie recipe.
Ingredients
- Quaker Oats - Old-fashioned (rolled oats) oats are preferred for these cookies but you can use quick oats too when in a pinch.
- All-purpose flour - This is a sturdy flour that’s great for holding add-ins like raisins and nuts from sinking to the bottom. You can also use gluten-free flour blend taht consist of xantham gum or similar rising agent.
- Raisins - Increase the quantity of raisins used if you prefer more per cookie. You can also use chocolate chips, chopped nuts, and other dried fruit as delicious alternatives to raisins.
- Brown Sugar - I prefer using Muscovado sugar instead of regular brown sugar. I’ve used the light variety but you can also use dark muscovado sugar which will provide a richer molasses flavor. If you can’t source this sugar, use brown sugar instead although I absolutely love how muscovado sugar melts so well, helping the texture of these cookies.
For the full list of ingredients, please scroll down where you'll find the recipe card.
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) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Equipment
Instructions
Heat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
Wet ingredients. In a bowl of a 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 batches to the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined. Stir in raisins with a spatula.
Put in the freezer for 10-15 minutes until the batter resembles soft playdough. If short on time, you can still bake the cookies right away, without chilling.
But in this case, the cookies will spread out more and maybe unevenly however the flavor should not change. See the Tips section for perfectly round cookies below.
Roll the dough into 12-13 balls (about 2 tablespoonfuls of dough per each), lay on baking trays.
Don't press them down unless you want thinner cookies, in which case I'd recommend using about 1 - 1 and ½ tablespoons of batter per one ball.
Baking time should be adjusted slightly as well. Leave at least 2 inches apart from each cookie.
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.
Love oatmeal cookies? Try our soft sugar-free oatmeal cookies made with just 4 ingredients!
Tips
- Make sure that the egg and butter are both at room temperature as this helps them to mix much better into the cookie batter.
- You can easily double the ingredients to make an extra batch of cookies and store them away in the freezer to enjoy whenever you like.
- Always check the expiry date on the label of your baking powder and baking soda as old or expired ingredients can affect how these cookies rise while baking.
- Use a cookie scoop for ease of measuring (tablespoon size) and to ensure uniform-sized cookies that will bake evenly.
- 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.
- For best chewy and soft oatmeal cookies, always use a combination of white granulated sugar and brown sugar. This usually gives the best results. If you have only white sugar, it is fine too but the texture will be different.
- These cookies are crisp and deliciously crunchy. If you like to try soft cookies I highly recommend making my Ricotta Cookies or Banana Oatmeal Cookies next.
Freezing and Storing Instructions
Cool cookies before storing completely. Transfer to airtight containers and keep at room temperature for 2-3 days or freeze for 2-3 months.
FAQ
Like most cookie recipes, chilling the dough prior to baking helps to prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking. I don’t recommend skipping this step unless you are really rushed for time.
Absolutely! You’ll need to use a gluten-free flour such as Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour and check the labels on the baking powder and baking soda to ensure that they were not packaged and stored in warehouses containing gluten products.
Oatmeal cookies with old fashioned oats are a high source of protein, are higher in fiber compared to regular sugar cookies and are also lower in overall calories than regular cookies. The addition of raisins also increases the fiber content and is said to aid good gut health with anti-inflammatory properties!
Thank you so much for reading about my Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies With Raisins! Please feel free to comment with any questions you may have! I love reading your feedback.
Rita
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📖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.
- Put in the freezer for 10-15 minutes until the batter resembles soft playdough. If short on time, you can still bake the cookies right away, without chilling. But in this case, the cookies will spread out more and maybe unevenly however the flavor should not change. See notes about perfectly round cookies below.
- Roll the dough into 12-13 balls (about 2 tablespoonfuls of dough per each), lay on baking trays. Don't press them down unless you want thinner cookies, in which case I'd recommend using about 1 - 1 and ½ tablespoons of batter per one ball. Baking time should be adjusted slightly as well. Leave at least 2 inches apart from each cookie.
- 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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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?
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
I'm going to make theses 1 day
thank you for commenting, let me know how these turned out!
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
thank you Larry, these cookies are one of the best classic cookies we love to bake often!
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
thank you Renee!
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!!
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/
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!
thank you Becky!
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.
I've never tried that, such a great tip,thank you for sharing!
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!
Amazing! Thank you Susanne!
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!
Make sure to use old-fashioned oats, not the instant kind. They provide better texture and spread. Happy baking!