I woke up Sunday morning craving oatmeal raisin cookies something fierce, so I tried to make myself eat oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar in it for breakfast but that didn’t work, and so there was nothing left to do but to bake cookies. My life is so hard, innit?
I have very specific tastes in oatmeal raisin cookies. A crisp edge is always welcome, but the rest of it must be thick and chewy. Just to confuse, this is unlike other oatmeal cookie recipes on this site, the crunchier chocolate chip pecan version and the thick but shattery, salty white chocolate version. Nope, my oatmeal raisin cookies demand their own texture, and one I can’t get from those other recipes.
I start with the standard recipe on every can of Quaker oats and then start making it better. I find it too sweet, so I dial back the sugar. It never has enough raisins in it, so I up them. I use only brown sugar (instead of a mix of brown and white). And sometimes, though not this one, I add chopped walnuts because they were made to go together.
And then I try not to eat them for breakfast. (It’s got oats and dried fruit, right? Like granola!) I, uh, don’t always succeed.
Thick, Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
This is a half recipe. It makes a couple dozen standard-size cookies. (I get more because I make them tinier.) I always feel like I’m swimming in cookies when I make the full volume, but if you’re feeding a crowd, go ahead and double it.
New note, 2/2/13: We’ve gotten in the habit (terrible habit, heh) of making these lately, Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip-style. We use no nuts, 1/2 cup (80 grams) raisins and 3/4 cup (130 grams) chocolate chips for the mix-ins and highly encourage you to try it. When using chocolate, I drop the sugar down to a heaped 1/2 cup.
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup (125 grams) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1 1/2 cups (120 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cup (120 grams) raisins (see Note)
- 1/2 cup walnuts (65 grams), chopped (optional)
At this point you can either chill the dough for a bit in the fridge and then scoop it, or scoop the cookies onto a sheet and then chill the whole tray before baking them. You could also bake them right away, if you’re impatient, but I do find that they end up slighly less thick. Either way, heat oven to 350°F (175°C) before you scoop the cookies, so that it’s fully heated when you’re ready to put them in.
The cookies should be two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes (your baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in), taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.
Those sound wonderful!!! I have always used the recipe from the Joy of Cooking but they always lacked a certain something. I will try those next time I have a craving. Thanks!!
I am seriously going to make these for my husband as they are his favorite cookie. Maybe I’ll surprise him this weekend!!
I have to disagree with you. Baked raisins just ruin a perfectly good oatmeal cookie! I’ll forgive you though, because I LOVE everything I’ve ever made from your site. Keep em’ coming!
I agree with you. I’m only planning to use raisins in half the batter because I bake for people who don’t like chocolate (I know, hard to believe). The other half will get chocolate chip!
Yeah I was going to also but decided on the whole batch and a different one of CC
I make these all the time when I really, really need cookies. Sometimes I change it up a bit by adding coconut. Sometimes I use almond extract in addition to vanilla. Always raisins, and always chocolate chips. There is no such thing as excess when you’re talking cookie!
Try butterscotch chips. They are wonderful!
My friend called me early this morning begging for oatmeal rasin cookies and then I hop on Smitten Kitchen and what do you post?? inspiring oatmeal rasin cookies!! I think someone’s trying to tell me something.
Ironic that I was just reading a magazine tip about how to get perfectly textured cookies. On my counter right now (waiting because I am one egg short) are the fixin’s for some awesome monster cookies. These need 4.5 cups of oats, but only .5 cup sugar. They also include MELTED butter and corn syrup. It’s the strangest cookie recipe ever, but they turn out so beautifully!
Please share your recipe!
Hi! Yes, please share this recipe. It sounds like another good one. Thank you!
Greetings! Can you freeze this dough for future use?
Keep kicking it in the kitchen, love your site, recipes, banter and cheeky reminders to enjoy the days :)
Yes, I freeze it in scoops all of the time.
Thank you! I will use this as a base for my next reincarnation of oatmeal cookies with dried apricots and cashews which IS a match made in heaven.
These look fabulous! Oatmeal raisin are my favorite cookies and I LOVE them thick and chewy! I am going to bake a batch tonight. Yummy!
these are my favourite!! now uve got me wanting these..maybe this weekend!!
I love few things like a big bite of an oatmeal raisin cookie. Excellent pictures.
NAOmni
I’m totally with you on the texture thing. Oatmeal raisin cookies with no chew? No thank you. Those salted white chocolate oatmeal cookies are pretty stellar, though…
I can’t stop thinking about the hot fudge and now you tease us with hot, warm & gooey oatmeal cookies – you are bad! ;)
I’m with you on the thick and chewy…these look superb. I wonder how they would be with cranberries or craisins – for a little tart punch.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are my favorite!
Aaaaaaaaaand I’ve figured out what I’m doing on Saturday afternoon while my fiance is snowboarding in Tahoe. Perfect.
I agree that more raisins—or dried apricots, cranberries, or even prunes—improve cookies.
After moving to Colorado, I’m having to learn how to bake at altitude. With minor adjustments, your recipes work fine, surely a sign of great recipes.
damnit damnit damnit. now im craving oatmeal cookie….dough. ugh.
These look awesome! I can sure go for a couple with the coffee I am having now!
I see the recipe calls for rolled oats, but I’m just wondering – would quick oats work as well? Thanks! Can’t wait to give these a try!
Would this recipe work with semi or maybe bittersweet chocolate chips/chunks instead of raisins?
Yes! We usually double the recipe. Then add semi sweet chips to the second half because my kids love the chocolate chips. I’ would probably reduce the sugar a little bit if only using semi sweet chocolate chips, no raisins.
Why is it that whenever I visit you site I always think, “Yeah I feel like those flavours right now!”?
My husband would love these!
rolled oats? oh dear, I can see my boyfriend would *love* these! Gah, your recipes are SO hard to resist!!
My best friend makes them with chocolate covered raisins. Sooo good.
omg i had planned on baking oatmeal cookies tonight!!!
Agreed, the chilling is important. Not eating them for breakfast—less important :)
This is pretty similar to my family recipe, though ours adds unsweetened cocoa. Not enough to be chocolatey, just enough for spice.
Thick and chewy is the only way to go with oatmeal raisin cookies!
I too am a sucker for thick and chewy oatmeal cookies. I don’t make them too often because my husband isn’t a big fan, but maybe I’m looking at it backwards and the fact that he doesn’t love them means I should make them very often indeed! More for me.
mmmh. i can almost smell them. (i would personally use less raisins. or 1/4 cup raisins and 1/4 cup dried cranberries)
I like your site since it has good recipes for trying once in a while. However, I often wonder about your health. It looks like you consume too much butter, sugar and other unhealthy stuff. I hope you cook more healthy food and blog about them as well. I do not mean to offend you, am just concerned.
Food police!
Right?! Someone handcuff her now and stop her typing all of this offensive rubbish!! Deb, you are the best and I would not be able to do without your fabulous cookbooks and recipes. Your blogs are hilarious and never fail to bring a smile to my face… don’t ever stop doing what you do!
I saw your title on someone else’s sidebar and had to follow my internet nose over here. The recipe looks easy, this may be my cheat food this weekend! Thanks!
Funny. I have always used the Quaker recipe as well but with almost the identical modifications from the less, and all brown, sugar, to the extra salt. I also have found that mini chocolate chips (the only time I ever use them) are an excellent substitution when you aren’t pretending to be healthy. They’re so tiny that instead of being chocolate chip-y they melt and suffuse the whole cookie with chocolate goodness.
I always try to pretend they are healthy too! These look delicious.
This is one of the most appetizing cookies I have ever encountred in a blog. I wish I could reach in and grab one.
You really know how to title a post don’t you? Those look and sound so good right now!
BEST COOKIE TYPE EVER!!
I was thinking about baking chocolate chip cookies, but these look way too good to pass up. And whoever suggested chocolate covered raisins is my hero.
To hell with health, I’d eat them for breakfast. :-)
This is just the way I love oatmeal cookies; a mounded cookie of oats in a toffee base with raisins and finely chopped toasted walnuts. For a chocolate craving..I use Raisinettes. Oh, Mama! Those are nearly perfect. Oatmeal cookies need salt so don’t skimp there. You should be able to taste it..IMO.
I have some dried cherries in the pantry that would be nice in these with some chocolate chips (which I also have surprise surprise!)
My mom made the chocolate chip version for me my first week postpartum. Since then I’ve tried a couple other cookie recipes that add brewer’s yeast and flax seeds to make them more lactation friendly. However, they’re all incredibly dry. If I want to add brewer’s yeast and flax to this recipe, what else do you think I should modify? Maybe add another egg or more butter for moisture?
PS…I love your blog and cookbooks. I’ve been following you for years and appreciate your palate considerably.
Hi Andrea — Thanks for your concern. About my health. I don’t entertain conversations about healthy eating on this site because I don’t subscribe to any belief system besides moderation. Baking buttery, sugary cookies and having a couple isn’t a problem. Eating an entire pan of them is.
Less clear perhaps from a reader’s view might be that we usually bake half and quarter quantities of sweets, and then share them with friends. The foods we eat entirely on our own are the beans and vegetable-based dishes that populate the other 50 percent of this site.
Deb, No need to defend yourself to such an antagonistic comment. Your family is so fortunate to have a loving, working mom who cooks real, delicious foods- and bakes treats (called treats for a reason) to share. Baking requires exacting precision and is the most difficult to reliably blog. Thank you (and making these cookies now). The reader comment was not caring, incredibly rude and lacked grace and tact. Keep sharing your love of homemade food with all of us! We support you!
Chewy oatmeal and raisin cookies are one of the first foods I ever learned to make – they’re my dad’s favorite cookie. This looks like a great recipe and I love the tip about cooking them cold. Thanks!
Phoo-D
Drool. I just baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies over the weekend– am a fan of the brown sugar-only version, and chewy texture. BF likes them slightly crispier, so I alternate between batches… or at least try. :-)
Would this recipe work with whole wheat flour?
I had no idea freezing/chilling the dough would make it come out thicker – great tip!
Looks delicious! I always like a little nutmeg in my cookies, in addition to the cinnamon you’ve already got. I think we all must have favorite oatmeal raisin recipes…although I’m not vegan, my favorite recipe is…perhaps it will address some of Andrea’s concerns about your health? It is so good I swear you would never know about the lack of dairy/chicken products!
I’m not a fan of raisins, but I intend to use this recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I hope they turn out as fluffy and wonderful as yours look!
What, Deb?! You don’t eat cookies and celebration cakes every single day?! Well, that completely ruins my opinion of this site. Here I was on the Smitten Kitchen desserts-only diet wondering why I wasn’t losing any weight or feeling good.
Dernitall, I was really hoping that diet would work… ;)
I am on the hunt for a diet which will allow me to eat exactly as I do now, and will allow indulgences such as chocolate and milkshakes and frequent servings of birthday cake, and will allow me to roll back to my high school weight and figure. Any ideas? These cookies would be a perfect beginning. Oatmeal is healthy.
Our favorite is pretty much the Quaker Oats recipe too, with dried cherries, chocolate chips and chopped pecans. We also use all brown sugar, or add some molasses if we’re out of brown sugar. I created them when our hometown hockey team, The Hurricanes, first made it to the Stanley Cup finals, in 2002. I christened the cookies Hurricane cookies: red cherries, “white” oatmeal, “black” chocolate chips, for the Hurricanes team colors, and pecans to make them Southern. The team had not long before moved here to NC from Hartford, CT. They didn’t win that year, but did in 2006. Probably can’t credit the cookies though.
I think we have the same taste in oatmeal-raisin cookies! These look scrumptious, I can’t wait to try them myself. Thanks so much for sharing!
These look so delicious, I’ve just added them to my favorites, I bet they would taste just as great with crasins.
These look fabulous!! I love your site but it makes me want to cook and eat continually:) I haven’t received the posts on my email for the last couple of days. I wondered if you have any idea why?
I make basically the same recipe except these days I’m all about adding extra nutrition for my kids. So I usually add some flaxseed meal and/or wheat germ. I find it adds some nutty flavor to boot!
I’ve heard boiling the raisins before adding them to cookies are the way to go, don’t suppose anyone’s tried this? When I think about it, it sounds good (I haaate when raisins go all burnt and shrivelly) but I’ve not had a chance to give it a go yet…
Although I have never boiled the raisins, I have soaked them in spiced rum for a few hours prior to adding them to the dough. Scrumptious result! ;-) Now that alcohol is not often part of our life, I soak them in warm water with a tiny splash of Jamaican rum extract. Delicious!
When my raisins have become a bit dry, I will pour very hot water over them and let them soak for about ten minutes. Otherwise they are tough and leathery in the cookies. I don’t think it’s necessary to boil them, just give them a quick hot bath. :)
I love the Quaker recipe but I usually substitute chocolate chips for the raisins, change the light brown sugar to dark and add a wee bit of fresh nutmeg. They are spicy and melty and rich. I make a half recipe two or three times a year, feel guilty while eating them hot from the oven and then wish I had made more!
To Indigo, if my raisins are soft, I just add them. If they are on the dry/hard side, I pour boiling water over them and let them set for a few minutes.
Ahh…I’m always up for this recipe! yum yum!
My husband’s favorite cookie! Thanks for the recipe… :D
I like my oatmeal cookies just like this too! Thick, chunky, chewy, not too sweet…. perfect for breakfast! Just tell yourself: at least it’s not a Pop-tart!
I want to make these now! Maybe we can have a date night with the mixer . . .
when i saw the title of this blog post i IMMEDIATELY clicked over!! oatmeal cookies are my fave, i can’t wait to make these :)
this weekend perhaps?!!
These are my husband’s absolute favorite cookie in the solar system. I’ll have to make these for him. Thanks for sharing!
What is the point of an oatmeal cookie that is not thick and chewy, and packed full of raisins and walnuts? Don’t even call them oatmeal cookies to me.
The dough is sitting in my fridge as I type….I love how much oats this one has in it!
Oatmeal raisin cookies are meant to be chewy. Case closed.
BUT when folks decide to make them really flat and crispy, we cannot deny eating just as many.
Wow, I want some of these right now. It might be good to throw just a little bit of mini-chocolate chips in to make them like potbelly cookies! Yum.
though i am not really a fan of oatmeal raisin cookies, they are my boyfriend’s favorites. and now i’m definitely going to add raisinettes, since that’s his favorite candy. i see that i’ll also have to make this recipe this weekend and surprise him.
i was only planning to try out a new banana bread recipe (with mini chocolate chips and crunchy peanut butter). maybe he’ll eat the cookies and leave the bread all to me. hmmm, i think i’ve hatched a plan. thanks, deb.
I usually use dried cranberries in my oatmeal cookies rather than raisins, dunno if you’re into such things but I thought I’d share – it’s really pretty delicious, I think, and a nice dried-fruit diversion from raisins now and then. =)
Oatmeal raisin cookies are my husband’s favorite – esp. the ones he remembers his grandmother making. Every recipe I’ve tried isn’t quite right, but I’m getting closer. I found one of Grandma’s secrets: putting the raisins through a grinder. Not having a grinder, I tried the food processor & it’s amazing how much better the cookies are with the raisins chopped up (and I’m already a raisin fan). While this helped, he said it still isn’t right. I’m going to give your recipe a try this weekend (but with the raisins chopped).
nothing wrong with a cookie for breakfast! these cookies look delicious; i love how thick they are!
Now I want cookies! Thanks for your suggestions on the Quaker recipe, I know you’ve greatly improved upon it.
these are easily my favourite biscuit (i call ’em biscuits down here)
they’re the comfort food variety of biscuit
the one you come back to when you’re tired of your fancy variety biscuits.
I love a thick n chewy oatmeal cookie!! Thanks! :)
I just made these cookies and they came out anything but chewy and thick! they are flakey and dry! i followed everything exactly and even undercooked them buy a minute b/c my oven is fast! What did I do wrong?
I just finished making these delicious, heaven sent cookies. They were amazing! My husband at 4 of them in silence, and then uttered two words….”Oh, my!”
I told him I was taking them for the people at work tomorrow, and he got visibly upset with me… I may have created an addict.
That said… I cooked them for about 8 minutes after chilling them. My oven cooks a little hotter than normal. At the eight minute marker they came out chewy just like I like them!
Thanks for the wonderful recipe. It is definitely a keeper.
Stephanie
I loved this photos the second I saw them on Flickr. I’m rather inclined towards oatmeal cookies to begin with, but these? Absolutely beautiful. Chunky and in a good way.
Oh, gosh, I hate when I write typos. Just to make it worse, I’m posting a follow-up: please excuse the “I loved this photos” and imagine “I loved these photos” instead.
Bless you.
Nicole — Sounds like they got overbaked. Dry cookies = baked too much. Or there could be a measuring mistake.
The cookies are killing me .. I can taste them, and the new Wayne Dyer movie also looks interesting … this guy does it all. Can I eat cookies while watching this new movie. Better whip a batch.
Absolutely my favorite cookie. thanks for an awesome recipe.
I hear you about baking cookies and sharing them with friends (in your comment on #39)! It is totally a win/win situation :) Except usually, I will be sitting there late at night after the cookies are gone thinking “why did I give those cookies away”??? These cookies look fab, will have to try soon . . .
Wow, I just made this same 1/2 recipe last weekend. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in chasing the best chocolate chip cookie recipe that the humble oatmeal cookie gets neglected.. For mine, I used walnuts and dried sweetened cranberries, a little more vanilla, a dash of nutmeg, and another dash of dried ginger. The dough smelled and tasted fantastic and so were the baked cookies. This is definitely a keeper.
Deb you should try simmering your raisins in coffee for about 30mins before adding them to your recipe. It plumps the raisins right up and gives them the most amazing flavor!
WOW…these cookies look absolutely perfect. Yum! And I think you’re right…oatmeal cookies a really breakfast NOT in a bowl. :-)
So easy and just perfect. Used dried cranberries and pecans because that what I had at the ready. Had to flatten the balls of dough a bit before baking to get a nice shape.
I make the original recipe all the time, but I use (more) dried cranberries instead of raisins. Next time I’ll only use brown sugar and see how I like that. I find that the original recipe produces a very think cookie and I like mine more full.
These sound incredible! I’m not a huge raisin fan, but dried cherries!!! I have been craving oatmeal cookies all week. Thanks!
Just finished making these. OMG they are SO good. I think I should use the quick cooking oats next time, but man alive these are tasty.
(And I will be trying these with craisins next time. I LOVE craisins.)
The. Perfect. Oatmeal. Cookie.
Nothing more to say. Thanks for the post!
Oatmeal raisin are my favorite cookies! I will definitely try your recipe. I stumbled across your website at the suggestion of a friend of mine and I am in food heaven! I have already made your Irish car bomb cupcakes and the key lime cheesecake and shared them with the good folks I work with. Their only complaint…that I didn’t make enough! Keep up the great work!
yum! We made some cookies very similar to this, great recipe!
This is my first comment after finding your blog through Not Martha a while ago. I’ve been reading your archives every night and pretty much bookmarked almost every other recipe in a new folder in my favorites called ‘dinner’. :-) These cookies are chilling now. I’ll let everyone know how they turn out. I added a bit more cinnamon and only put half the raisins in half of them because my boyfriend doesn’t like “poor pathetic used to be grapes” as he calls them. Thank you so much!
Is the recipe your own? There’s no byline. Probably a silly question.
“It’s got oats and dried fruit, right? Like granola”
Haha, that’s great. I totally told myself that EXACT same thing after having a half dozen or so at my class’s Valentine’s party.
“And then I try not to eat them for breakfast. (It’s got oats and dried fruit, right? Like granola!)”
If you used whole-wheat flour instead, you probably could eat these for breakfast without guilt.
Love the site, by the way.
Ohhh Deb – thanks so much! I was actually craving exactly these cookies, but couldn’t put my hands on a recipe I trusted. Ta-da! Deb to the rescue! I can’t make them this exact minute, since my boyfriend doesn’t like it when I bake at night (silly him… claims it keeps him up). :) But tomorrow these are being made!
I just read this blog, popped over to your link for salted white chocolate oatmeal cookies, then dragged my laptop to the kitchen and made them on the spot!! Thank you, they are delicious.
And you handled the health concern comment very gracefully. As a nutritionist whose diet makes room for something sweet and delicious every single day, I support your moderation belief system with whole-hearted, happy-bellied enthusiasm! You’ve got it right on the money!
How come all americans like their cookies soft and chewy? :)
What great looking cookies, Deb! I’m on the road for a couple of weeks without my sweetie, and I’ve been thinking about what I might bake for him to celebrate my return. He’s a tough one in that he’s not all that fond of sweets, with one exception: oatmeal cookies. We both love my family’s recipe for thin, lacy oatmeal cookies, but I’ve been on the lookout for a recipe that produces plumper, chewier little rounds. Your recipe looks like just the thing! I can’t wait to try it. Thanks so much, Deb, for helping to make my return home a little sweeter.
Try soaking the raisins in rum or brandy before adding them to the mix. Just saying! ;-)
I just made these, they are SUPER yummy and easy! I shaped the dough into small balls and put them in the fridge. I made a small batch of cookies and froze the remaining balls of dough for later. Now the real question is how am I going to resist eating all of them tonight. So glad I just a handful instead of the entire batch, also thanks for halving the recipe, I hate getting stuck with dozens of cookies to eat. Thank you! Loved this recipe.
NEVER enough raisins. It seems a bit blasphemous to change Quaker’s Ultimate Oatmeal Raisin Cookies but I think you may have won, those look outstanding.
I usually add 1/2 tsp ground ginger and 1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg to my oatmeal raisin cookies, it gives them amazing flavor!
I made these this afternoon, I couldn’t help myself!
Ok, little change to dried cranberries since I detest baked raisins, but everyone agrees that they’re the best! So soft and chewy!
(Also made your Coq au Vin on Monday, it was fantastic. Can’t go wrong with Julia!)
I’m all for sweets and cookies populating ninety percent of this site! I also frequently wake up craving cookies and can’t trust myself with an entire batch, so contend with making just a few. I still fall back on the Smitten thick and shattery salt and white chocolate version (sans the chocolate) when the need strikes, as well as ‘healthier’ own creations such as aniseed scones and orange flower water cookies. But this looks just too good to miss, especially as I still have kilos of oats in my larder ostensibly for the purpose of making porridge…
Out of all the cookies in the world Oatmeal (ok and snickerdoodle) are my favorite! thanks for the recipe. Your recipe is a tad different and I’m going to give it a try… Yum! can’t wait.
My dear hubs has insisted that I make this tomorrow. I’m not about to refuse :)
Deb, I have to agree. Everything in moderation, life without your yummy treats would be a LOT less pleasant.
The crazy thing is I was looking for a recipe like this yesterday. They look incredible! I am going to have to restrain myself from making them today, as I have no time. I absolutely love your blog, keep it comming
Thank you for this!! My first/last attempt at making oatmeal cookies left me with the impression that they’re just not something I can bake myself.
I just whipped these up, incredibly simple. I don’t like raisins, so I used Craisins instead and my boyfriend who likes neither oatmeal cookies nor Craisins went back for seconds. You’re wonderful!
Thanks for posting this recipe – I love this blog! This recipe is one of my favorites, too. I like it with dried blueberries and apricots. Have you ever tried mixing together the egg and vanilla, then soaking your raisins (Craisins, blueberries, apricots) in it for an hour before you out the whole mix in the recipe? The fruit plumps up, takes on the vanilla flavor, and the taste is amazing!
I made these last night! They were really great. I’m especially pleased by how little flour and sugar is used. I’m making these again next week for my husband to bring to his Phd committee meeting. Thanks!
My mouth is watering…I love oatmeal raisin cookies! And you and I seem to be on the same page about the texture…yum! I think these totally qualify as a breakfast food! There’s oats and raisins in them, that’s healthy, right?
I was born to eat oatmeal raisin cookies. Some people are born to crack the human genome, some to save the world. Me? I was born to eat oatmeal raisin cookies. Must go now, to kitchen. Must bake Deb’s ORC. Must eat ORC. Bake full recipe. Eat them all. Must go now.
And what’s wrong with swimming in cookies? :)
May I just say that these cookies sound perfect??? An no guilt associated with eating them!!!!
I am so totally making these this weekend!!
I was wondering about the scoop, freeze, and bake later part. I would love to have these in my freezer ready to bake when the craving strikes. So you scoop to cookies into rounds and then freeze them separately, I assume. After they are frozen, do you store them together in the freezer? Do they stick to each other? And how long do they keep this way?
These look so delicious!! Thank you!
I have a recipe for a “breakfast” cookie made with bacon and oatmeal. I think your cookie also qualifies as “breakfast”.
The process is called flash-freezing. You scoop, spread the scoops out on a tray and then freeze them. Once they’re cold enough not to stick together, you can put them in a freezer bag. But you have to keep the bag frozen from that point, or you’ll be back to one mound of cookie dough.
what i like about oatmeal cookies is that one almost always has all the ingredients necessary sitting around ready to make them. which of course means i will probably make some today, as it is my day off.
Thank you, Deb!
I was reading The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook the other day, and it said that the secret to really chewy cookies is melted butter, not softened. What are your thoughts on that? I noticed that someone else mentioned melted butter in one of the earlier comments.
They look wonderful! Even without any chocolate…
the vanishing oatmeal cookie recipe on the lid of quaker oats has been my favorite for my entire life, they are the most delicious! i was excited when i saw your suggestions for improvement because each time i bake the original recipe my cookies turn out exteremely flat. my husband and i still loved the taste but i always knew he was longing for thick and chewy- not thin and crispy! i made your version last night and they were much better!
thank you!
deb, i meant to ask- what do you use to scoop your cookies? i have been using two spoons but there has to be something better!
Mmmmmmmmmmmm Oatmeal Raisin Cookies! These are fantabulous! Thanks Deb.
Christina — I’d disagree. I’d argue that the trick to crispy cookies is melted butter. Melted butter also makes better crisp toppings. But softened butter is able to be whipped and suspend ingredients in a lighter state and makes for cakier, more tender cookies. This is the reason cakes always have softened butter with the other ingredients slowly whipped in, too. Soft cookies = softened butter. Crisp cookies = melted butter. But, they’re the ones who test this stuff out — if anyone wants to try this recipe both ways, I am sure others would love to hear the input.
Lauren — I use a scoop. I have a few different sizes, but probably use the one linked the most.
You mentioned you use a scoop. For this oatmeal recipe, what scoop did you use? I have a 1 TBSP, 2 TBSP and 1/4 Cup scoop at home. Which one would be best for the time you listed to bake the cookies?
These look SO good! I saw these yesterday when I had a stomach ache and for some reason thought, “ya, these’ll do the trick…” and went home and made a batch.
I was pretty lazy in making these cookies… didn’t have a lot of brown sugar so I had to use some white, couldn’t be bothered waiting to chill them, etc etc, but they still turned out awesome! My flatmates are already begging for more, which I’ve promised as soon as I get more brown sugar. Thanks for the recipe!
I LOVE oatmeal raisin cookies. These look amazing!!
I, too, have very specific requirements when it comes to my oatmeal raisin cookies. Chewy and no chocolate. Chocolate in oatmeal raisin cookies is sacriligious! I am almost always disappointed in cookies that I get elsewhere.
I may try your recipe, but I am from the south and we do like our things sweet.
Also, no nuts – at all.
Thanks!
Debbie — You’d be looking for something between one and two tablespoons. However, keep in mind that baking time may vary in your oven — it’s best to use doneness, and not the timer, to let you know when your cookies are baked.
These are so good! I made a batch this afternoon with some modifications, and they’re delicious!
I swapped 1/4 c. of the oats for 1/4 c. of wheat germ (at the suggestion of a commenter)
I swapped raisins for some dried cherries (chopped) and swapped walnuts for chocolate chips
I have to say–even the half recipe made a ton of smallish cookies! I used my scoop (1 1/2 tbsp-ish) and baked 9 cookies and then froze about 30 more! Yay for tons of tasty cookies! Thanks for another winner, Deb.
These were fantastic. I plan to keep this recipe and make it often.
Thanks!
Liz
SOOO GOOOD i have been craving these! i baked some before i went to the cayman islands but this recipe looks superior to the one i used. if i had raisins i would make them right now, they just aren’t the same without raisins though!
yet again, you’ve posted a recipe about something i’ve been obsessing about recently… wish i had this recipe two batches of crunchy *the horror!* oatmeal cookies ago. i do find that even the smallest amount of white sugar just messes things up! unfortunately, i’ll have to wait til my mom comes back from overseas to make these since she is THE oatmeal cookie lover.
i agree with that melted butter thing… makes crispier cookies (and kinda greasy.. maybe that’s just me…)
what is it about oatmeal cookies? i crave them all the time!
however, i am not a fan of raisins so i usually sub in dried cranberries or cherries.
thanks for sharing this recipe!
kristin
incidentally my mom’s nickname is debbie or deb :)
These are wonderful. I added a little extra cinnamon.
Thanks again Deb for another hit. I’ve learned so much from you.
OMG, Deb we would be great friends ;) I just came across your site last week and I am a woman obsessed. Like you, I frequently take over my tiny NYC kitchen and treat my coworkers to weekly treats. Tonight, I made the Indian Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes ($20 at Fairway! But just because I had to buy all the spices) and I almost at the entire thing myself- SO GOOD. And now, I’m softening butter to try out these oatmeal raisin guys. I also (finally! yay!) got a KitchenAid standing mixer this week so I warned friends that armed with your recipes and a free weekend, they might be receiving baked goods care packages on Sunday. :) Thanks for the great blog and amazing pictures. I’m already an addict!
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/real_food/article5561425.ece
A toast to your success!
I was so pleased to see #10 on the list of 50.
i am a recent smitten kitchen fan! in a matter of 24-hours i think i have fallen in love with your web site. i’m a 19 year soon to be baking student at the art institute in philadelphia, i was studying to be a photographer until i realized that i was having more fn baking the things that i was taking pictures off! do you have any suggestions for books or any tips for a newbie?
thanks! xx
I love oatmeal cookies and those look delicious.
Thick and chewy cookies are always the best!
Made this today and posted about them on my blog. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe! http://nagle5.blogspot.com/2009/02/oatmeal-raisin-cookies.html
11. susan “And what’s wrong with swimming in cookies?”
Getting the crumbs out of your bathing suit afterwards.
Chomp, chomp. Chewy cookie time!
And now we’re all craving cookies! These look fab
I made these for a bake sale last night, and they were fabulous. A nice crisp outside with a chewy inside. I doubled the recipe and kept a dozen for myself!
My favorites! Congrats on the top 50 award!
I saw these on Thursday afternoon and made them Thursday night, and they are delicious. The half recipe made just the right amount of cookies (I got thirty with a small scoop). Thanks for the tip of scooping then chilling, I usually do the opposite.
Those look like the perfect breakfast to me! I plan to make them tonight.
Did you see the NY Times article a few months ago where they figured out that chilling the dough is one of the secrets of a great cookie?
I’m imagining these with ginger and butterscotch instead of raisins. I imagine they’d be pretty fantastic.
Cookies look perfect! I love the picture on the cooling rack. Congrats on making the top 50 list!
My teeth are always looking for chewy cookies to sink into… slightly visceral. Anwyas, if this promises chewiness, I am sold. I am unaware of the nuances to what makes a crispy v chewy cookie (although I have been trying to re’watch an alton brown show on the differences visavis chocolate chip cookies).
What clues or hints can I glean from recipes that will allow me to know when things are chewy or not? Egg ratio? Butter v oi?
Id love toknow!
In any case, I will make these and enjoy the sinking bitesatisfaction I am on the hunt fore!
these look so good. I love your photography. I was wondering though…is it okay to use Whole Wheat Flour instead of all purpose white flour to bake cookies? or should I just stick to AP for baking?
I like your blog because the food looks real.
I made these today! EXCELLENT! also, my mom made your chic pea salad. Unbelieveable!
these looks delicious I love oatmeal :)
MMMMMM I love that recipe from Quaker and totally love Oatmeal cookies. I admit that I rarely add the raisins though. Usually coconut or chocolate chips!
I came. I saw. I made. They were great :)
Amazing recipe; I used raisins and crancherries… thanks =)
I made these today after my “19-yr-old daughter, AKA student at Art Institute of Philly — post #140 above” told me that your blog was her new obsession. I saw the cookies and had to have them. The chilling did the trick, my friend. They were delicious. And my 10 year old even loved them, nuts and all, and normally she’d rather poke a chopstick in her eye than go near a nut. Thanks… I plan to try more of your recipes. I am also enjoying the photography!
I love oatmeal raisin cookies! They’re one of my favorites =)
This recipe looks absolutely amazing, and the photos are delish!
Hi Krista — Yes. We made those cookies too!
Allie — I don’t personally recommend a full swap of whole wheat flour unless you’ve tested it in a recipe. In baked goods, I start with 1/3 to 1/2 swap, you can dial it up from there in future batches if you feel it can handle it, as WW does not bake the same way as AP and you may find it too coarse/brittle.
omg! im in luv….. i am drooling… cannot help myself..keep the desserts coming… thank you for this awsome blog!!!!
Not sure what happened but I posted this on the wrong recipe a minute ago. You and me must be thinking on the same chewy oatmeal wavelength. I made these last night — absolutely perfect for my craving. I put in dried fruit instead of just raisins and made hazelnut ice cream sandwiches with them. The pairing is divine! Oh, and I, um, am eating more ice cream sandwiches for breakfast right now. :)
YUM! These are going to be my go-to oatmeal raisin cookies from now on. We made them last night and they were perfect. For those folks who might have wheat intolerances, I ran out of regular white flour and used spelt flour instead (leftover from the cracker recipe on this site). They turned out just like in the photo.
Made these cookies last night :) They were delicious. I did add a 1/2 tsp of both nutmeg and ground cloves though. I also put 1 cup of raisins, mmmmmm! Thanks for the delicious recipe.
Really great cookies. We had my parents for dinner last night and everyone loved them. My dad made them into cookie ice cream sandwiches. I should have made a double batch.Thanks!
These cookies are so yummy and so easy to make. I didn’t have any raisins but I did add in some Heath toffee bits because my husband loves those. Oh my word, so good!!!!
Bless you, Deb! I made them – and an entire band of musicians were made very happy last night. In fact, I believe threats of pushing each other off a cliff were made for the honor of eating the last one… :)
Not to mention, they were exactly what *I* was craving. (I saved quite a few for my own consumption.) In fact, I think it might be time for another, with some hot tea, very soon!
Thanks for the recipe, Deb! These were perfect for this week… breakfast as well as dessert. :) I confess that I baked the first batch without any chilling whatsoever, but they turned out just as thick and luscious as the next batches!
Wonderful cookies for a Sunday afternoon. The refrigeration technique really worked to make these cookies nice and chewy. From all the comments it seems like a great basic recipe that can lead to all kinds of adaptations. I used golden raisins and added a 1/2 teaspoon of five spice powder for an extra kick. Thanks for the inspiration.
just made these but with choc chips and dried cranberries instead of raisins– delicious! thanks, deb!
I just made these, they were awesome! :P I might have left them in the fridge too long though because they came out looking like little balls instead of flat cookies.
I am totally making these tonight – they look soooo good :D
I made these on friday night…so yummy…
I used butterscotch chips…Yum…
I can’t wait to make them with white chips and crasins…
I also always soak my rasins before using them too…
I’ve made oatmeal raisin cookies using the recipe on the back of the Quaker Oats can — the result: they tasted good but were flat and dry.
I made your cookies on Saturday and they turned out great! I followed your directions and chilled the cookie dough before baking and it made a huge difference! The cookies turned out chunky and chewy.
Thanks for posting all your great tips =)
I also love, love. love these cookies and being a chocolate chip lover, had to put in about 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips. I too subbed cranberries for raisins.
I have also found chilling my chocolate chip cookie dough before baking also enhances their results.
Thank you thank you thank you for this tremendous recipe! I baked these last weekend and they turned out perfectly. No modifications save for adding the walnuts, which you’re right, good idea.
These cookies are just perfect! I literally just took them out of the oven moments ago, let them cool a bit and dove right in to try one! MMMM.
Oatmeal raisin are my husband’s FAVORITE cookie. I informed him yesterday that he would be coming home to these today. A couple of minutes after he walked in the door I grabbed one and stuck it towards his mouth to take a bite. Which he did. And as he walked away I heard, ummm. Another couple of steps (and chews), ummmm. And another couple of steps and chews, uuummmmmmm.
Yeah. They are that good. I changed nothing following all directions step-by-step except for tripling the recipe.
I believe Quaker Oats needs to put your recipe on their box!
I took these out of the oven about 10 minutes ago and couldn’t wait. They’re so, so delicious. And yes, they are absolutely a breakfast cookie with a big cup of tea. Thanks, Deb!
These cookies are so awesome! I actually love the Quaker oats recipe, but I’ve been looking for a new one using rolled oats since we really don’t eat Quaker oats to have them in the house. This recipe was exactly what I was looking for. I made the cookies tiny, about an inch, so I could eat lots of them and not feel guilty. And, best of all, my husband, who despises oatmeal raisin cookies LOVES these! Thanks Deb!
These look AMAZINGLY good!! By far my favorite kind of cookie.
I just made these last night and I am in LOVE. I may have overcooked them a bit since I thought when I tested them 15 mins in that they were too soft. I lightly pressed the tops and they would give too easy… maybe I should have pulled them out and let them cool which would have stiffed them up a little.
Regardless, they are amazing, I wonder how they taste with golden raisins!
As I am easily swayed by power of suggestion, I immediately set out to make these cookies. The texture is great-a little crisp and nice chewiness. However, they were way too sweet for me. What I did differently, though: I used dried sweetened cranberries instead of raisins and used brown sugar rather than light brown sugar. Would following the original recipe have yielded less sweet cookies? Is there a big difference between regular brown sugar and light brown sugar in terms of sweetness? Same with cranberries vs raisins?
I am sure you could dial back the the sugar next time — try half a cup. Let us know how it goes.
I just pulled these out of the oven. I waited the 5 minutes which was nearly impossible then dug in. OH. My. Gosh. Fantastic!!!! I’ve had 4 more since. Yikes. Must walk away from the cookies!
I’ve tried many oatmeal cookies in the past but I usually only eat one or two. The rest I give away. But with this recipe I actually ate more than two! I reduced the sugar a little bit and put the dough in the fridge. This is my first time trying a recipe from your blog. Thank you for sharing. Beautiful photos!
Have you tried Ante Anne’s oatmeal and raisin cookies? Best I’ve had.
Anyway… anyone want to make me some and send them out to Vietnam for me? Will love you forever!
THANK YOU! made these last night, using a mix of cranberries, walnuts and choc chips and have brought them in to work as an after lunch surprise. The only problem was that the batter was SO good and it was late so the chilling time got shortened as I wanted to eat one! I just started subscribing to your blog thanks to my work buddies making your great carrot cake cupcakes for my birthday this month and can’t wait to try your other stuff. Keep it coming!
I love this recipe. Who knew that the trick to thick cookies was chilling them?!? Well, obviously you. That is why I love you (platonically of course). Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies are a favorite of my Dad and I. He had a business trip out to the East Coast (from CA) and was able to stop by and visit me yesterday. I surprised him with these cookies and he LOVED them. This is my new go-to cookie recipe. Thanks!
one of my NEW ALL-TIME FAVES–for ease & taste!
the workplace concurs, as they consumed almost 5 doz cookies today!
i agree re: salt–use 1/2 teaspoon & i leave the walnuts out, though i’d be a fan of pecans or cashews.
try this variation:
instead of raisins, 3/4 c cherry-flavored dried cranberries
plus 3/4 c chopped heath bars
Hi there! Can molasses be substituted for the sugar? If so, how much? I love the richness it adds and know it makes baked goods even chewier…my favorite-YUM!
These are the best cookies I have ever baked. I chopped the walnuts into tiny little pieces, almost like sand, and it’s perfect if you don’t like a big chunk of walnut in your cookie. Mine did not spread in the oven at all. I took them out after 10 minutes, pressed them gently with the back of a spoon to flatten, then baked for another 2 minutes. This is a fantastic recipe!
first, this is the best site ever! second, do you think bread flour can substitute for all purpose with the oatmeal raisin cookies? my chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies are with bread flour because i love a chewy cakey cookie!
Hi Regan — I’ve never tried it, but I’d love to hear how it worked out. I can’t think of any reason that it wouldn’t — the only risk might be a tough cookie.
cool, i’ll try it with both then, and let you know! i worked off of your peanut butter cookie recipe and they were fantastic. i baked a half batch w/all purpose, and half batch with bread flour and the bread flour wins it! the all purpose makes them flat and crunchy. the bread flour makes them fat and chewey! same with my chocolate chip cookies.
-someone who baked in a tiny kitchen in ny but now has a bigger one and is baking alot better these days ;-)
Grrr! I was looking for an oatmeal raisin cookie recipe a week and a half ago and the one I settled on left much to be desired. If only I had waited a few days… I look forward to trying your recipe next time.
We totally loved these cookies. We did however substitute the raisins with dried cranberries. Very delicious thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Made these last night after drooling over them for days… they were everything you described and more. We loved that they aren’t too sweet – I added a few chocolate chips (not that it needed it but I couldn’t resist) and we are devouring them. Absolutely perfect – and love the hint of chilling the dough – I’ve always wondered how to get my cookies thicker. Thanks!!!
So, I just finished baking these to take them to a potluck tonight, but I seem to be eating them for breakfast, instead…. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
I just made these :o) With a glass of cold rice milk, they’re really nice. Thanks for sharing :o)
xo,
Linnea
I finally made these, with no modifications at all apart from using more raisins, and they were very good.
Absolutely perfect. Thanks for a keeper of a recipe!
These were the best cookies we have ever eaten.The dough smelt amazing and we were even willing to eat it raw.. thanx alot .. will keep making it again and again..
These were so easy to make and so yummy! Everyone loved them. I looked back in your archives and I plan on trying your peanut butter cookies next. :o)
deb- I was the one asking about the way sweet taste using brown sugar rather than light brown sugar. As per your suggestion, the half cup of brown sugar did the trick for me. Thanks! Also, I followed a suggestion from a commenter who soaks the raisins (or cranberries in my case) in egg and butter for an hour before combining with other ingredients. I think they did plump up more and gave the cranberries more pop. Friends became instant fans of the cookies. Wow, over 200 comments for an oatmeal raisin cookies post!
YUM! I saw these pictures yesterday and immediately went to the store to get some raisins. After I made them I kept 4 balls in the fridge for a few hours and froze the rest. i love how thick they turn out, and i just ate the last one a few minutes ago. DELISH!
although, have you ever soaked the raisins in the egg/vanilla for an hour prior to mixing it all in like some recipes do? my mom swears this makes “the best” oatmeal raisin cookies, although i’m not sure what that step does. softens the raisins maybe? i might try it next time! :)
Can I use quick cooking oats for this recipe? Just wondering, since I already have them in the pantry. Thanks so much!
Ok…these cookies are THE cookies. Perfect, round little spheres of chewy cookie, studded with ever impressive raisins…I made a double batch the other night with the intention of saving half and sending the other half with my husband to his office. Well, after several taste tests, more than half of the cookies remained home with my husband and I and only a meager 1/4 of the cookies made it to the office….they were just to good to share…..
Just made these the other night and they are perfect. Not flat and crispy like usual oatmeal raisin cookies they are thick and chewy just like the name suggests, thanks for the great recipe.
These turned out amazingly good!
Just a side note for the adventurous. I always experiment in my cooking & baking, and thought I’d add a touch of maple syrup to the dough. Bad idea. Even a little bit makes the cookies sticky & crunchy. Good thing I tried it on just a couple cookies first.
Meg — Yes, I am sure it would work because when I made them this time, I ran out of oatmeal and had to use a packet or two of plain instant to make my measurement.
i made these, well sort of. as i didn’t have rolled oats or raisins. but what i did have was 4 packets of maple brown sugar instant oatmeal and some honey sesame cashews. so i substituted those. now i can’t stop eating them, quite a nice cooke surprise.
I made these tonight and they are great! Thank you :D
Deeeeeeb! I’ve made these like three times in the past week, we can’t stop eating them! My husband has dubbed them the Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Ever. (Oatmeal raisin is his favorite type of cookie.) I normally just lurk but I had to tell you how much we lurve this recipe. Thanks!
Just made these and they’re really good! :)
hi,
these look great! will be trying them out and was just wondering- what’s the minimum amount of time i’ll need to chill them before baking? would that be in the freezer or the fridge?
thanks!
I just made these this evening with quick oats and chocolate yogurt covered raisins.
Sooo good.
I used this base recipe today, with the goal of doing some spring cleaning in my baking cupboard. Instead of raisins and walnuts, I added semi-sweet and white chips, slivered almonds and coconut. They came out great!
Thanks so much. This was amazing…my family said these were the BEST oatmeal cookies ever!! This recipe is going in my personal collection! One thing I did tweek though was the sugar. I only had about 1/3 cup brown sugar left so I substituted the other 1/3 with white sugar. Turned out just fine!
These cookies are phenomenal! I absolutely love the texture! Not overly sweet themselves but could be enhanced by the addition of some white chocolate chips if you like a sweeter cookie. I enjoyed them just as they are. A lightly crisped bottom with a chewy, yet, not undercooked center. Perfect. My new favorite cookie.
Deb, these are great!! I soaked the raisins in the vanilla-egg mixture for an hour, as some suggested and they are so juicy!
I think they TOTALLY qualify as breakfast food. If pancakes and waffles count as breakfast food, these definitely should.
Bravo.
wow. finally. thanks.
First I want to say thank you for this recipe. This was my second time making cookies in my whole life. The first time I made them was last week off the Quaker Oats Can, They came out horrible. So i did a little research and came across your recipe. I made them yesterday just like you said. They came out goooood. They are just like you said they would be. They were soft and chewy. I used quick cooking rolling oats added a little nutmeg, walnuts and pecans along with the raisin
awesome is the word. Funny when I was a kid, I did not like oatmeal cookies at all. Now I can’t get enough of them. Again thank you so much.
Came across your blog recently and I am enjoying it very much. Thanks. Your photos are beautiful with sassy comments and recipes clear and easy to follow. Inspired I made the Oatmeal cookies tonight. I didn’t have cinnamon so subed it with 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder. Also I didn’t have brown sugar so used 1/2 cup caster sugar. It was not that chewy maybe because I reduced sugar quantity. But the result was still very very good. I will make them again for sure. My next project is “Mom’s Apple Cake” which looks and sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing all these wonderful recipes. From Jakarta
I just made these cookies today and they are amazing. Perfectly crisp on the outside, but nice and chewy on the inside. I can’t wait to take them to work tomorrow! I’m sure my office mates will love me.
I made these last night for the first time and substituted chocolate chips for the raisins.. :) They are great! Everyone loved them and they are so soft and chewy and wonderful. I made a full batch, but just baked a dozen of them. the rest are formed into balls and frozen in the freezer – perfect for hot out of the oven cookies on short notice :)
OK, so now I finally have a recipe for the perfect oat and raisin biccies. But you’ve unleashed a MONSTER. Can’t stop eating them. Or making them. Then eating them again.
We made these with craisins, white choc chips, and cashews. They are AMAZING! We made some immediately and have batter in the fridge to make more later. Thanks!
I like the sound of these cookies. I love cookies, especially oatmeal raisin cookies. The problem is that I have developed a sensitivity to sugar and cannot have anything with a high sugar content. I have substituted spenda in many recipies to varying degrees of success. Do you think using the brown sugar splenda will work in this recipe? If not, do you have any suggestions about making these cookies with some sort of sweetening substitute?
I’m really anxious to try these. My grandmother used to make chewy oatmeal cookies, sometimes kind of “cakey” in the center. Often she would use chopped dates instead of raisins, yum. All the recipes I’ve tried turn out crispy, ugh.
I live in the 4,500 ft alt range, wonder would there be any changes?
Thanks!
Yes, recipes have to be adapted for high altitudes, but I live at sea level, and haven’t practiced it. If you have a Joy of Cooking, there are tips in there, or if you Google, I am sure there are resources and advice on the Web.
I baked these tonight and they are very good. I think the best oatmeal raisin cookies i’ve ever baked. thank you for the recipe! and I love how it’s a half recipe… I got about 25 cookies~
I must tell you that since I started subscribing to your blog my cookies have greatly improved. My mom proclaimed that your oatmeal raisin cookies were great. I’ve tried several oatmeal recipes and all have failed. This recipe even though it is small was wonderful. The type of cookie everyone in my family loves. Chewy and soft and thick. Thanks for this cookie.
I can’t stop eating the cookies. It’s was chewy on the inside and perfectly crunchy on the outside. Delish…
Very very good! :)
I made these last night…they’re fabulous! The raisins I bought were a little larger than usual (they may have called them “jumbo” at my local health foods store…), and that made a huge difference. In my friend’s words, “it made the cookie!” Thanks!
I swear to god making a batch of these might save me from divorce someday. :) My wife swoons over the smell that comes from the kitchen when I make these. The recipe is perfect; wouldn’t change a thing!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for this recipe! I made a batch today and they are PERFECT – just what I have been craving for weeks :) Hubby wanted chocolate chips instead of raisins so I split the batch after the oatmeal was mixed in and stirred raisins in half and chocolate chips in the other half. Interestingly, the cookies with choc. chips flattened out more than the raisin ones… same pan, cooked at the same time – weird. Both delicious though!
This recipe is wonderful! I made a double batch for my kids (8+ the grandkids) yesterday and they were gone in a flash! I’m making some now for lunch snacks and for hubby to take to work. Thanks for sharing a yummy recipe!
I am licking warm cookie crumbs off my lips as I write this. I’ve tried recipe after recipe, and no matter what I do, my cookies always turn out crunchy. Not so with this recipe! Crisp edges, chewy centers. My go-to oatmeal cookie recipe from this moment on!
Thank you! These cookies are delicious. I had made some tea for myself and decided that these cookies would go great with it. I was able to make the cookies–start to finish–by the time my tea reach the perfect temperature for drinking (even with “help” from my five-year old). I used whole wheat flour and quick oats, and not only are the kids loving them, but they even agreed to have them with the green tea, too. ; ]
I have not tried your recipe, but I am getting ready to start in less than five minutes. I have searched for the ultimate Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, and ‘girlfriend’ yours’ sounded like a winner from the very start! Thank You……….Jennifer
greetings from Scotland! I’ve always wondered how to get cookies chewy and now I know. I’m going to get my pinny on after work and make these as I’ve just eaten a store bought cookie that was not good enough. I love that so many folks here are so unashamed about baking for their man: you don’t need to be a Stepford wife to enjoy that and my hub is always so impressed and grateful.
ok i tried these and thought i had found the perfect recipe, but once again i ended up with great tasty flat lacy oatmeal cookies. i even froze them! maybe im not suppose to make oatmeal cookies.
Hi Deb,
I made these cookies this weekend, but since I had no brown or cane sugar, I just had to make do with 1 TB molasses, added to a scant 2/3c of white sugar. The result was just amazing! Thanks for sharing!
i just made these cookies – man did they smell good!!!! Unfortunately there are as flat as a board. They taste great but look silly. What did i do wrong? Would love to try again but need to figure out what happened. Any suggestions?
I just wanted to say I made my oatmeal cookies with whole wheat flour and I think they are great. Of course, I love the coarser taste of whole wheat, so there ya go. I also added cinnamon and clove, softened the raisins, and added fiber . . . cause I love fiber. :)
Great recipe. Thanks
These cookies are really amazing! Thanks for sharing these. I used whole wheat flour, added extra cinnamon and followed the chilling of the dough, and low and behold, the perfect cookie!
I just whipped up a batch of these cookies and they are refrigerating as I type this. If they taste baked ANYTHING like the batter, I am forever sold to this site. Although, to be honest, you had me at your lemon squares.
I made these last night – as cookie bars!!! The chilling overnight made it easy to take warm goodness to work in the morning. I doubled your recipe, lowered the sugar, used all brown, craisins and pecans instead of raisins.
They were fab!
These were the most delicious oatmeal raisin cookies I have ever tasted! Thank you so much for the recipe! :)
Just made these! They really ARE crispy around edges and chewy in the center. Thanks for the tweaks. I doubled the recipe but would have been happy with even more…
For those who haven’t tried them, you’ve got to make Deb’s Key Lime Meltaways. Oooo baby.
I don’t bake often. This (unusual for me) craving for oatmeal cookies appeared in my belly. I did a search and found your recipe. I went with your salt amount, and used craisins. Tres Yum!
I used dates instead of raisins. I added the lesser amount of salt. I also refrigerated the dough for about 30 minutes then took it out and rolled it into a log, placed it back in the refrigerator until I was ready for it. When I took it out to bake, all I had to do was cut the dough in about 1 1/2 inch rounds (yeah they were thick. I cut 11 total) I then tried shaping them a little round on top to make sure the center would be chewy. Hint: you don’t have to shape them. I found out after baking them that I had to press them in the middle or they would have been too thick to cook. I had to bake them longer than 12 minutes. I probably added about 6 to 7 minutes more. Yeah! That was a great heads up on cooking them until they were brown around the edges and looking a little uncooked in the center. They came out perfect. My daughter loved them! I loved them! Thanks a million.
Lovely recipe, those cookies are delicious!
I forgot to mention that I was just looking through the recipes for cookies and then I found yours! Do you have any more recipes for anything like muffins, cakes or biscuits?
Yesterday i jumped on the internet searching for a great oatmeal cookie recipe to make with my daughter, i found yours and decided to try it.
and let me tell u, this is a fabulous recipe! other cookies i have made are always flat and crunch, never chewy and plump, but this recipe was! thank you so much!
Hello again! I just can’t get over how nice your cookies are, please if you have any more recipes then please put it on here!
I was on here looking for another recipe for cookies and I came across this, I was going to make Choc. Chip raisin and oatmeal cookies, but I didn’t have choc. chips, But i found this recipe and OMG they are so good. crisp on the outside and chewy and soft in the inside, and they didn’t run at all – i used a cookie scoop (don’t know how big it was) but they came out perfect, looked like they were professionally made – fooled my fiance. Thank you for the awesome recipe, I will be forsure adding this to my collection! Thank you again!
Great cookies! I made these with bread flour bc it’s all I had, and they turned out great~! I also added 1 tbsp flaxseeds and 1 tbsp wheatgream, and 1 extra tbsp butter. Fantastic!
The is my go-to recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies.
I’ve used it so many times, and they’re always the best cookies ever.
Thanks for sharing it!
Mmmmmmmmm, can’t wait to try them:)
I gave these as a gift, and they were inhaled! Thanks for sharing the recipe. :)
Just finished making these & they were AMAZING
everyone loved them! Thanks :)
I’m totally making these on the weekend!
These were fantastic! I had never tried oatmeal raisin before, but I got a request and found this recipe. I left the dough in the fridge over night (because I started at 2 in the morning) and they were perfect the next morning. Golden brown on the edges… thick and chewy in the middle! :D Thank you!
I made a single batch of these cookies for a group my husband goes to, now I find that people are macking request for triple, sometimes six times the single batch 3 – 4 times a week. I would call that a deffinate hit.
OMG! I have never baked anything from scratch before until this afternoon. I am soooo pleased with this recipe. Everything turned out perfect, just like the pictures and the description. They’re the best cookies I’ve ever had, and oatmeal raisin isn’t even my favorite. I think next time I’ll replace the raisins with chocolate chips!
I made these this afternoon with chocolate covered raisins and they went down a real treat with my family!
I personally don’t like oatmeal raisin cookies, but they smelt so lovely when they were cooking.
I’ll definitely be baking these again; my Grandma said they were the best oatmeal raisin cookies she’s ever had!
Okay..I just made this recipe. I changed a few things that make them divine!!!
In bed the other night I was thinking..”hmmm, oatmeal cookies with dried blueberries and chocolate ships”…I used this as a base recipe. Excellent recipe. My hubby requested that I roll a few in coconut before baking..What a great idea! The coconut ones are baking now.
Try the blueberry and choco combo..mm.mm.mm
I made these adding a little mixed spice and chocolate chips, but otherwise following the recipe exactly. The flavor is very good but do not have what I would call a ‘chewy’ texture – it’s more soft and cakey. Is this the effect that was intended or did I go wrong somewhere? I’m not so much a fan of the cakey texture so will be giving these out to friends!
I heard that one secret to chewy cookies is to use golden syrup (the closest US equivalent is corn syrup) in place of some of the sugar, so maybe I will try this next time. Anyone have any more ideas?
This recipe is wonderful! I am baking these cookies as I type! I used craisins instead of raisins, and the tart flavor definitely compliments the recipe. Whoever hasn’t tried this recipe yet, I highly recommend it. Very easy and very tasty!
So good, I just made these! They are amazing!
Oooh Myyyy!!! I just took the first bite and they ARE AMAZING!!! My sweetheart is going to love them!!! Thanx for sharing!
I’ve made these twice now, and not only are they amazing, they are easy too! I think I’m gonna memorize the recipe and use it as my go-to company cookie recipe. Everyone raves about them.
Also: try pre-cooking the raisins by submersing them in water and microwaving for a minute. It makes them super soft and makes the cookie just that much better.
Yes, indeed these are delicious! I’m sending them to my husband, who is out of town for awhile on business. These are his favorite kind of cookie and I had hoped to make them for him before he left. He is going to be so happy when he bites into one of these! It made me happy too even though there was no chocolate in them.
I found this site less than 24 hours ago and I am hooked. Deb you do a great job.
I have searched high and low for a great ORC and though I have found some with great flavours they are often more tender and cake-like not so much ‘chewy’. For me ‘chewy’ has a slight stickiness to the bite. I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I want to know from those who have made these cookies if they are cakey and if that is the intended texture.
I sometimes substitute maple flavoring for the vanilla and also have used Crasins or other dried fruits like dates. It’s all great as long as it’s with Oatmeal! I love them for breakfast!
I was craving oatmeal raisin cookies and when I googled the term, your site was one of the first 4. Boy, am I glad I decided to print your recipe! I just finished baking a batch and they were really really good!!! I went with the 1/2 tsp of salt and it was perfect. Next time I will try it with the craisins, as some have suggested. Thanks for such a wonderful blog!
I made these this afternoon – very tasty! I forgot the salt (d’oh!) and they still turned out great (though a little on the sweet side). Love your site!
I am making these cookies right now, but with boiled raisins, and I hope they turn out as awesome as yours look!
Thank you for providing an oatmeal cookie recipe that isn’t loaded with sugar. Last weekend I made a batch of cookies that called for a cup of brown sugar AND a cup of white sugar. Blech! Too sweet! These are the perfect sweetness and are delightfully chewy. This will be my go-to recipe from now on!
Thank you. My kids and I are becoming addicts!
Thank you for the recipe. These cookies are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!
I baked them for the school open house last week, and they were gone in minutes while other cookie trays were still full. People came back for seconds and thirds. One woman even tucked one in her bag for later.
I made them a little bigger (doubling the recipe to make about 30 cookies), so I flatten the dough a bit before baking — they really don’t spread out much while baking. They came out thick and chewy as promised, and absolutely delicious!
I find that if you chop the raisins I can handle eating them in cookies…it’s a texture thing. I love their flavor!
Thank You! I have now made this recipe TWICE because the cookies were awesome. I took your advice and kept some in the freezer for baking off when I had a craving for a yummy cookie and they worked like a charm! Best Oatmeal Raisin cookies ever – expecially when I added pecans! Thanks again!
To no avail I have tried endlessly to make a thick and chewy oatmeal cookie worthy of gift giving. ALWAYS,they turned out flat and crispy.Finally one evening I typed in my search engine…………. HELP,I need thick and chewy oatmeal cookies. and WAH-LAH…your site popped up…Needless to say the hint about refrigerating the dough for a bit was the one step my cookies needed. I have made several batches since and can’t thank you enough…But let me try.THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ( ok, I think you get the point!!!)
Taking them out just a tad before the timer goes off seems to be a good thing also..I actually ground some walnuts and put in one of my batches for the folks who don’t like the CRUCH of the nuts..( but they loved the flavor!!!!)
I’ve made many receipes for Oatmeal cookies and these by far are the tastiest and softest to date!! Excellant flavor.
My 8-year-old came home from school and he was a bit under the weather. Got some matsoh ball soup in him and he requested some oatmeal cookies. I just made in him a batch of these and he is in cookie heaven! Thanks!
I made these yesterday and not sure what I did wrong! They turned out more “cake-y” than “cookie-y”. I did a batch chilled and straight after mixing. Chilling the dough really makes all the difference.
These cookies tasted like they dropped out of oatmeal heaven. I made them as a gift but was so tempted that I ate them and bought a gift. (Shame on me). I always pre-soak my raisins in a cup of very hot water to bloat them before using them in a recipe. This time, I heated some ginger brandy and let the raisins soak in it for approximately twenty minutes before adding them to the recipe. The result was super delicious!!!
One of the best cookie recepies ever. I can never bake anything with sugar right but these cookies came out awesome. I didnt have to search to find any of the recipies and the cookies taste better than store bought. I replaced the raisins with dried cherries for a twist and the recipe was accepting of my change. Thanks a bunch!
thank you for this recipe, I was sooooo craving oatmeal raisin cookies in this third week of flu ickiness and this came up first with google. there are two dozen wonderful chewy mouthfuls of oatmeal raisin goodness and I didn’t have to leave the house :-)
These cookies saved my evening. I came home yesterday tired and exhausted, but making these cookies and eating them afterwards saved my night. They are brilliant, super easy and oh-so-delicious. I love oatmeal, and these cookies. Heaven.
I printed off a copy of this recipe a few months ago. Just got around to making them this morning. Very easy and especially delicious. Thank you.
Thanks for this recipe! The only adjustments i made were adding 1/4tsp of cloves (for a little more kick) and did a whole tsp of vanilla (1/2 maagascar and 1/2 mexican), and they came out deelish! Very moist and chewy.
I made the oatmeal cookies using your recipe a couple of months ago and they were delicious. I even doubled the recipe and they were gone within a few days. Thanks for sharing!
i had a ridiculous PMS-induced oatmeal cookie craving and found your site via a google search. i should add that i don’t really know how to cook or bake but found this recipe to be quick, easy and very tasty. due to my cravings, i didn’t freeze the batter, but baked it right away. unfortunately, i have a gas oven at my apartment at school — which i’m still learning to use (by trial & error) — so the cookies ended up with burnt bottoms. nonetheless, the rest of it is excellent. thanks!
I just made these for a friend, but I’ve already eaten three out of the first batch. They’re perfect and addictive.
I look forward to trying this receipe! I also have very specific tasts for my Oatmeal Raisin cookies, and I think this receipe is just the ticket! I’ll let you know how it turns out!
PS
love the site!
Hi,
I am giving this a try, I live in Denver, so need to modify for the altitude. It can be tricky, but I added about 1/8c of flour. I’ll let you know how they turn out. They are chilling in the fridge right now. I tried the original quaker recipe last week, but they were too flat and I wasn’t happy. Of course my husband isn’t picky and ate them all anyway. I was going to toss them out.
So, first batch is out, I let them cool a bit…they are delicious! Just he right amount of chewy to crunchy. So the added 1/8 cup of flour seems to be good for the high altitude. I didn’t make any other adjustments. I might try a batch with raisinettes. Thanks for sharing your recipe and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
oh yeah, I baked @350 for 10 minutes.
Three batches out of the oven now and they are hands down the BEST Oatmeal Raisin cookies I have ever made! Thanks so much for a wonderful recipe! I didn’t make any changes, chilled the dough overnight, baking off at 350°F in my convection oven on parchment paper. These tasty morsels could have come from my favorite bakery! Ok…now to enjoy one with a glass of milk!
OK…….I have been having Oatmeal Cookie bad luck for years now, yet every now and then I get this craving for the perfect oatmeal cookie, just as you have described above.I would then proceed using different recipes and every time they’d turn out like flat, crispy flying saucers resulting in me saying “Never Again!”………..A few weeks ago my dear craving returned and I went online instead to find my dream recipe and stumbled on this one. FINALLY I have found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!!!!!!!!They were exactly what I dreamed of and what you described above. I am now about to make batch No.2 and re-enter Oatmeal Heaven! Thank you!
I made these today and my husband came into the kitchen and said ” . . . I don’t know what it is, but it’s the best smell in the world!” and then he had a couple and declared them to be awesome!!! I added pecans instead of walnuts, and they are WAY yummy!!! Due to my old oven, I had to bake for 8 mins so they wouldn’t be overdone! Thanks for this recipe!!!
These are the best oatmeal cookies I have ever made. My co-workers and friends love them!! Thanks so much for the great recipe :)
Oatmeal Raisin cookies are my favorite, but whenever I made them in the past they came out crunchy – not how I like them. These cookies are perfect! I made them two days ago and they are still amazing. Plenty of raisins, a slightly salty/sweet taste (I used Kosher salt), moist, chewy and a little crunch with the nuts, what more could you ask for : )
i just got finished baking these. they are AMAZING! they are perfect in every way.
there is no way i could ever find a better oatmeal cookie recipie. :]
thanks a ton!
I am 3 month preggers and I LOVE these! THE best cookies ever! Thanks for posting the recipe!
So, what seems to be the best amount of time, on average, that you need to chill the dough for? Recipe really didn’t go into specifics, and it seems to be an important step. I’m about to make ’em…anyone found a reliable chill time that works? Thanks in advance!
You can chill it for as little as an hour (until it is chilled through) or as much as a day.
LOVED these cookies! My daughter and I made a double batch tonight.
Thanks for sharing!
One thing we have done with cookie dough is lay it out on a piece of plastic wrap. Form it into a log and then throw it in the freezer or fridge. YOu can then cut off perfect shaped circles and throw it in the oven on a whim.
Another way is to put it in a container in the freezer and scoop it out with an ice cream scoop when you are ready for a treat! No need to flatten them out.
These are the perfect proportion of chewy to crispy and the small size is good to keep my sugar cravings in line…. because I can eat the whole pan. These are being packed as we speak and are joining my mother’s pizelle cookies for holiday care packages. Thank you for sharing!!
Wow! Totally awesome recipe! I doubled it and added a couple of handfuls of coconut flake.
Incredible recipe! I’ve been complimented on producing the “best oatmeal cookies ever-evah” by some of my tasters.
made your cookies this weekend, so delicious!
http://piecesofmejen.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/snowed-in-with-lots-of-cookies/
Oatmeal Raisin cookies are my all-time favorite! I just made these instead of the normal ones I make and they are AMAZING! I want to try more of your cookies!
This is the best oatmeal raisin cookie recipe that I have found. They come out so awesome. Thanks!
I’m looking for the perfect Santa cookie and I think I may have found it! Thanks and Merry Christmas.
Love these cookies. I make some with raisins, some with cranberries and walnuts. Delicious!
This is my all time favorite cookie too! Although I love it sweet I don’t know about cutting the sugar down. Since you like salt I have a suggestion I call it my little secret, but from the looks of all the comments you have here it won’t be for long. ha ha.. I tried this one year and have been doing it every since, because I LOVE it! Try adding Kosher Salt instead of normal ole salt. It really makes a world of difference. I always bake at the holidays LOTS I give out lots of goodies and my ex-mother-in-law still gets her favorite every year My Oatmeal cookies. She and many others noticed the difference with the change of salt, and like me loved it even more then before. I hope you’ll give it a try and like it too. :) MERRY CHRISTMAS! :)
Just made these this morning. They are awesome!!
Thanks for this awesome recipe, the cookies came out great! I took a posted a photo of them here:
http://blog.lifeisnotaparagraph.com/?p=4502
ok I Just made them again, the best oatmeal cookies ever!
these are delicious!!!! i just made some right now [: sooooooo great! i love it thanks!
WOW! Great Recipe! I just made them and everyone loves them. we also love your website. Thank you!
I made thesse for my daycare kids and my family…. oh my sooo good! they were a GIANT hit! I added a few more raisins but oh so good :)
Amazing cookies! Before I made these my children insisted they would not eat them because of a dislike for raisins. But low and behold the cookies were gone in no time!!! Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe!
Delicious! I made a few changes, including using craisins instead of raisins, cutting the cinnamon in half, doubling the salt and using shredded coconut instead of walnuts. The texture was great, and you are absolutely right, chilling the dough is an important step if you want them thick. Thanks!
Apparently Jenn and I had the same idea with the Craisins ( or she was snooping around my yard). I substituted Craisins and added some lemon zest to the wet ingredients. They turned out really good, thanks.
I made these yesterday. Skipped the cinnamon, nuts & raisins, added copious amounts of chocolate chips instead. It was great!
The Quaker recipe has been my family’s standard oatmeal cookie recipe my whole life, but your adaptations make them even better. I’ve had good luck replacing half of the all-purpose flour with white whole wheat in just about all baked goods. I use a little than half WWW in bread to maintain a good crust.
I made these cookies with whole wheat flour. What a disappointment. They are so dry the second day that they are awful. I wasted my ingrediants.
I have a MAJOR problem with this recipe:
It’s not big enough! =P
Seriously, I’ve got a batch chilling in the fridge, and I’m thinking, “It’s not enough…” I think last time I double it, but today all my butter was frozen.
I LOVE the all-brown-sugar touch. I’m a sucker for oatmeal raisin, and my husband once tried to bake some for me. Yuck-o-rama. I think the recipe was almost all white-sugar, with a touch of brown.
These have a wonderfully rich flavor, “burn” nicely at the edges while staying gooey in the middle. Oatmeal heaven!
I loved this recipe! I altered it a bit because of my cravings and ended up with something awesome. Instead of raisins and walnuts I used dried cranberries and slivered almonds, and put in almond extract as well as vanilla. I also used 1/4 cup of applesauce and half the butter to cut down on fat, and took them out a little early to make them chewier.
They turned out AMAZING! Thanks!
I was in the mood for some oatmeal cookies and found this recipe. And boy am I glad I did! These cookies are perfect! After reading some of the previous comments, I may try craisins and pecans next time. There will definitely be a next time. I’m a bit afraid of tampering with perfection though. Thanks for the recipe. I looked around the site and found so many more things I want to try.
these turned out perfect!!! oh my, so good! i had dried cranberries and oats leftover from your granola bar recipe, so decided to make these. also added walnuts. didn’t have enough butter, but just put a bit of olive oil. i should have added wheat germ too, next time. chilling them really makes a difference. and i love the idea of freezing some for later. genius.
Great recipe that makes a perfect amount of cookie dough. I like to add a couple tablespoons of molasses and cut out an equal amount of brown sugar. For those who like a more cake like cookie, add a couple tablespoons of milk, it gives the cookie a softer crumb. It is a small change that makes a surprising difference.
First time visiting your site! I googled thick, chewy oatmeal cookies and your recipe was one of the first ones to pop up. The first batch is in the oven and I am sure they’ll turn out great! Last week I was listened to old podcasts of The Splendid Table and the host, Lynn, made mention to some common mistakes when baking. Creaming butter into sugar was one of them. I’ve always thought I knew what I was doing but she said that it takes upwards of 8 minutes to get all the air whipped into the butter for higher cookies and muffins. I was no where near the 8 min mark. But I tried it with these cookies and so far so good! Now I am off to see what else is on this blog of yours.
I’ve been snowed in for about five days now and I wanted some Oatmeal Raisin cookies in the worst way! I love a chewy cookie and this was exactly that, crisp around the edge and chewy on the inside. The only thing I would change is to cut the salt in half, I don’t usually salt my food and this amount was overwhelming to me.
Thanks for the recipe, it’s on my fridge. :-)
I love to use yellow raisins, they are moister and plumper then black raisins and they taste and look better too. Anytime a recipe calls for raisins I always use the yellow raisins, they just taste better and seem to hold up through baking much better without getting all dried out.
I just made these (thank you snow day) and they are as delicious as they look!
WOW these are awesome! Great flavor and texture – good call on baking cold dough. I might back off on the salt a bit next time but otherwise they’re perfect! I made these for my boyfriend for Valentine’s Day as oatmeal raisin is his favorite…and my last attempted recipe came out terribly…thin and crumbly. I taste tested these (about 4 or 5 of them…just to be sure they were OK) and I’m confident he’ll love them as much as I did. :-)
I had a sudden craving for oatmeal cookies and was a little overwhelmed by the selection Google offered, especially since I’m particular about the texture, too. So, when I saw that yours specifically promised chewy, I knew it was for me ;-). They’re absolutely delicious–just took the first batch from the oven about 20 minutes ago. I thought it was funny that it’s almost a year to the day from when you posted the recipe–I suppose it’s something about cold wintry weather that makes a batch of homemade oatmeal cookies sound cozily delicious. Thank you!
just made these and they really are THAT GOOD. note: if you decide to throw in some choc.chips, make sure to reduce the sugar (duh!). i added the chips on a whim and they made the cookies a TAD too sweet. amazing otherwise. thanks! this will be my “go-to” cookie recipe.
the best wonderfull cookies. very smooth and Yummmyyyy love it. thanks.
I made a variation of these last night. These are the changes I made: reduced brown sugar to 1/2 cup and replaced half of that with agave nectar, used half whole wheat flour, and instead of raisins I split the dough into 3 groups and added 1/2 cup dried cherries to one, 1/4 cup dried apricots to another, and 1/8 cup dried cranberries, 1/8 cup shredded coconut to another. Awesome!!
That should say 1/4 cup dried cherries. 1/2 cup might be overdoing it. Thanks for a great base Deb.
Thank you for this amazing recipe. I just discovered your blog in my search for an outrageous oatmeal cookie recipe. I appreciate your “cooks’ illustrated” approach of taking what you like and working on it to make it perfect. You succeeded with these!!!! I made a full recipe yesterday and they are perfect. My modifications: subst half the AP flour for WW, half the raisins for cranberries, and used broken pecans instead of walnuts. (I love the idea of using cherries in the previous comment, btw!) I baked a dozen and frozen 2 dozen balls of dough for next time. They are PERFECT, as you have described. Delicately crispy on the outside and delightful and chewy (but not “underbaked” chewy) on the interior!!! Outstanding. Probably the best cookies of any kind that I have ever made! Thank you!
Just made these with cranberries – I’m in love!!! What an awesome recipe – and much better than the Quaker one!
I just finished making these with my 3 and 4 year-old, and they are out of this world!! We added 1/4 cup of peanut butter chips, and 1/4 cup of vanilla chips, and that made them even better!! I have never had a bad recipe from this website!! Thanks for sharing!
I make this last night for my three teen and pre-teen sons. They loved them and attacked the batch with even more gusto than chocolate chip cookies. I’m sold! I didn’t modify the recipe, but next time I’m thinking of trying the cranberries or chopped dates.
My wife and I baked these before watching a movie last night. They were delicious!
Nothing better than a good, chewy cookie…I think the cinnamon gives this recipe just the right kick. Plus, we tried chilling the mix and I think that added to the general texture and chewiness. Thanks for posting this.
Tihs is the BESToatmeal raisin I have ever tasted!! Thank You!
I googled. I baked. I enjoyed.
They were delicious. Thank you!
I made these into mini-cookies, (which means you can eat twice as many!) and added the end of a bag of chocolate chips. Very good! They don’t taste too oily or gummy like some oatmeal-raisin cookies. A great recipe! Thanks!
would be great with a cup of sugar.
I like your recipe. The cookies came out what I want for soft and chewy raisin cookies. The tips about freezing and bake less minutes are very useful
Thank you for sharing your uplifting story and this wonderful recipe! It inspired me to get into the kitchen and create a batch of oatmeal cookies! Unforunately…I thought I had rolled oats, but in fact had steel cut oats. In the midst of making the dough, I had to find a substitute so I used Deluxe Muesli (with oat flakes, sultanas, malted wheat, wheat flakes, barley flakes, raisins, dates, currants, toasted coconut, sunflower seeds, banana, almonds, hazels, and cardamon). The addition of the Muesli brought the taste and texture of the cookies to another level! Thanks again for sharing and keep on baking!
This is the first time I have ever baked anything in my life (I never even used premade cookie dough) aside from frozen pizza and these came out awesome! I only substituted cranberries for raisins but it was still really good. Thanks!
These were amazing!!! Everyone said they were delicious and the best they’d ever had!! And I don’t even cook that often… Thanks so much for the great recipe :)
AMAZING!!! Just made a batch and love em’. Thank you for sharing.
These cookies are great! My boyfriend loved them!! I’m making them again this weekend…I’ll probably end up adding more raisins or sugar this time!
WOW. These were AWESOME!!!
I followed the directions 100% except the last 1/3 cup of brown sugar I ran out and only had about a half of that, so I topped it off with white sugar. Came out AMAZING. I have been looking for a better oatmeal raisin cookie recipe.
I think next time I will use WW flour.
I have a question about chilling the dough. Does it have to be covered or is it ok to chill it uncovered?
Maria — I usually put plastic wrap over it.
these cookies DID NOT work for me – the dough kept falling apart . . . an ingredient must be missing or something. I was not happy with the results. – though the batter was tasteful
the best oatmeal cookies i have ever eaten or made.
I’m putting together a care package for my sweetheart and these, being that Oatmeal Raisin cookies are his favorite cookies, are going into the box! I’m sure they will be the star attraction…and I will be sure to make a full batch so I can keep a few for me! Thanks, Deb!
This was the first recipe of yours that I’ve tried and I’ll definitely be back! I halved the raisins and they were the best O.R. cookies I’ve ever made. All 6 dozen disappeared within an hour. Thanks!
These are SERIOUSLY the BEST cookies I have made. I have been looking for a thicker oatmeal cookie recipe forever and I am so thankful that you shared this one. I made them with chocolate chips and no nuts. My hubby hates nuts in cookies and I didn’t have any raisins. So good. I can’t wait to make them again with raisins and nuts this time. Thanks again!
My mother wanted a batch so here it goes! She is VERY critical of my baking so I hope this will impress her. I will let you know tomorrow how it goes. Holding my breath! LOL!!
For those asking about using whole wheat flour, I just made a batch using half whole wheat pastry flour and half all-purpose flour and they are really good! I don’t think I’d increase the ratio of whole wheat to AP, though.
I also added the zest of a large orange because I used cranberries instead of raisins.
delicious, my sons and I made them, one of my sons does not like raisins though so we made half the batch with raisins and half the batch with semi sweet chocolate chips and they were delicious but not as good as the raisin half. oh and whole wheat flower in them is good, it’s the only kind i use.
Amazing these were great!
I’m late to the party but thrilled to be here – these are GREAT!
And the use of all brown sugar is just brilliant. Such a simple thing but it makes such a huge difference. Yummy.
I ate something like this the other night but they featured dried cranberries, walnuts and chocolate chips. They were to die for.
You can say all you want about chocolate chip cookies, but NOTHING beats, oatmeal (made with rolled oats not quick cooking variety) with chocolate chips and walnuts.
And speaking of cc, I stopped by Bob’s Red Mill store, I live near THE outlet, and bought the most amazing semi sweet chocolate chips that I have ever tasted.
They make Hershey’s and Toll House pathetic in comparison.
They are so good, you could eat them like you would good quality chocolate.
I MUST use their organic rolled oats, walnuts, and those chocolate chips to make a batch of oatmeal cookies.
Well, I’m going to try these out on a large church group (300) and I will double the recipe. I’ll let you know how it goes. I always make the cookies on the lid of the Quaker Oatmeal box, and they’re just too brittle for me. These look very promising. It’s a send-off celebration for several people including a Chaplin who is off to Afghanistan.
I made a double batch which came to 4.5 dozen. VERY good. I will be making these again for a Ohio reserve unit in Afghanistan. They deploy very soon. Their Chaplin is a member of my church. Great cookies.
Well, you’ve really done it, thanks. Just when I’m trying to drop a few pounds, along comes this oatmeal raisin cookie recipe and it’s an instant classic. If I don’t get a batch at least once a month, I become terribly grumpy. What a condundrum to be in!
HOLY COW ARE THESE GOOD. OMG. make these. no seriously, like make them right now. i subbed walnuts for chopped pecans and toasted hazelnuts, and i used dark brown sugar instead of light – unbelievable! : )
These are delicious!!! I was craving chai cookies, so I ground up some cardamom seeds with some powdered ginger and cinnamon, and grated some orange zest in the mix for good measure. The fridge trick to get the perfect texture works wonders!
Made these this weekend…. they were fabulous!
I just made this recipe this evening and it was fantastic. I used dried cranberries instead of raisin. Yummy! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I love reading your recipes and comments. I see everyone else has loved the oatmeal raisen cookies. I was so taken with the recipe I decided to make it tonight and because I tend to guess at ingredient amounts, I put every single item in a little bowl and added as instructed. The cookies were the very worst cookies I had ever made. They are dry, tough and spread all thin on the cookie sheets.
What in the world could I have done wrong? I re read the recipe, then and again now and cannot see any flaw. I did increase the salt a bit but I measured everything. My oven has been tested many times. Wait. I melted a bit of the butter while forcing the softening but only a few tablespoons or so. Could that have made a difference? I am perplexed.
I made these the other day and shipped them to my Dad in Nebraska for Fathers Day because oatmeal raisin is his favorite. They really are stellar and I got a phone call shortly after the box arrived from my Mom, who said Dad can’t come to the phone right now to thank you because his mouth is full…
Hi! I made these last night and they were perfect! I was wondering if you know anything about substituting bananas or something else for the butter, just to make them a little healthier…but I’ve never done a substitution like that before so I don’t know the replacement ratio. Any ideas? Thanks!
These are sooo goood i used this recipe a while back, definitely thick and chewy :)
I’m happy to see your cookies resipe!I’m looking real American cookies from Japan!
I’m going to make this cookies!
Thank you very much!
This is the best oatmeal cookie EVER!!! I have to double it and they go quickly…
The only changes I have made are I add craisins instead of raisins. My daughter says they make perfect breakfast cookie! I agree.
This is the best oatmeal cookie recipe that I’ve tried, I love it. The consistency is wonderful! Thick and chewy – just like the name implies… just be sure that your dough doesn’t get too warm and your butter is softened, not melted, as mentioned in earlier comments.
Thanks so much for your wonderful site!
These were the worst. Followed the recipe just as written and they were flat. Paper thin. I will be UN-bookmarking this page!!
You know, these should come with a disclaimer. They are literally IMPOSSIBLE to stop eating.
I left out the cinnamon and subbed in 1c of craisins instead of raisins, and I used dark brown sugar. I’ve never been a fan of oatmeal raisin cookies at all, but these cookies are freaking incredible, especially when warm, gooey, and straight from the oven.
Gianna (commenter above) apparently did something very, very wrong. Thick, chewy, moist, and so delicious it’s ridiculous. Chilling the dough is KEY!
I must say, after reading all of these reviews I was very excited to try these cookies…and I am disappointed. Perhaps I did something wrong- the only thing I changed was the size of the cookies. They a a lot cakey-er than I expected and not very sweet. Any suggestions?
I made these to go in my mom’s birthday package this morning, and they are FANTASTIC. I substituted dark brown sugar because that’s what I have on hand, and they still turned out great. They’re thick and moist and gorgeous!
Great looking recipe trying it out now…
Used some brown rice flour (replacing part of the all purpose flour) and combined some precooked organic steel cut groats with 1 cup of raw organic steel cut oats.
Also separated the doubled recipe into three batches:
=>> one with walnuts and choc chips
=>> one with walnuts and raisins
=>> one with walnuts – no choc chips or raisins
Let you know how it came out…
Thanks for the recipe – nice web site by the way.
Michael
These really are fantastic. Instead of raisins, I added cranberries, white chocolate chips, and shredded coconut. I also cut down a bit on the cinnamon. They were super delicious! Thanks!!
Thank you for the recipe! I’ve followed it as is without any substitution. I’ve use it 3x now and the cookies come out moist and chewy every time.
These were delicious, very moist and chewy. I made the recipe without any changes.
People People . This is the bomb ass oatmeal cookie I always make. This site’s recipe is AWESOME.
grab raisins, chuck a lot of white chocolate chips, and cranberries. Add extra cinnamon. 1 cup old fashioned oats. 1/2 cup quick.
BEST EVER.
Made a big batch of these today and they came out amazing! This will definitely be my new go to recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies. My fiancee ate half the batch and is now in an oatmeal induced coma on the couch!
These are the best. Thanks for posting it. Obviously from all the comments, they are a hit. I like my oatmeal cookies chewy – even a few days later – these are perfect. I followed the recipe exactly. And the recipe make 2 dz large cookies – I used my cookie scoop – and still got 23.
I used a a half cup of oats and one cup granola becasue I was short. I also substituted slivered almonds for malnuts. They were fabulous!
i made these cookies last saturday, outstanding!
These were delicious. I made the half recipe and used golden raisins and some dried apricots and they were so good that I went ahead and made another batch and froze them. Now I can have fresh oatmeal raisin cookies anytime! Thanks!
These are insanely good! By far the best oatmeal raisin cookies I’ve ever had! Thank you so, so, so much :)
I made these with Chocolate Chips instead of Raisins and they were delicious with the extra Cinnamon I added! Think I will make them again today!
Made these today for a friend who was working a 14 hour shift, surprised her with a lunch care package! I substituted spelt flour for all purpose and omitted the vanilla as had run out but they were delicious! thanks
Awesome cookies! I LOVE Chewy Oatmeal Cookies, but couldn’t figure out how to get the recipe just right. Thank You!!!
These are the BEST oatmeal cookies! I used 1/2 raisins and 1/2 dried cranberries which I first soaked in hot water to plump, and also added a dash of mace. I made them for my husband, but wanted to try one myself…..ended up eating 5!!!!!!!
these turned out awesome. I added an extra 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger and 3/4 c. shredded carrot
*no nuts. i didn’t have any.
I was looking to make cookies with the ingredients I had at home, and glad I found this recipe. I really loved the cookies! Thank you.
These are what I was craving…thanks Martee for the tip about soaking raisins first
have just made these and they were delicious! I somehow need to make sure I dont eat them all before going over to my friends house…
I just used raisins and oats and it was beautiful.
thank you so much!
I wanted to make chewy oatmeal raisin cookies for my daughter’s snack day and I went straight to you for a recipe! You never fail to provide tastiness!! I exchanged craisians for the raisins and made them tiny. The kids loved the. One boy even told my daughter that her snacked, “rocked”. Ha! Thanks again for being my go-to girl!!
I’m making these tomorrow to take to my son who is in college…The true test…I’ll let you know how all his fraternity brothers liked them – believe it or not even with not so great food there, these guys are picky!
I just made these except I used half dried Cranberries half golden raisins instead of just plain raisins! So good and chewy; not dry at all! Loved them!
I just took the first Batch out of the oven. Fantastic they remind me of my Mom’s!
I found your site yesterday I’ll be back for more! Thanks. Can quick oats be substituted?
Jack — I don’t see why not.
I just made these last week. I’ve never made oatmeal raisin cookies before, but I had a co-worker ask me to make them for him. Everyone at work has been RAVING about them. I actually got asked to make them again this week. I also read somewhere that you should soak the raisins in hot tap water for 15 minutes so it doesn’t take the moisture from the batter. It definitely seemed to work. Thanks for the recipe! It really was awesome
I was searching for several different variations of cookies on an oatmeal theme and came across this recipe. Oh my, it sounds like the most fabulous oatmeal concoction! I do agree with at least one poster above…never hurts to add extra raisins. I defnitely will make these either tonight or tomorrow morning. A recipe that’s been around this long on an internet forum and is still being commented on currently bears trying! :)
Awesome! The whole family loves them!! Thank you soooooo much!!
I baked these cookies today and Im not sold on them. I used parchment paper and my oven started to smoke, so for the second batch I took it out. Both batched came out dry and poofy.
Ugh….THESE LOOK SO GOOD! I HATE YOOOOU! haha Just kidding..but now im craving oatmeal cookies and i have no oatmeal to make them with -.-
@jen. sounds like your oven isn’t calibrated properly.
Excited to make these as a surprise for my husband for his birthday tomorrow! It’s his FAVORITE cookie and I ONLY make cookies at Christmas time. The only trick is going to be how to talk myself out of making a batch for myself with chocolate chips instead of raisins!!!
Would butterscotch chips be able to substituted for the raisins to make oatmeal scotchies. I made the oatmeal raisin version and it got rave reviews. I am not a fan of them and I even thought they were good.
I made these today and they turned out AMAZING! Instead of the nuts I added additional raisins, and I doubled the amounts of cinnamon and vanilla. Mmmmm. So chewy, and bursting with sweetness. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe!
You know the cookies are good when it’s the first thing you make at five in the morning!
I just took the last batch of these out of the oven. I made them as a treat for my girlfriend and I over the weekend and they are amazing! :) We just recently moved into a “House-Apartment” and I had to borrow some vanilla extract from the family downstairs, but they didn’t seem to mind when they got a bag of cookies!
Anyways, a little nutmeg in the batch as well as some sprinkled sugar while they’re still hot were my small adaptions.
Thank you for this awesome recipe! I final have a blog I feel comfortable subscribing to for my cooking fancies.
I am going to make them right now! I think I will put craisins only and walnuts.. I will let you know how they turn out.
Hi Deb,
Do you think it would be possible to substitute oil for the butter? If so, how much oil should I use? I’d like to make these for someone with an allergy. Thank you!
Substituted the raisins with orange cranberries, and used rice flour instead of all purpose flour for a gluten-free cookie. Delicious!
I just made these cookies and they look just like the photo!! Thank you for the tip on putting them in the fridge! I also love other comments, especially Danielle for using rice flour!! Thanks again!!
Was looking for thick, chewy oatmeal cookies and found your recipe. Tried them and they are perfect! I made them large so this recipe only gave me 12 but one is the perfect snack. Thanks for the tip about chilling them!
I told my DH that I would bake up some chewy oatmeal cooikies, after he baked up some flat, boring oatmeal cookies last week. They just weren’t what I expected an oatmeal cookie to taste like. YOUR cookie recipe, however, was just what the doctor ordered! They’re chewy and chunky and just plain delicious! Just what I was looking for! I baked them last night and they’re almost gone! – DH had 5 and I had 4! :) I think I’ll have to double the recipe next time. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Another thing – I was really surprised how quick and easy this recipe was, from start to finish. It took me about 20 minutes to whip everything up. And clean- up was very fast too! Always a plus.
yum, again! and yes, we went the impatient route and baked them without chilling first. Thanks!
I made these tonight and my family loved them! Thank you. Highly recommended……
Greetings from Singapore! Am into baking recently, and wanted to try my favorite oatmeal raisin cookies! After looking thru some i found online, decided to try out using your recipe! Simple, easy to follow.. and of course, the results were good! But i find the cookies on the soft side though.. How do i make it more crispier or harder? Am going to have another go at it this weekend!
Just finished making these. I made them into extra large cookies with the intent of a grab and go breakfast. I’ve been craving bowls of oatmeal for breakfast but just don’t have time to make it before I go. These cookies are the best oatmeal raisin cookies I have ever tasted!
I just made these last night for my dad’s birthday and they turned out wonderfully. Thanks for the great recipe, Deb!
I bought a pizza stone yesterday (tried your fabulous pizza crust) and want to make these cookies as a gift this week, so I am wondering if you bake cookies on your stone? Currently, the lentils and squash are cooking for your recent spicy squash lentil salad. As you can see…..I’m a big fan. I just have not raved as you certainly deserve, because my goodness- you get 450 posts just about cookies! Thanks Deb. xoxo
Lindsay — I never have baked cookies on my stone. It might give them more browning/crust than needed but it’s hard to say. Absolutely worth trying and seeing how it works out for you. Would love to hear how it goes.
Ok Deb (or her followers) maybe you can solve this puzzle. I just baked the cookies on parchment on my stone and I think that was okay for them. My really, truly, amazingly baffling puzzle is why whenever I make any cookie they always come out flat and thin. I so wanted the thickness of these and thought it’d be the one. Nope. They look okay in the oven, but when I take them out they immediately deflate. This happens always. I’ve tried everything: new baking soda, chilling dough, softened butter vs. chilled butter, etc. I’m about to swear off baking cookies for the rest of my life! Thanks :) Lindsay
Lindsay — Check out this post.
wow these are really
I made sweet tamales the other weekend and had a mixture of raisins, chocolate chips and roasted walnuts left over, so I decided to use it for these oatmeal cookies. Yummmm!!! Just discoved this site and is officially my new BFF!!! :)
deb, i made a batch of these cookies last night for my sister who enrolled under a weight training program. she absolutely loved the chewy cookies! thanks deb for sharing with us your recipe.
You say that you cut back on the sugar from the Quaker Oats recipe? If you double your recipe to make it even with the Quaker Oats, You get one and one third cups of sugar. The recipe on the Quaker Oats box only uses one and one fourth cups. Your recipe uses more sugar than the Quaker Oats recipe. Just Saying!
Just made the richest, chewiest oatmeal raisen cookies EVER! They are my favorite cookie by far and your recipe is the best I’ve had..at least to my liking. Thanks!!!
These cookies are DELICIOUS!! And my favorite part.. Mix to finished baked cookies 1 hour! Thats even a double batch! Great recipe!!
I hopped on here and just made these! I used golden raisins and dried cranberries in place of the raisins – perfection!!! I even tried making a lower fat version with a butter substitute (I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter – Fat Free Spread) and they were delightful! They remained thick and chewy and didn’t spread out across the cookie sheet. Delicious!!!
I have never in my life made a cookie that was successful. I don’t know why – I follow a recipe exactly as someone gives it to me, and my cookies are always inedible. Well. I made yours! The first batch was ruined because they got overcooked (not by me, for once). I tried again – I cooked at 350 in a convection toaster oven for 8 mins and perfection!! I substituted chocolate chips for the raisins, and they are fabulous. Thank you so much – I love your website!
I made half of the batch with raisins for my mom and daughter and the other half with cinnamon chips for me and the hubby. I had to freeze the dough before I made and ate them all. The best oatmeal cookies ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I made them over the weekend for a house warming party and they were a huge success!!! Thanks so much for all the idea’s and suggestions! They came out fabulous. Thanks again!!! I will definitely be making them again soon!
Your pictures are pure FOOD PORN!!! I love it!!
i made these last week and they were amazing! i forgot raisins so i used dried blueberries instead, and my second batch had chocolate chips in them! i love love love your site! thanks for sharing :)
http://awkwardlychic.blogspot.com/2010/11/oatmeal-cookies-not-just-for-breakfast.html
I just made these cookies today for my husband and they turned out amazing! Thanks for sharing! I’ll be trying more of your recipes in the future.
-Dana
These are amazing…seriously the best oatmeal cookies I’ve ever had. I knew how good they’d be right when I tried the batter :) And the half recipe makes a perfect amount, it’s much too dangerous for me to make more than a couple dozen cookies at a time! Deb, your website is fantastic and everything I’ve made has turned out great. Keep up the good work!
I have always done the same thing (just did it 10 minutes ago) but my little trick is to make a full batch, and just prior to adding the raisins I divide the dough and make half raisin and the other half chocolate chip.
Then I bake up one cookie sheet of each and scoop the remaining dough onto a wax paper covered cookie sheet. I put the “extra” into the freezer until they are frozen then I put them into a vacuum bag. Saves me time next time I need a fix.
Has anyone tried mailing these? I want to send them to my grandson in China, so they’ll take a few weeks to get there. Any thoughts?
Mary Ann
Hi! I’m new to your site. I’ve been looking all over the Net for a good recipe of chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. Coz I’m gonna bake some for the first time today. I’ve always loved nice, chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. Back in Philippines, there is one bakeshop that has really, really good ones, but for some reason, I couldn’t find any chewy ones here in Singapore (or, perhaps, I didn’t look enough). So, I’m going to make some today with my 2-year-old daughter. And I’m gonna use your recipe. The amazing pictures you got of them simply won me over. :)
Simply scrumptious! We added about 1/2 cup of butterscotch morsels – and these are the best ever!
These oatmeal raisin cookies are wonderful!!! I love cookies and oatmeal raisin is usually my least favorite cookie but not after making these. I had a bunch of oats in my pantry that I wanted to use. I’m so glad I found this recipe and your website.
I could never find a recipe for Soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. Mine always got too hard. I am going to try this recipe for the Christmas holidays. I always soak my raisins in hot water. I was told this keeps the raisins soft when baked.
Love the cookies,but I soaked the Raisins in Brandy for one hour first Even better
So good :) Best Oatmeal raisin cookies EVER! :D
I just came here to check the recipe really quick (my mom is making these among her yummy Christmas cookie plates to give away) and I can’t believe how many comments it’s still getting, almost two years later!!
PS: I’m due in March and I’m sooo baking your cream cheese brownies to bring to the hospital to “sweeten up” my nurses. Can’t wait!
Great recipe, for a different twist I use almond extract (same amount) instead of vanilla… yummmmmy.
Ok, these are the best cookies EVER!!!!! Perfect portioned, yummy, and easy= Happy me and happy others!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for allowing me the privilege of shocking my female friends and family when I make these. I use your recipe with sliced almonds instead of walnuts and I use old fashioned oats instead of the smaller oats. So far, I’ve gotten comments like, “These are the best cookies I’ve ever had!” and “I can’t believe you made these! They are so good!!!” Just a side note, I love to cook but as a 34 year old former football player, it’s a little surprising to friends that see me bringing out a batch of these bad boys and hearing them go on and on about how great they are. Thank you and great recipe!
I’m in the process of making these right now. Just took out the first batch and tasted one. Perfect! I used a melon baller and didn’t fill the scooper. Dropped dough about the size between a quarter and half dollar. Cookies are two inches in diameter. Wonderful. Love it. I love cinnamon so was more liberal.
love ’em:-) we make them regularly, and have for several months:-) this is now my go to recipe for oatmeal raisin. have some in the oven right now, on this snowy day. thanks:-)
This recipe was the first smittenkitchen recipe that I ever tried. It is also the reason I keep coming back! Oatmeal raisin cookies have always been my favorite and this is hands down the best recipe that I have ever made. Thank you so much for your continuously delicious recipes!
While I have another batch of these wonderful cookies in the oven, thought I’d add my two cents worth.
These are the easiest, softest cookies I have ever had. Even my picky cookie eater friend asked when I was making more. Made double batch last week and they were gone in a day! Only thing I did was omit the nuts and added a little more of the raisins.
Thanks for a great recipe.
I suggest boiling the raisons in an equal amount of water for 3 min’s first, then let cool b’for adding to dough mixture, releasing an amazingly tasty raisony flavor.
New to baking, I’ve been searching for easy to make and delicious to eat recipes. These are hands down my favorite oatmeal raisin cookies. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. Then I went on to try your favorite chocolate chip cookies and the peanut butter cookies. All winners. Thanks for blogging!
I baked these for a cookie swap….they didn’t make it! They are by far, the best oatmeal cookie I have ever baked. I took the 6 that were left to work and the first one to taste them hid the rest and asked if I could bake more! I am in the kitchen this moring baking a double batch. Thanks for the blog!
what is the best way to store these cookies after they are baked?? I want them to stay as yummy as they are right out of the oven! Thanks
wow, they are so easy to make/bake. i have just finised baking and tasted first one:-) same as Stacy, I am wondering how to store them to keep them soft and chewy. Any tips?
Airtight container is your best bet. They’ll probably get initially a little softer, then firm up a few days later.
We just made these cookies for Santa. They were very delicious and we had to hold back from eating them all. Even our 2 year old said, “Santa doesn’t need cookies. Let’s eat them.” One question for you…they did turn out flat and I’m wondering if the Seattly rain and humidity might be the cause. Any thoughts on counteracting this, if this is the culprit?
P.S. I love your blog. My favorite dessert post is the Chocolate Stout Cake. I like to serve it with Deborah Madison’s Warm Cherry Sauce (using black cherries) and homemade whipped cream. Ahhhhhh.
Just made these and they’re disappearing really quickly! Since we didn’t have brown sugar, nor molasses, I started mixing up your recommended one cup white sugar with 1.5 tbsp maple syrup I had on in. Since maple syrup didn’t really darken the colour that much, I ended up blending 2.5 tbsp maple syrup. Not only did this new concoction smell awesome, it fluffed up two about two cups adulterated sugar, of which I used two thirds cup per the recipe. It baked up more than perfectly post-fridge-chilling for 12 minutes in my oven. Since we’re actually pacing out the holiday over-eating half of the batch is being flash frozen in scoops to be baked at a later date… likely tomorrow morning for a *cough* “healthy” *cough* breakfast. Thanks Deb!
I tried these because they sounded soooo good! I added a little mace (because I was out of nutmeg) and some dried orange peel. These are WONDERFUL cookies! I can’t believe it, but they are actually better the day after (packaged air-tight, of course)! Thank you so much! They are thick, chewy, and even better than I thought!
Thanks for this wonderful recipe–not only are they incredibly delicious, but my house smells wonderful and my roommates are much more friendly than usual!
Made these for my boyfriend- they’re delish! I added a little molasses and some extra flour since I was feeling frisky. This recipe’s a keeper!
I simply love this recipe when i pulled them out of the oven the smelled so good. This was my first time making oatmeal cookies and they turned out perfect. Im definately going to make these again
THANKS FOR THIS RECIPE! My sister and I were in a baking mood since we were snowed in here in NYC, and were craving oatmeal raisin cookies. I can’t have regular flour, so we did 1/2c whole wheat flour and 1/4c regular all purpose flour. Also, cause I can’t have a lot of sugar, we used a splenda brown sugar blend instead of sugar/brown sugar. We used the suggestion to soak the raisins in water for a bit (used golden raisins) and it was such a good idea! We also used smart balance margarine instead of butter or oil. These turned out soooo good and so very very filling. We didn’t need dinner after we made these delicious chewy morsels last night. THANKS AGAIN!!!
I just made these and they’re awesome! I panicked when I noticed that I was out of vanilla extract – but thought I’d try my luck with almond, instead. It worked great. They’re just like I like my oatmeal cookies- slightly crunchy on the outside, slightly chewy on the inside. Thanks!
Amy from Dallas, TX
the dough’s sitting in the fridge now as i type. this is the first time im making cookies… i loooooove the smell of cinnamon and my husband loves raisins… this recipe is so easy especially for begginers like me. maybe next time ill throw in some dried berries. hhmmmmm?
Do I have to have parchment? I want to make these cookies but I do not have the parchment..and I have no car right now so I can’t go buy any!
You can butter the baking sheet, but you do risk the cookies spreading more. Not always a terrible thing, some people prefer them thinner than shown.
Oh my goodness, these cookies are 100% delicious! I am impatient… :D so I didn’t freeze them, but baked them right away. They were awesome! I doubled the recipe b/c I have 3 boys with bottomless pits for stomachs, and it was a huge hit! I was a tad disappointed b/c I am counting calories to lose some weight and these cookies came out to about 95 calories each. However, most delicious things are… *shrugs* I will see if I can cut out some of the calories without losing their greatness. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
I make this recipe all of the time!!! the only thing that I’ve modified is adding some flax seeds. Thanks!
This recipe is great! The smell intoxicated more than a few guests who came over ;)
Nice recipe! I did double the recipe (holy 5 dozen cookies, Batman) because I was planning on taking some to work, but after tasting them, forget it! :) I substituted cranberries for raisins and added pecans. YUMS! :)
these were perfection! i overcooked them slightly, so they were a tad crispier on the bottom than intended, but that was just my mistake. the dough was incredibly easy to prepare & i had most of the ingredients in my cabinet already. they were gooey in the middle, chewy, thick, & had a delicious, addictive flavor! i did put them in the fridge for about 10 minutes before baking and i feel like it definitely made a difference. thank you for the recipe! i’ll be using this again & again.
These were great! Fantastic combination of sugar, flour, and butter. Makes a great batter. Also love your chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, which we added butterscotch chips, raisins, coconut, and walnuts..we called them “monster” cookies : )
Hello! I’ve been making these cookies for my dance students to give them lots of energy during rehearsals since I discovered your site just over a year ago now and they (and I) LOVE them! Thanks!
I was looking for an incredible oatmeal cookie recipe but I will admit that I have been disappointed in the past when finding recipes online that claimed to be one thing but had the turn out of something else. When I read that this baker was very picky about her cookies, I felt that this could be the recipe I was looking for. I followed the directions to a T and these are the BEST cookies I have ever made. They are exactly what they are claimed to be. They are thick, chewy and absolutely have an ADDICTIVE flavor you almost can’t get enough of. I recommend this recipe to anyone who is looking for a great oatmeal cookie recipe. I made them with dried cranberries in the first batch and raisins in the second and both were fantastic. I didn’t use nuts, but that is just a preference. I strongly recommend and hope you enjoy these as much as I did! This is now my forever recipe when it comes to oatmeal cookies! Thank you so much for sharing it!
i love oatmeal cookies but i do not have a taste for raisin so i substituted crushed heath bar instead, and they came out phenomenal! :]
Someone special to me requested “chewy” oatmeal cookies and I’m so glad I found/tried your recipe first! It will be my go-to from now on! I baked them for Christmas and again for their birthday. They said these cookies would “make you forget a gunshot wound!” I took a few to work and my boss said he thought they were “professionally made” from a gourmet bakery in one of our posh shopping districts! My only addition was butterscotch chips to make them into “Oatmeal Scotchies.” I found the first batch too sweet, so I cut back on the chips the next time. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
I love this recipe! My husband and I make them disappear pretty quickly. Very easy to make. Today I substituted 1/4 cup of cocoa powder in lieu of flour. They are in the fridge right now!
Just made these cookies and they turned out fabulous! I made two slight alterations; pecans in stead of walnuts and I added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. They turned out great! Thanks for the recipe :)
I have been making these cookies for almost a year now and every time, they come out delicious. LOVE THESE!
I was wondering, it doesn’t say, how long do you refrigerate the dough and what size are you using for a scoop?
Oatmeal raisin is my favorite cookie! I made these last night with walnuts, and I am so impressed. It had the perfect texture. I put the first pan in without cooling because I was anxioius to try one. I put the second pan in after cooling the batter in the refrigerator. I could tell the difference. This recipe will forever be THE OATMEAL RAISIN recipe that I will use! I do wonder, however if anyone knows the substitution for all purpose white flour for a wheat blend flour? I am trying to eliminate bleached foods from my diet. Thank you.
Melanie – you don’t say which came out better – haha!
Can we say AWE-SOME!!! Delicious!! I’m not usually a fan of oatmeal raisin cookies, I love my chocolate chip! lol! However….I just think I might could take this over the chocolate chip if it was an option! So much better than ANY I’ve had before! Soft, chewy, not hard or crunchy! Absolutely amazing! Thanks! I have some extra batter from tonight that I plan on having tomorrow after dinner. That time can’t come soon enough! lol! ;)
Awesome cookies! This will be the recipe my family uses from now on. I made this recipe exactly as written on Monday, and today I will be making a double batch to share with friends. My husband said they were the best cookies he’s ever had. As far as cookies go, the oatmeal and raisins make these a healthy treat! I would totally eat these for breakfast.
Interesting recipe. I clicked on it while looking for a recipe for dry, crunchy cookies. There was a time, I think, when cookies were meant to be anything but chewy. And then the corporations began to advertise chewy cookies, just like when Mom pulled them hot from the oven. I want mine to be like Mom’s, so forgive me, but this old lady will keep on looking. Maybe later.
I made these the other night and they were the best I have ever made. My Husband loved them!
My Mother-in-Law loves this sweet homemade treat…. Instead of all purpose flour I use whole wheat flour. I also add a combination mix of cranberries, raisins, walnuts and dark chocolate chunks…. OMG! Can you say Mouth-gasm… LOL!
My daughter & I just got done making these oatmeal raisin cookies & they are amazing! Thank You!
I just made these yesterday, and they were amazing. I usually tweak here in there with most recipes, but in this case there was absolutely no need. Fantastic!
Just made these minus the walnuts and only 1/2 cup raisins, used whole grain flour, didn’t chill dough in frig and WOW! I really like the lower sugar content, they are plenty sweet especially with the raisins, didn’t have parchment paper just put on a regular old baking sheet. Came out fluffy and not too chewy with the bottoms browned. Thanks for filling the crave!
My daughter and just made a batch of these and they are AWESOME!!!!!! Thanks for the recipe!!!!!!
Absolutely delicious, and very forgiving!! Love the idea of freezing them to make them chewier… makes such a difference!!
Thanks :)
Absolutely awesome! Since I don’t eat butter or dairy products in general, besides organic eggs, I substituted the butter with Earth Balance (it’s basically an olive oil based margarine). The true test will be my husband who is outside shoveling AGAIN – we live in the Northeast. Oatmeal Raisins are his favorite.
I couldn’t wait…the cookies were fantastic! Our daughter doesn’t like raisins so she asked me to put some dough aside and she added semi sweet chocolate chips. The ten year old got a hold of them first and replied, “these are really, really good, and they have oatmeal in them?” The fifteen-year-old reponse, “they’re good!” So, two thumbs up from the kids! My husband’s response, “I had ten.”
p.s. (I also substitute white whole wheat flour and my family has no idea. Hee…hee..hee…)
i love it when i google for recipes and find myself here. your blog was the first one i really started reading on a regular basis (a year or so ago, now!), I’m surprised I didn’t think to come check here first. i’m gonna try these sans-rasins… or chocolate ships… hopefully it works out just as tasty!
I’m pretty sure I’ve made these before, but it’s probably been awhile. Decided to make them yesterday, but then realized I was out of vanilla. Was wondering if it would be okay to leave it out, when I realized I had, what might be, a suitable substitute…..Green Apple Smirnoff. I happened to have a mini bottle on hand.
Oh my goodness. I don’t think I’ll ever use the vanilla again. I used 1 tsp. (for the half batch), but would probably use 1 1/2 tsp. next time for even more flavor.
You’ve gotta try it!
I’ve been on a diet for the last 24 days, and I discovered your blog on day two. I’ve read and reread probably 100 of your incredible recipes each day, and eating/cooking vicariously through you has been such a pleasure. I’m crazy about everything! Today, I caved, and I made these. Heaven. Utterly incredible. I didn’t make a single change to the recipe because diet baked goods are sad. Using a 1 tbs scoopthingy, I got 32 intoxicating, blissful little morsels out of the deal, at 75 calories a pop. Thank you so much for sharing your smashing recipes.
I was searching for an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe to bake for my husband & came across this one. They looked sooo yummy in the pictures & had such great reviews from everyone, so I decided to go ahead and try to make them tonight (11:30). BUT…….mine didn’t turn out good at all =( It looks like they completely melted…they arent crispy but they a flat & as big around as pancakes, not edible at all!! I followed the recipe exactly but here are a few things I wonder may have been the problem: I used nonstick foil instead of parchment paper, I only let them chill in the freezer for about 10 minutes, & I think I’ve had that baking soda for a good while now. Would any of those things cause that???? The picture looks so awesome, I’d love to be able to make my husband something that looked like that!!
hey! great recipie!! can I make it without using the egg or is it needed to bind the mixture??
Made these twice this week and boy were they a hit with everyone who tried them! I had to soak my raisins in hot water for five minutes, and chilling the dough in the fridge definitely helped the cookies to turn out thicker. In my experimentation I discovered that I needed to cook the cookies for 11 minutes. Love these! I will try the whole wheat flour next time.
this is the 2nd time i made these doubling the recipe, and i’ve always combined your recipe with the one adapted from Flour by Joanne Chang: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/10/oatmeal-raisin-cookies-recipe-flour/
and the cookies are amazing!
i like yours because it has more oatmeal, and i like hers because it has the nutmeg & the added steps to baking the cookies such as fluffing the butter & sugar, flattening it before baking, rotating and tapping it down with a spatula midway through cooking.
i think the 2 combined=perfect cookie!
these are the best cookies ever the batch makes about the same as the chocletchip ones on the bag thank you thank you thank you
Well I let them sit in the freezer over night & cooked them on parcment paper. They turned out the same =( The only other thing would have been the baking soda. They just looked like I hadn’t put any flour in them at all. I’m so dissapointed…I usually do really good with baking desserts. Guess I’ll try again.
These are the best ever! I have even added Choclate chips and craisens. You really found the best oatmeal cookie ever!
My husband loved these! I doubled the recipe and made a larger cookie. I also used dates instead of raisins. Will definitely keep this recipe handy!
I’m sure you have heard this quite a bit but I honestly dont like oatmeal raisin cookies but my boss requested that I make them and I had to listen. Anyway, these are delicious…i added the 1/2 tsp of salt like you suggested and i think it probably makes the difference since I like my baked goods to have that hint of salt. I think i might try white chocolate chips and lessen the amt of white sugar next time. Thanks :)
I made these last night with gluten free flour. They came out awesome! My family is saying they are the best cookies ever. Thanks for the recipie!
I have been making these every couple of weeks and freezing the balls of dough so I can bake a couple here and there for my kids. They are perfect! I have done several variations, including white chocolate/cranberry/walnut, blueberry/dark chocolate and apricot/pecan. They have all turned out awesome. What a great, adaptable recipe!
My boyfriend and I call each other “smitty” because I told him I was smitten with him after a few months of dating. I want to make him oatmeal raisin cookies because smitty likes to eat, and the first site I googled was Smitten Kitchen!!!! I cannot wait to make these, even though im better at cooking dinner than baking. But its sooooo worth a try!!!
Heavenly! We were out of oats (The dog ate them, believe it or not!), but I had a bag of locally milled 7-grain cereal so I opted for that. Probably not the perfect texture, but they still taste amazing.
As close to perfection as I’ve tasted. Made them yesterday (Valentine’s Day), following your recipe to the letter. Thank you!!
Well, I got to baking these in between studying for class on Sunday (Feb 13)… Good stuff.. Thanks kindly
I’ve made these several times with semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of raisins and walnuts and they are very good. I made some yesterday with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries – YUMMY!
Doubled the cinnamon, added 1/4 teaspoon of cloves and sprinkled in some nutmeg for a little spice – everyone loves them.
I made these cookies and they were the best i’ve ever had or made……i added about 1/4 cup chocolate chips to them and made they a bit sweeter…….yummm…..amazing cookies!!!! I am 13 years old and i love to bake (only) i don’t cook just bake and all my cookies have gone hard after the next day but these were amazing and hardy great fast breakfast…. or snack…..thanx so much for the recipe….. if i’m 13 and i can make them than anyone has to be able to make these cookies…….:D
Major fail on my part! I used Whole Wheat Flour, they came out really really dry. Also my brown sugar was old/rock solid, tried softening it, so probably had less than required. Ugh! Lesson learned, baking is exact, can’t substitute too much. Well, I was able to ball up a few to freeze. The rest went into a container, I’ll bake it and have it as a topping for vanilla ice cream. I made these cookies last year and they were so good, so i know how great they are!
Thanks- these were great, I’m the only one who likes raisins around here (at least in cookies) so we used c.c.’s instead…. also used white whole wheat flour instead of white (my new fav. substitute, I use it in all things that require flour!) and they were perfect! almost gone now, 36 hours later (and we doubled the recipe…)
I just want to say how absolutely delicious these cookies are! I am not usually a big oatmeal cookie eater but these cookies are awesome and I can’t get enough of them. So thanks for sharing!
I just made these but doubled the recipe and added dried cranberries and white chocolate morsels. Not only does my house smell amazing but they are by far the best oatmeal cookies I have had and made!
I just made these cookies and instead of 2/3 cup brown sugar, I used 1/3 brown sugar and a little less than 1/3 of a cup of agave nectar since I ran out of brown sugar. Other than that I followed it exactly. They are yummy but a little dry. could this be the agave?
Could be. Sugar adds moisture.
Hi I just made a batch of these and split it, half got raisins added and the other half got dried dates cut up added. Both are totally YUMMY!
Thanks for posting this!
These cookies are sooo delicious!!! Yesterday I tried something a little different with them. I made the homemade oreo cream filling, and put it between two of these oatmeal cookies (minus the raisins) to make some really delicious oatmeal cream pies!!! WOW!!! Highly recommend it!!! Thanks again Deb!!!
O. M. G. Why, oh, why did I only make 1/2 batch? These are AMAZING. I, too, have struggled for years with oatmeal cookies. The only way I could get them to stay even semi-soft was to add chopped apples. These stay nice and chewy (at least as far as breakfast :) the next day). I soaked the raisins in the egg and vanilla, as per some readers’ suggestions. I added a bit of fresh nutmeg, but no nuts. Deb, your site is wonderful; you are truly gifted as a chef, photographer and writer. I am hooked! Thanks again.
I LOVE oatmeal raisin cookies and I’ve finally found the perfect recipe. I will never buy ready-to-bake or packaged oatmeal raisin cookies again. Thanks a bunch!
ABSOLUTE PERFECTION!!!!!!!! Thick….chewy…loaded with raisins and the flavors are all perfectly balanced with each other. This is without a doubt the best oatmeal raisin cookie I have ever eaten. I urge you to go make a batch…NOW!
I made these cookies and they were really good. They turned out thick; like small cakes so I think next time I will try to press them a little more so I get a less dense cookie. Don’t take me wrong, it is a great cookie and you can really feel the oatmeal and it’s not overly sweet.
Made my first batch tonight… very delicious! Thank you so much.
i love this recipe! i usually skip the raisins and replace them with 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots, 1/2 cup dried cherries and 1/2 cup dried blueberries. i use 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup sliced almonds. and i must admit that i add in 1 cup of ghiradelli dark chocolate chips!!! they’re my super charged energy-boosting cookies!!! great when we go on long bike rides to keep the fuel charged thanx for all that you do!!!…you are my go-to recipe site!!! ;-)
The.best.oatmeal.cookie.ever.
Making batch #2 tonight.
I am not sure but they did not stay together they melted all over the pan and turned out really funky??? I must have done something wrong?! Tasted great but didn’t cook right at all lol.
I bake these all the time and they ALWAYS come out superb! I also like the cookies more on the salty side. Great hit with my friends and colleagues. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!!
I love these cookies! i have some in the oven right now! whenever i make oatmeal cookies i make these! my whole family loves them!!! thanks for posting it!
I find these oatmeal cookies quite a delight! I went ahead an doubled the amount too and in my house there gone quick! I love the recipe! Happy Baking!
Oh and another thing I totally missed the vanilla extract, but even so still very good.
I will be adding that in the next batch for sure!
These cookies are AWESOME!! My husband said that they might be his favorite cookie ever, this from a man who doesn’t like walnuts, let alone oatmeal raisin cookies! Thanks for making me look like a great baker! Thanks for sharing!
Lovvveded this recipe. I soaked my raisins before I used them and added nutmeg. Scrumptous. They don’t spread very wide but they come out good. Nice and chewy. Keeper.Thx
Oh my God, Deb, these are insane. I used Trader Joe’s raisin/cherry/cranberry/blueberry mix and added chocolate chips, because I can’t help myself, and now I can’t stop eating them.
My first batch is in the oven! I did sub 50% whole wheat flour for the flour (only because I accidentally ordered whole wheat flour instead of regular with my groceries this week). My 2 year old is chanting “EAT IT UP!” and can’t wait to try them!
the 50-50 whole wheat substitution is a yummy success!
thanks :) these were so good, i ended up doubling the recipe. i thought i’d have too many cookies but they vanished amongst friends in just 2 days. i definitely agree that freezing them or at chilling in fridge for a few hours is a must to bake better plumper cookies. these came out perfect..i’ve made oatmeal raisin before, but this time, everyone said they were the best they’d ever had and please make more :) thanks!
I made these this afternoon and they turned out wonderful!! I made a couple of alterations though. I used whole wheat flour instead of white flour and whole grain oats instead of rolled oats. I was a little worried at first because they seemed like they were not moist enough when I mixed them, but after baking they were perfect!! This is definitely my new go-to recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies!! Thanks!
I followed this recipe to a T except I used dark brown sugar and added some chocolate chips.
they turned out amazing and better than any storebought oatmeal cookies I’ve ever had.
thanks!
Resending my comment earlier today to correct a typo (backing powder instead o packing powder…)
—
Today I baked these great cookies per the original recipe but with the following changes:
-Replaced half of the butter with honey to reduce fat
-Replaced half the amount of raisins with cranberry raisins to add a little bitter taste. I stirred the raisins into the separate dry bowl right after the flour for a more even distribution.
-Replaced half of the baking soda with backing powder
The cookies came out great; as chewy and tasty as the original recipe but a little sweeter, and spongier.
I loved the cookies and put raisinets for my chocolate sweet tooth. They were amazing!!!
These are great! Just the right amount of cookies!
Making these today! Modifying by putting in dried cherries instead of raisins in half the batch. Thanks for another great recipe.
I added 2 tablespoons Flax meal to increase the nutritional value (omega 3s). Adds a slightly nuttier flavor that goes well with the oats and nuts.
did you know that your recipe came up NUMBER ONE on google for oatmeal raisin cookies?!? that’s so fantastic! congrats! and i’m currently baking this recipe and already IN LOVE with the cookie dough! love your blog so so much!
Oh. My. Gosh. Just baked a batch of these and no joke, these are like a gift from heaven or something. I have never made such delicious cookies in my ENTIRE LIFE. Thank you so, so, so much Debs!
OMG, I just made these and they are pure heaven. The dough is surprisingly thick – I made these into little balls of though and they didn’t spread at all (I chilled the dough in the fridge first). They are wonderfully moist inside – YUM.
I used 1/4 of a cup of dried cranberries (I ran out of raisins), the zest of an orange (which I find to be great addition, but I’m obsessed with all things orange), and soaked my raisins in tea for a bit – my grandma used to do this, and if you use good tea, the raisins take on this amazing flavour. Rum would work too.
also added some walnuts – and this is my new favourite oatmeal cookie recipe.
Btw, this is my first comment, but I really like your blog!
Half a batch? This was delicious, but not nearly enough – I would strongly recommend doubling this recipe, especially if sharing with others!
Hi,
I made them yesterday. chilled the dough in the fridge firt..so they didnt spread at all. but the bottom kind of got a bit brownish while the top had the color of the dough…it tasted good…was soft…..but not chewy.i mean nothing like you know the chewy naught. is that how it is supposed to be? but it tasted really good though.
Hands down, THE BEST oatmeal raisin cookie recipe!!!
Have a batch of these in the oven right now, used dried cherries from our trees, pecans and dark chocolate chips. I don’t know about the cookies but the dough ROCKED!
I’ve searched for the perfect oatmeal raisin recipe for years and the Quaker one was the only thing that seemed to come close to the type of cookie I like. However, it always seemed to lack something I could never put my finger on. Reading this post/recipe gave me hope! I’ve always been more of a brown sugar fan so it makes sense to only use that, and I totally agree that an oatmeal cookie can never have enough raisins. I loved the idea of chilling the dough as well – the only thing I was unsure of was how long to chill the dough? For the first batch I just let the dough chill while I caught up on a little TV, so about 30 min. I rolled enough cookies for my two baking pans then put the dough back in the fridge to wait for a free oven. The only real difference I noticed was the last batches definitely took several more minutes to bake up.
Finally getting to taste these little suckers though – oh my WORD. Seriously, all of these reviews don’t even begin to describe how amazing these cookies are! Thank goodness I’m taking all the extras I have to share at work, otherwise I would probably eat the entire doubled batch myself!
Yes, lots of raisins! And walnuts!! I used Earth Balance soy butter, Trader Joes whole grain cereal (mostly oatmeal) and chinese 5 spice (instead of straight cinnamon). I only chilled them 5 minutes, they were still nice and plump. They are delicious, I better give some away or I will eat them all today!!
OHHH my! These are wonderful cookies! Not too sweet but sweet enough and the salt combo is great! Thank you!!!
OMG i made these cookies they are amazing…..love them
I think this is the recipe I used to make oatmeal raisin cookies last week. They are perfect.
Great recipe! I freeze the scooped dough and just pop them into the oven for a few extra minutes. I gave dozens of frozen unbaked cookies as Christmas gifts.
I made these with whole wheat flour. I was worried because the batter was nasty, but the cookies were soooooooo goood! I ate too many and I want more!
Best tasting oatmeal cookies ever!
lovely! stumbled across this page and made my first ever attempt on baking, and it was wonderful!
Hello,
Have you ever thought of having this forum in reverse. ie) most recent postings at the top? I guess it’s a matter of preference. I’m just baking this recipe right now. Can’t wait to try them!
Nice site.
I made these last night with chopped almonds instead of walnuts and white sugar instead of brown (didn’t have any), and the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Baked for 11 minutes, these are chewy perfection!
Wow ! Just made these this afternoon……AWESOME! Love the cookies. Thanks!!
I see I’m a little late to the party on this one but I made these yesterday and WOW. Totally with you on the more-salt-in-baked-good-is-better camp. Thanks!
Just made these. Absolutely delicious. I doubled the recipe because they’re for a bake sale and it made exactly 5 dozen when I scooped with my 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop. These are amazing!
I just made these last week and they are perfect! They vanished in 2 days. Thanks for a great chewy cookie recipe.
I just made these for a potluck, and of course I sampled them before taking them… they are great!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
These are so delicious! I read your post about how to troubleshoot your cookies from spreading… and this is the first batch of cookies I’ve made in years that hasn’t spread out on me… Thank you!
Wow, these are seriously good cookies. I am not a big fan of oatmeal raisin cookies, but as I had an abundance of both raisins and oatmeal, I gave them a shot. The other reviews are right, these rock. I followed the suggestion to chill them before baking and it worked; they were exactly toasty on the edges and looked slightly doughy after 11 minutes. It’s Day 2 and they are extremely moist and chewy (yet hold together well). The only adjustment I made to this recipe was to use 1 and 1/2 cups golden raisins since that is what I had on hand. With this adjustment, my batch made 32 cookies, which I have shared with my roommate and co-workers. I can’t wait to try some more recipes on this site!
I was really craving some oatmeal raisin cookies but hate when they are too thin and crisp. I love a really chewy cookie with loads of raisins and hint of saltiness. These oatmeal raisin cookies were exactly what I was craving. I made them rather large because they seemed like a good pre or post workout snack on the run. I made them exactly as the recipe instructed except I used half golden and half regular raisins. I plan on making them again but adding the walnuts and substitute the raisins for craisins. Note: I used gluten free rolled oats in case you have a gluten allergy and they turned out really nice. Also, as the creator of the site says, take them out when they are golden on the outside almost underdone looking on top and let them rest. I tried a test batch without doing this and they turned out good but best with her recommendation. Happy Cooking!
Would this recipe work for white chocolate cranberry cookies? I want a more chewy texture than a crispy one.
uh-mazing. you are absolutely right about the chewy centre. i’ve wanted to bake biscuits forEVA…. and never succeeded….. this recipe is SO totally idiot-proof. they turned out great ! i have now made several variations on your base and i couldn’t be happier ! thanks ;)
So I made your oatmeal raisin cookies last night and they were amazing! The best cookies I have ever made! I will definitely be putting the recipe in my recipe box! Thanks a bunch!
I am making these for the second time tonight. I love them. I like how one of the post said ‘idiot-proof’ recipe. This is one of the main reasons I love your blog:) Is there anyway to make these with less butter. Maybe use some sort of substitute like apple sauce or just use less? I am not really a cook so I have no idea what would work here.
Your cookie recipe is so much like mine I was inspired to bake yesterday and add more goodies. I plumped the raisins in warmed triple sec and drained well . I added 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots to the chopped pecans then chilled all before baking. The cookies were pretty, chewey and delicious. I had so much more than the two dozen that I now have frozen cookies on call for baking. I love your blog and Julia Child style and passion for tweaking foodstuffs.. and you are so young… Thanks.
Hello Smitten: I have 5 adult ‘kids’ and every time they bake and I get a sample, they say “Oh I got the recipe from Smitten Kitchen.” There was once a time when they would ask their old mother for a recipe, I’ve been officially replaced.
My dearest daughter brought over a small bag of oatmeal cookies that only had small chocolate chips, but she used your recipe. All my previous attempts at baking oatmeal cookies (including Quakers recipes) made flat lacey cookies that got crispy and crumbled when they cooled. I need to bake a freeze alot of stuff before having major surgery, I plan to make a small mountain of these with fruit/walnuts and hope your reputation for excellence is worthy of booting me off my throne!( Love your website BTW).
I love, love, love your site! I used this recipe the other night for a dinner party I hosted and everyone RAVED. I made a few small changes, though that I can recommend:
-I doubled the cinnamon and the vanilla.
-I used whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose.
-I threw 1/4 cup of ground flax seed in there for extra fiber.
-I replaced 2 tbsp of butter with 2 tbsp of coconut oil.
I just tried this recipe last night (added the walnuts) and it was just what I was craving! So yummy, thick, and chewy, everything I love in an oatmeal cookie….I will definitely be using this recipe again!!
Making these today for my wife as this is her favorite cookie , will follow recipe to the letter. I will post soon once they are baked. thanks!
A local restauranteur serves an oatmeal cookie with coffee whipped cream for dessert at her restaurant. The cookies are also available at the local farmer’s market and a few other sources. I love the cookies, but they’re expensive. I decided to try and make them. I do think she’s changed the ingredients a little over the last year. When I first had them I remember raisins, chocolate chips, coconut and possibly pecans as well as walnuts. Now it’s just coconut and pecans.
I googled “soft oatmeal cookies” and yours was one of the first recipes listed. I omitted the cinnamon, substituted coconut for the raisins and pecans for the walnuts. I added the half teaspoon of salt, plus just a pinch more (because she said in an interview that she always added a pinch more salt than necessary).
These were nearly identical to those I’ve purchased. I’m so pleased! Thanks for another great recipe.
I just baked these cookies and my word, they are YUM!!!!!!
I’ve never baked such an awesome batch of oatmeal raisin cookies so thank you VERY much!
Tbh I didn’t have any baking soda, so I subbed baking powder for it. That was 2 tspns of baking powder for the 1/2 tspn of baking soda. They’re still spectacular ;)
Thanks again!!! :)
p.s. the house smells so good n I baked even though I’m currently based in Saudi Arabia where the temperature goes up to 50 degrees C. So worth it ;)
This was the first time I’ve baked anything from your site. I was intrigued to find out for myself what all the fuss was about after reading “I have very specific tastes in oatmeal raisin cookies” and “my oatmeal raisin cookies demand their own texture” :)
One batch of cookies later, I just want to say this recipe is fabulous!!! Baked these for some guests and they were all gone in a flash (the cookies, not the guests)! The cookies were absolutely delicious, this definitely won’t be my last time making them :)
I did tweak the recipe a bit though, adding 2 teaspoons each of vanilla extract and cinnamon powder, as well as increasing salt to a teaspoon. Also substituted raisins with cranberries and added pecans and choc chips to the mix. Heavenly!
Thanks for such a brilliant recipe! Will most certainly be trying out another soon (and expecting the same scrumptious results!!!)
OMg.. Best cookies EVER!!! Thank you…
yummy with some orange zest and rolled multigrain cereal replacing rolled oats.
These are the absolute best oatmeal cookies out there! My dad, who is not a big sweets eater, inhaled half a dozen in mere minutes. He even surprised himself! Guess what he requested for his 60th birthday party?
These are great, my only comment is that I thought they could use the granulated sugar. I like mine a little sweeter. thanks!
I need a great oatmeal cookie recipe that can convert to gluten-free and it sounds like I’ve just found it. Wooo
Not sure what went wrong, the cookies sounded like heaven but came out completely dry. The dough itself was very dry, I thought at first that there was too much oatmeal. I baked them firstly for 10 minutes. I did make the dough the night before, put it in the refridge overnight took them out and baked them in the morning. Could that have been the problem? Help!
Pretty magnificent… I added a little powdered malt and molasses to the butter mixture, and a touch of allspice to the flour mixture. Took your advice to chill the batter — learned a life lesson, there! Thank you so much. MMMMmmmm.. they look and taste great.
I just put the cookies in the oven – not sure of the results yet, but the dough is delicious!!
I just made these for the first time. I used a 1 ounce scoop and have Monster cookie goodness. HANDS DOWN the best oatmeal raisin recipe ever. I used dark chocolate chips, raisins and dried cranberries. YUM.
I used dark brown sugar and chocolate chip cookies instead of raisins. Oh em gee, I can’t stop eating them! They took all of 5 minutes to prep. Gahhh!
thanks deb!!..:) YUMMMY!!
P.S. It’s a few days later, and I’m making them again.
I used that Quaker multi-grain hot cereal and these are SO GOOD.
I had never seen this site before, it displayed through Bing. I was looking for a good oatmeal cookie recipe that wouldn’t fail because I have never been able to make really good oatmeal cookies. These are without a doubt the best oatmeal cookies I have ever eaten in my 59 years. I added pecans instead of walnuts just because that’s my preferance. The grandkids were fighting over them, hubby was yelling not to eat them all because he was taking them in his lunch. This was so good I figured I could put the dough in a jelly roll pan and make granola bars out of it, and will eventually experiment with different add ins, perhaps pineapple & coconut? Great recipe. Thanks.
This recipe is great with a couple of ripe bananas mashed into (first step, just cream with the butter, egg and vanilla) and chocolate chips used instead of raisins. Or keep the raisins and still use the banana!
Dear Blog Commenters,
Why must you rip on Deb personally? For all you know she is a magnificently fit super model, so why don’t we leave comments on her food, or her post. I’ve just read one to many hateful things on this and PW’s blog today. Lets just thank them both for the good things they share and ignore the things we don’t enjoy unless it is pertinent to helping improve recipes for others. I’m just saying, if ya want people to share their wonderful recipes and experiences, spend less time ripping them apart……
Just made this recipe twice in 2 hours because my husband ate so many of the first batch that there were none left to take to work! Amazing and easy. I skipped the chilling step and just cooked them 8 minutes instead of 10 and they came out perfectly. Also added nutmeg, mace, cloves and a little cardamom with the cinnamon. Delicious!
These cookies are my crack, as well as for everybody who I have made them for. I use chocolate chips instead of raisins and nuts, and I add a touch of nutmeg. I have never felt this strongly about a cookie before.
I made this a couple days ago and they turned out awesome. I needed a cookie recipe for a Bloc party I will be attending tomorrow. My 1/2 test batch turned out great, except that I mistakenly used only 1/2 a stick of butter instead of 1/2 a cup. (WHOOPS) Somehow they still turned out great. I can’t wait to try them with double the butter =) Does it matter if you use regular Quaker oatmeal compared to the 5-Minute type of oat. Does one bake up better then the other?
I am in total agreement with Sheena (comment 632). I am baking
this cookie far too often.
My all-time favorite cookie! I’ve been wanting to bake these for a long time and I finally did, this past Tuesday. They turned out wonderfully chewy and my kids practically devoured them! Thank goodness I decided to prepare a bigger portion. I still have enough cookie dough in the freezer. Will bake them again this weekend.
I made these cookies last night. They were amazing! Thick, chewy, chunky…exactly how I like them. I used an ice cream scoop and baked them for 15-16 minutes at 350. They came out perfect!
I was trying to find a copycat recipe of McDonald’s oatmeal raisin cookies because I think they are the best ever and the only place I ever eat oatmeal cookies from. (I know right? A McDonalds!) I couldn’t find one but your recipe topped the Google list so I decided to check it out and give it a try. I have the cookie dough sitting in the fridge to chill out for a bit, but I could not stop eating the dough that was left in the bowl! Its that good! I used Dark Brown Sugar because that was all I had on hand and I love that deep rich flavor it seems to give off when mixed with the butter.
I never heard of your site before but I am going to explore some more recipes and see what other yummy goodness comes out of it!
*My only complaint is this only seemed to make about a dozen and a half of cookies (2TBSP sized each) and this is NOT enough! :) Definitely will double!*
Just wanted to say thanks! I use your banana bread recipe all the time, and thought I’d give this one a try too. Fabulous. Absolutely Wonderful. I used dried blueberries as I was out of raisins, and they turned out fantastic. Thank you.
Deb! You’re a goddess. These cookies are so delicious!! :) This is definitely going into my recipe box.
This was my first cookie, and it is more then delicious, thank you so much! :>
so i varied it, with dark chocolate chunks and craisins – cause that’s what i had on hand. Oh also I use the dark brown sugar instead of the light (same reason) :-) and they came out fabulous had a bunch of cousins over and the cookies were gone in seconds :-) I totally do love your site and now it’s my main source for yummy things :-)
Baked them. I am a terrible terrible cook, but I managed these with moderate success.
One thing though, and I don’t know what I did differently, but they stayed in balls the whole time and didnt flatten even the slightest. I had to use a fork on them when I was done so that they would fit in people’s mouths… ha
I just came across this tonight..I made these cookies and they were ok. I expected more flavor but they were just ok.. the first batch was cooked the entire 12mins and were hard and thick.. the second batch was cooked for ten minutes and were a bit more chewy..had that top raw look a bit. Those did taste better – dough was chilled prior (30mins and between batches) seems the cooking time does play a huge part in the texture of the cookies.I’m still learning.
These are my new favorite cookies- I’ve baked two double batches to rave reviews. I used dark brown sugar and the full teaspoon of salt in the doubled recipe. My 32 year old nephew summed it up best when he said- These. are. perfect.
I have made these cookies over & over! They are the best Oatmeal Raisin cookies in the whole world, or thats my opinion!
These are wonderful- so easy to just throw together, and toss in the oven! So addictive, too. Instead of nuts, I substitute chocolate chips- they make for a very delicious cookie! Thanks for sharing!
I LOVE this recipe! I was browsing for a good oatmeal raisin cookie recipe and came across this. Now whenever i make them i don’t want to share them with the family! Perfect, easy, and tasty.
I aodre these, but is there anyway I can reduce the butter amount and maybe add something like apple sauce. Or just reduce the butter and that’s all. I am hoping to reduce by 1/2 but do not wants to ruin the taste of them.
Thanks so much for a good oatmeal raisin recipe! I love a chewy cookie, but never understood why some recipes would be chewy some times and crunchy other times. The fridge chilling is such a fantastic tip!! Thank you thank you thank you!!
I live in Japan, where the ovens are often tiny, or like mine, a microwave/convection oven–from the 80’s. I can fit about nine cookies on a itty bitty sheet! (You should see what Christmas cookie season does to my nerves)! Anyway, these cookies came with me on my latest trip to the US– to substitute for those awful airplane cookies or bars they bestow on United. They were such comfort in a no real food zone. I didn’t share, because I am wickedly selfish when it comes to cookies. Thank you.
thank you for this recipe. it’s my first time to make a cookie and i tried this one and it turned out really good. i love the crunchy-chewy combination.
So delicious!!! I went all whole wheat and swapped 1/2 the sugar with equal part honey. Worked perfectly! Thanks Deb!!
My husband made these minus the walnuts since he allergic, but we added some butterscotch chips…. OMIGOD, so so good. We ate them all in just over a day. I am about to make some more!
Every single oatmeal raisin recipe I’ve used has come out dry and crumbly but this recipe was PERFECT. Just the right amount of crunch and chewy. I made them at work and now I’m making them for my husband. Thank you!
I just made these…yummy! Great recipe! One thing I added was to boil the raisins before adding them. It helps make them even more moist:)
This recipe was wayyyy too sweet and rich. I had to add a whole lot of oats to the second batch just to balance out the sugar. It was very chewy though.
I tried this recipe and added 1/4c. chocolate chips. While the cookies were tasty, there were not chewy. There is a problem with the base of the recipe. The cookies did not expand enough. I am glad I made mine smaller (about the size of yours), or I would have had a lot of uncooked cookie. Did I miss something here? Should I have cooked the oats first? A bit disappointed,I must say, but still good to eat anyway :)
Has anyone tried Ben’s Cookies’ Oatmeal and Raison cookie – they’re amazing! I’ve got to make these again because I overcooked them a little last week. I like them best when they’re undercooked in the middle!