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!
AMAZING!!!!! They did come out a little flat :( but totally not because of the recipe I live in high altitude next time ill just add more flour. These were a huge hit :)
Best oatmeal cookies EVER :) Doubled it and froze some batter…and can’t get enough!
These are totally delish!! Just googled for a
Recipe, after hubs requested some cookies, and this popped up!! thanks for sharing your cookie go
the best ever…made them this weekend…
Im in love with this recipe and your page! I boiled my rasins in coffee for an hour and mixed half quick oats and half old fashion and omg. I also, made mine about the size of a walnut and their the perfect size. I ate 3 before I knew it lol. My bf is trying to bribe me to make more as this batch is going for a barter deal. Thank you for this recipe!
Oh thanks for the mouth watering pictures and the recipe, I’m going to try them this afternoon. I love Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and will be the first to let you how these rank on my list!
I made these cookies with my 2 year old son’s daycare class. One of his classmates has an egg allergy, so I substituted 1/2 ripe banana for the egg. The cookies were so easy to make, the kids had so much fun touching the different ingredients (so many textures!), and everybody, kids and teachers alike, LOVED LOVED LOVED the cookies! This recipe is going into the daycare’s recipe book, of course with proper smitten kitchen acknowledgment. Thank you!!!
I just made this recipe because oatmeal raisin cookies are my boyfriends favorite cookies. They turned out great and he loved them!! I also added 2/3 teaspoon of Nutmeg and it added a great flavor. Thank you!
I’m from Scotland, and we don’t really go in for cookies over here. However, I suddenly decided to branch out from making biscuits and try a cookie. I couldn’t decide between oatmeal and raisin, and ‘snickerdoodles’ – which I liked just for the mad name, to be honest.
So… after reading this recipe (and, er, figuring out the measurements in metric) I’m going to give them a go. Thanks!
These cookies were light, amazing and delicious! Quick and super easy to make. One of the many recipes I was dying to try from this blog, I love it!!
I’m baking them now! The first ones out of the oven are fantastic! I only had thick cut oats and quick oats, so I used half of each. Turned out great! They are exactly what I want when I think of oatmeal cookies! Thanks!
A+ OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIE RECIPE
Thank you so much! I have tried and researched recipes for this cookie for several years without any success until now. The only change I made was to swap the nuts for shredded coconut. The tip on freezing the cookies first worked wonderful! Beautiful cookies, moist and chewy. I made the recipe posted yesterday…but this morning, I am tripling the recipe. My husband and son gave them an A+ too as this is their favorite cookie. Anyone who didn’t like this recipe, must not like oatmeal raisin cookies or made a mistake while baking. You are my new favorite baking site!!!
I have been using this recipe for over a year now. It is my favorite cookie recipe. I use Dried Cranberries instead of raisins.
Everyone I have served these cookies to, LOVE them and always want me to make more.
I made these today and they are delicious. My first batch was a bit overdone so I baked the rest at 8 minutes and that was perfect. I’m glad I doubled your half recipe.
I’ve made these 3 times now. The first time was a triple batch for a family get together, and others a double and single batch for at home.
DELICIOUS.
This is the best Oatmeal Cookie recipe EVER!
I add some shredded coconut instead of chopped walnuts.
Love these cookies! thanks!
this cookie recipe is simply amazing. the best EVER. i couldn’t stop chewing my cookies now… 6 cookies and counting… (keep thinking it’s okay it’s oatmeal…)
This is my second time making this recipe! They are AWESOME! I also add ground flaxseed to mine! Im going “through the change” and they say that flaxseed is good for hot flashes. “It really just gives me a good excuse to eat these cookies”! I have a batch in the oven as I am typing this and the smell DELISH!
This is my second time making this recipe! They are AWESOME! I also add ground flaxseed to mine! Im going “through the change” and they say that flaxseed is good for hot flashes. “It really just gives me a good excuse to eat these cookies”! I have a batch in the oven as I am typing this and they smell DELISH!
I made these with craisins(my preference) and a little numeg(Emeril’s recipe: big and chewy oatmeal cookies)….yummm! Always complimented on my cookies…thanks for the tips :D
These are great but unfortunately they came out way too salty and I only used a 1/4 teaspoon. I’ll dial it back next time, but I will be making these again for sure!!
Thank you so much for this recipe! Definitely the best oatmeal cookie recipe, and I’ve tried loads. We substituted walnuts and tiny chocolate pieces for raisins, made a double batch and froze half, so I can make another two dozen some other time! I’m an American living in Germany, so this is just perfect for one of those rainy October days to bring back fond memories :)
Fantastic recipe…. I made them last night and today they taste even better. First time such an excellent cookie recipe… Next time I will keep the basic ingredients and I will try them with hazelnuts, chocolate morsels and the rest that you add… Let’s see what the output will be… <3
Can I use quick oats instead??? Thanks <3
Quick oats work but the cookies end up with less texture, and more smooth-looking.
Just made these. They taste great!!!
I was bad, left them in for a few minutes too long and overbaked them. Still delicious, if crumbly and a tad texturally disappointing. My fault. It’s okay, now I can make another batch tomorrow.
Add my comment to the list of raves! I love me some chewy oatmeal raisin cookies – that specific texture was one of the criteria in my search for the perfect recipe – and these fit the bill. I crave these at least once a month, and my three boys LOVE them. Thanks for these AMAZING cookies! :)
These are ridiculously good. Thanks for the recipe!
First time that I experiment with an oatmeal-raisin cookie and ready for the second batch. Gracias from Puerto Rico
I made these last night and am eating them for breakfast at my desk as I type! They are delicious, what a great snack for work! I actually cut the butter even more, only using 5 Tbps and added a few chocolate chips. One note, (this possibly happened bc I cut the butter) dropping by rounded tablespoon fulls onto my cookie sheet did not work out, the cookies stayed in balls as they cooked and I had to flatten them with a fork mid-bake. It worked much better to pat them into the shape I wanted, then bake them. Thanks for the recipe!
delicious! wouldn’t change a thing. i’ve got a freezer full of dough and a belly full of cookies. thinking about breakfast already… :D
Made a double batch last night, unbelievable how good these are.
Wonderful cookies, just wish there were more!!
I just came across these cookies and made them with my almost-3-yr-old…a little bit changed (subbed whole wheat flour, added craisins, sunflower seeds, ground flax seed, honey and chia seeds and sprinkled each cookie with a bit more cinnamon) and MAN are they GOOOOOOOD!!!! Thank you so much for posting this :)
I tried this and to me it taste too much like flour! i think a half cup would have been enough.
I made these today and now they’re all gone (college students…)! I used an entire cup of raisins and I refrigerated my dough for about 20-30 minutes, baked for about 12-13 minutes. I also made them little fun-sized balls instead of cookies, which I thought was perfect for Halloween weekend.
:) thank you so much for your wonderful website! I read it instead of my textbooks.
Does this recipe double well? Do you soak the rasins/cranberries? Getting ready to make these delicious sounding, perfect fit cookies for my hubby and he is a cookie monster!
http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/02/thick-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/
Obviously, you have more than enough comments on here and I just wanted to let you know I made these for my boyfriend and a friend at work at they thought they were store purchased!!! Thank you so much for the new perfect recipe that is so perfect!!! :)
Just got done with a batch..only thing i did different was use chopped pecans, These are the lightest and really good Oatmeals i have had in a long time !!!
I was looking for an oatmeal cookie recipe and tried this one…. These are amazing! They are wonderful thick and chewy as promised..my husband said they were better then the ones he gets at a local store-he is pretty picky. The kids just love them too. I love your site, although I don’t consider myself to be a great baker, I do love to bake and your recipes are always just amazing, well written, lots of pictures and great results. Thanks for taking the time to blog and I can not wait for your cookbook to come out.
I found this recipe a few months ago and these are now my absolute most favorite cookie to make and eat. I’ve shared it with so many people and everyone loves it. I didn’t even like oatmeal raisin cookies until I came across this and made some because my hubby loves them. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for this amazing recipe! I made some for my dad since oatmeal raisin cookies are his favorite, and he said they were some of the best he’s ever had. I substituted whole-wheat flour since I prefer baking with that, and it worked well. Great recipe!
i really like these oatmeal raisin cookies. the walnuts add a great nutty flavor…surprise, surprise. :-) thanks for posting.
Excellent! I’ve made three batches of cookies already claiming to be thick and chewy but yours were the only ones to follow through. Thanks for a delicious morning!
My traditional recipe hasn’t been making the cookies I remember, and after making your cookies Friday AND today (2 full batches!), I finally know why. Your tips about the cold butter did the trick. Enjoyed your recipe as well, first time I’ve only used the brown sugar, and you’re right, these are GREAT. Thus my need to make a second full batch today :) Sadly, I still think I’ll need more if I intend to bring any to work tomorrow, because everyone here is loving them! Thank you! ~Lori
I made these tonight and they were absolutely delicious!!!! I altered the recipe a bit because of food allergies and they turned out perfect! I substituted crisco & energy egg replacer, and added vegan chocolate chips. Also only had 1/3 cup brown sugar so added 1/3 cup sugar. Thanks for this recipe :)
My sister made these last night. Although I left before she baked them, (I was there during the mixing process) I asked her to send me the link to the recipe. Since I have nothing better to do today, I am going to make a batch. (But I am gonna add in semi sweet chocolate chip cookies.)
I NEED to find my recipe for oatmeal-Cranberry-chocolate chip cookies. SOOOOOO good!
Semi sweet chocolate chips* HA
What a notion! mixing in cookies with cookies- is that even possible?
I have made these cookies probably twenty times or more over the last two years. They are the most perfect cookies ever. Ever. Tonight I am a bit nervous though because I am substituting EnerG Egg Replacer for the egg as I went from vegetarian to vegan a few months back. Has anyone else tried making these vegan and had good luck? I have always used Earth Balance in place of butter so that is a non-issue. It’s really just the egg I am worried about.
Just made these this evening and they are delicious – crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside! Mmmm! I made a couple modifications that ended up working out well: used maple syrup in place of sugar, so I added a bit of extra flour so it wouldn’t be too runny. Also added nutmeg, powdered ginger, almonds and pistachios. Yum! Thanks so much for this recipe!
Robyn – I didn’t make these vegan this time, but I often make vegan cookies and I’ve always found that 2 tbsp ground flax seed + 3 tbsp water (let sit a couple minutes) works really well (learned that trick from Sarah Kramer’s La Dolce Vegan).
WOW – these are so good. I just made a batch and my husband said they were the best cookies he has ever tasted. By the way, I presoaked the raisins in a little rum beforehand; it added to the flavour and made the raisins juicy and plump.
Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe :)
These cookies are my go-to for all occassions. They always come out great and taste delicious! I highly recommend chilling the dough for 5 minutes or so before baking. I have also added in chocolate chip cookies for a change.
made these tonight for my boyfriend – oatmeal raisin cookies are his fave – and they are fantAstic. he inhaled about 3 before declaring that they were the best oatmeal raisin he’d ever eaten (and he is discriminating in regards to this! :))
and i have to agree – they are the perfect blend of sweet, soft and chewy, with just a tiny tease of a crunch. totally yummm.
One of the bloggers/bakers here asked if “quick oats” could be used in lieu of regular rolled oats. I just found out that quick oats cannot be used- it botches the recipe and if the dough is chilled prior to baking- they must absorb all the moisture because they do not bake down.
I made these with whole wheat pastry flour and they are delicious, although I think I’d reduce the sugar a little more next time. Do you think I could cut it down to 1/2 cup? Alternately, what about using honey or maple syrup instead? Thanks!
I’ve used this recipe several times. It is way better if you add 2 tables spoons of water and a tables spoon of oil (substitute from butter). Think about it, how can a cup and a half of oatmeal be moist without any water? I also make the cookies really big.
I had the worst craving for oatmeal raisin cookies! I cam across this recipe and had no other option but to make this recipe. The only thing I used was oat flour it was all we had and it turned out absolutely amazing! I am trying more of your recipes now! You are my new favorite!
I have a complaint. Sorry but this is just not cutting it.
18 cookies are you KIDDING ME? I need this to make about 100-120 cookies. They are THAT good.
Granted we *may* have ingested a bit of the dough but even so, this recipe, while delish makes far too few cookies. I mean these 18 are for ME, what will be left for YOU?
;) should be inserted above to show that I LOVE THESE COOKIES and you made an oatmeal cookie lover out of a skeptical child too. Thank you!
P.S. Thanks for turning me on to “more salt” baked goods.
thank you for sharing this recipe. I made these this evening and wow! I had to hide them from my husband so that my kids could have a few in the morning :)
WOW. I make cookies for my office every year — always, always chocolate chip. But, this year, my boss confessed his favorite cookie is oatmeal raisin. Which I have NEVER MADE. So I gave this one a whirl and it is AMAZING. Moist, chewy, great cinnamon flavor — pretty sure there’s a promotion in my future. Thanks!!!
Damn you, smitten kitchen! I HAD TO MAKE THESE RIGHT. NOW.
I’ve used this recipe three times. The only time they came out well was when I used 1 cup of flour because I added extra chocolate chips…I made these again today with no alterations and they were flat and icky…definitely need to try it again with one cup of flour.
i love it!!!!!
Try dates with or instead of raisins….the good gooey kind, cut in half or thirds. Brings back childhood memories for me. I just love oatmeal DATE cookies!
I love the raisin too..sometime I mix the two….always good no matter what!
I searched for a oatmeal and raisin cookie and was brought to your site. I made these last night and my whole family think that they have died and gone to heaven. They are amazing. Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely try more of your recipes. =)
they are great made some,no alot quadrupled the recipe for xmas my family loves them THANK YOU
LOOOOOOOVE this recipe!! I was out of vanilla extract and only had rootbeer extract and used it …they turned out sooooo goood…really different..but delicious..people cant tell what the flavor is until you tell them. The cookie is more cake like then dense, but the outside turns out crispy and the inside is chewy..best oatmeal cookie recipe Ive ever tried. Love this site and your “narratives”. My son really likes your illustrations, always humorous!
I just made these cookies. I swear these are the best oatmeal cookies I ever had. I wish I had parchment paper though :p
Great!!!!!!!! I added Blueberries and White Chocolate Chips! they are great!
WOWEE!!!!! These are amazing!!!!! I stuck to the exact recipe and chilled the dough for about 45mins before baking. The whole house smells so delicious I dont want the smell to go away. This will be a timeless classic in my repetoire of recipes. Thank you Deb, just love your website!!!
wow! I followed the recipe but used dried cranberries (rehydrated in hot, freshly brewed coffee) instead of raisins and swapped 1/2 cup of steel cut oats for 1/2 cup of rolled oats. total win! i love that these are not overwhelmingly sugary. thanks!!
I’m fortunate enough to be visiting in Japan for the time being. Of course, freshly baked cookies are the best thing when establishing a little Christmas cheer. I just baked a batch of these cookies in the complicated microwave-cum-oven we have here – and they’ve turned out great! Thank you!
LOVE ’em! This time we added some choc chips and actually chilled the dough. Great recipe!
Love this recipe cookies come out nice and chewy and stay that way for couple days with same great fresh taste… I recomend this recipe to everyone since thanksgiving I’ve made these cookies 15X people just love them!
Made these last night, I like to mixed regular raisins with golden raisins, after chilling the dough, I placed it in a square baking pan, baked for about 15 or 20 minutes, cut into squares. HUGE success.
Many thanks! Loved the no granulated sugar recipe.
Thank you for sharing! Made these for a family get together yesterday, my father tells me “these are the BEST cookies I’ve ever eaten” :)
I am making these right now. I used dried cranberries becuause that is what I had and I soaked them in homemade hot blackberry brandy. I plan on making more with some chocolate covered cherries I got yesterday from my father in law. YUM! Thanks for the recipe.
These cookies are AMAZING.. my family LOVED them! The only thing i change was used a Splenda 50/50 blend brown sugar I’m Diabetic) and still delicious! I was surprised that there wasn’t any white sugar in this recipe but decided to try it anyway and was shocked at how delicious they still were. Definitely making more.. and soon!
These were fabulous! Will definitely be my “go to” oatmeal cookie recipe. I added a little rum and almond extract since Im in need of vanilla. Wonderful!
Great soft and chewy oatmeal cookies, I made them last night for New Years Eve. My husband loved them. I will add this recipe to my collection. Thank you for your recipe creation for oatmeal cookies!
oh my gosh. these cookies are delicious!
im not fond of raisins, so i took them out and put chocolate chips in. and oh my gosh.
DELICIOUS!
totally adding this recipe to my favorites!!
Just made these cookies. They were so amazing! I definitely recommend!
I have to say i made these cookies tonight and they are awesome. Thanks for sharing your recipe with us.
I made these yesterday with Craisins, and used 1/2 tsp of salt. WOW, they turned out absolutely amazing! I will definitely be making these again, and I think next time I’m going to try adding white chocolate chips in addition to the Craisins!
I made these two weeks ago for my hubby and we both loved them. I am experimenting today and substituting the raisins for banana chips and milk chocolate chips. A beautiful combination.
Ignore my comment. (How do I delete it?) Apparently I can’t read!
made these and love them! I used whole wheat flour, and doubled the recipe.
I would like to hear from someone thats actually made them instead of ever post thinking about making them. ughh just sayin
I made these the other day – baked half of them and froze the rest. Good thing I froze them because my boyfriend and I ate all of the cookies directly from the oven! They are soo delicious!
OH Man I crave oatmeal cookies too. Like all the time. So I made these and I love love them. I used half golden raisins and half cranberries and also I put in some chopped up milk chocolate. Delicious.
These cookies are amazing. Great recipe! I altered it slightly by doubling the recipe, adding an extra 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and using 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, and 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots. Some of the best cookies I’ve ever made!
If you do not like baked raisins you can soak the raisins for a while in hot water to make them plump and tender. you may have to add a little more oatmeal, depends how well they are drained after soaking.
How do you get such a perfectly round cookie? Mine come out pretty good….but yours are picture perfect!!
Jessica — You can use a cookie scoop if you’re into perfectly round cookies.
Just put some in the oven, the batter was good i cant wait to taste the finished cookies!! Mmm I am sure they are going to be amazing!
I love this recipe! My mom and I were have a serious sweet tooth so we looked up cookie recipes, but since my granny lives with us too we had alot of oatmeal in the pantry, so we tried to make oatmeal cookies and we used your recipe and….oh my god…they came out amazing! but since we made too many I actually took some to school and and everybody wanted one of our “made from scratch” cookies Lmao
It’s so hard to find a great oatmeal raisin cookie recipe and these were PERFECT! Thank you!!!!
i tried these tonight! loved them! seriously i made about 2 dozen and there are 3 left (my husband ate most) lol! I added about 1/4 cup of flax seeds though! great addition to a great recipe!
These are quite good, and can be made gluten-free easily. I substituted my all-purpose GF mix (1c. br. rice flour, 1c. corn starch, 2/3c. soy flour, 1/3c. masa harina; from g.f. cooking school.com). It’s also fun to play with the spices; I used 1tsp. ground ginger and 1tsp. allspice and it was fantastic. To make it more heart-friendly, later I started substituting corn oil for all or part of the butter and they were jsut as good. This is an excellent, versatile recipe.
This recipe is a keeper for me. Not very sugary or fatty. The tip to keep then chewy worked !
These are delicious, I don’t normally care for raisin oatmeal but I loved these!
Wow! This was the best recipe!! The cookies came out perfect!! Do you have other cookie recipes?
Hi Ian — I’ve got a ton of cookie recipes listed here. Enjoy!
I made these cookies the other week in a baking frenzy. My son and I are the only ones in the house with a sweet tooth, least of all my husband. While I was whipping up the batter he “taste tested” it – and LOVED it!! He said minus the raisins he would eat several of these, and he has almost no desire for sweets. Oh, and this recipe has definitely made my top five favorite cookies of all time. In fact, I think I’ll go pull out a couple from the freezer right now. :D Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Thank you for this recipe! Made them for the first time last week. My all time favorite cookie!
I was looking at a bag of raisins in my pantry over the weekend thinking “man, I hate that these are just sitting here. I bought them, someone needs to eat them.” So tonight I googled recipies, and your site was the first I visited…. I made the cookies tonight, (2nd batch cooling as we speak) and my husband has been pacing in front of the oven since they went in. I can’t wait to dig around and try some more of your recipies! I think a lot of people who say they don’t like oatmeal raisin cookies just haven’t had a good one. ;-) Thank you!
Success! They look like yours! I am so impressed with myself :D Thanks for the brilliant blog- keep up the great work
I am nursing my twin girls and love to eat oatmeal so my milk supply stays up. I made these cookies last night, and they are amaZing!!! So soft and chewy! Thank you!
Made these over and over!!! My family loves them and so do I…great recipe, THANKS!
I made these today and can’t figure out where I went wrong, followed the recipe and they came out flat greasy disgusting messes. I was so excited when I found the recipe and read the reviews, but mine look terrible, They are chewy in a carmel sort of way but are not soft or thick.
I made these to bring to work the other day, with PHENOMENAL results – I’m not a huge oatmeal-raisin-cookie person, so I rely on the input of others, and my coworkers were more effusive than usual in their praise. This was a homerun cookie.
I made a few changes:
– on the advice of a friend, I soaked the raisins in the egg+vanilla beforehand, for about 30 minutes. I then creamed the butter+sugar, added in the flour mixture, and added in the egg+raisin+vanilla combo.
– because it was in my pantry, I subbed in about 1/2-2/3cup of spelt flour for the AP.
– had to use about 1/3 white sugar in lieu of brown, since I ran out
– I doubled the recipe – and did not end up with an insane amount of cookies. Granted, I did bring them to a meeting with about 15 participants, but everyone ate only one cookie, since there was cake as well – given how well these were received, I’d say make the whole batch! They’ll always find a home.
grrrreat recipe.
the only thing i did different was soak the raisins in rum + vanilla + a little warm water for about 20 minutes and then drained and stirred into the batter.
amazing!
Made these today. Totally had a brain meltdown and put all the ingred in the bowl without creaming the butter and sugar. Didn’t have much to lose so just mixed it with my trusty KitchenAid mixer and they turned out so amazing. Will have to try the soaking my “craisins” in rum. Not a huge fan of raisins, but love cranberries. Oh my does that sound amazing!
Just made it! Taste amazing. I put cranberries instead of raisins. I also toasted walnut before putting it in the batter. I added one yolk too. Love the proportion of Oatmeal that make them feel like “Oatmeal cookies”.
I’m 13, I love baking, and these cookies are my favorite to bake!! They always turn out AH-MAZING!! Just got done baking some, and my mouth is watering with the smells in my house. Thank you SOOO much for this awesome recipe!! :)
I totally woke up today with a need for these cookies and they were AMAZING. Nomomomomom.
Made these for the Super Bowl on Sunday, and they were one of the only reasons I enjoyed myself! :) They’re perfect and my new go-to recipe for oatmeal cookies!!
Mel
Awesome cookies…best I’ve ever had. I’ve used this recipe since you posted it. Thank you so much. You have brought so much happiness to our household.
Made these today. Sooooo very good! Tossing all other oatmeal cookie recipes aside now!
I love your site. Seriously, it’s so well done. Everything on it sounds and looks delicious. You describe food in a hilarious yet artful way that makes everything sound magical…like Hemingway did. lol. Keep up the good work, you have so many fans.
it’s my co-teacher’s birthday tomorrow..making these for her. dough’s chillin in the fridge!
im so glad to see that you posted this actually years ago and people are still commenting and using your stuff! so i decided to give it a go,being brand new to cooking in the kitchen and i have successfully made them and they were amazing! thanks for making simple recipes for people like me ! : )
these cookies are fabulous! i have tried quite a few oatmeal raisin cookie recipes, but this one by far has surpassed them all! just made a batch and am contemplating on making another one…
I’m calorie counting these days, so I subbed the brown sugar for 1/3 of a stevia & sugar blend and a 1/4 teaspoon of full flavor molasses. I didn’t dare sub the butter though! :) I rolled the dough into a long log, chilled it for 20 minutes, and then cut 24 cookies. They turned out absolutely perfect. My new favorite recipe.
Made these tonight after searching for a cookie recipe. They were so easy to make and SO delicious! Baked 1/2 tonight and may bake the other1/2 to have with our morning coffee! SO delicious Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!!
My cookies turned out awesome but one question. Is there a tip for the cookies not falling apart?
hello from Mogolia, with my primitive oven, today i tried your recipe.
the Mongloians around me have never tasted the other cookies and breads I bake.
They crave my bake goods.
That said, I followed your recipe to a t…. but after baking there are only 3 cookies
left to share with 40 people……….. where did i go wrong? two dozen went into the oven. two dozen came out………… but i only have 3 on the counter and I’m the only one here. damn I lied there’s only two left and the dishes.
moose
so quick and easy to make. can also substitute dates for raisins. i make cookie dough and freeze it for a quick snack for company. great recipe
Hmmm. Hmmm. Hmmm. What more can I say? I am SO a fan. Crispy around the edges to please me. Chewy to please my husband. Wow.
These cookies are awesome! I just tried to replace the raisins by cranberries or dried strawberries and it’s very yummy as well! :) These will be a regular part of my cookie jar ;)
I’m just now making my second batch in the last three days. These are SO good! I bake a lot and my guy said that these were my best oatmeal raisin cookies ever. Thanks for the great recipe. I can’t wait to explore your site and find more recipes to try!
Amazing recipe! I’ve never made oatmeal raisin biscuits before (they’re not “done” in New Zealand for some reason) but these were so delicious, I can’t imagine a better recipe! I’ll definitely be making these regularly. Thank you so much for sharing :)
amazing recipe… 1st time I made exactly… 2nd time I only had half the amount of craisins, so I added dried coconut to reach the amount… WOW
Absolutely fantastic, added walnuts and used raisin berry mix from Trader Joes, also used whole wheat white flour.
Thanks a lot for this one Smitten !!!!!!
I just made these and they are AWESOME! This is the best recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies EVER!! Thank You some much for posting this recipe :D
Delish! I love the flavor that all brown sugar gives this cookie. (I’m more of a chocolate chip fan than raisin fan so I made these into CC oatmeal cookies. I also used whole wheat pastry flour for some of the white flour and coconut instead of the nuts because of allergies. Oatmeal cookies are so versatile!)
These were AMAZING! Simply delicious is right! We used oat bran instead of oat meal and they still turned out brilliantly. Too too delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Dear Smitten Kitchen,
I just tried this recipe and it didnt work for me at all. What did I do wrong? I skimmed the other comments to see if an answer was there but I did not find one.
I followed your recipe, and made one change. Instead of brown sugar I used Stevia granules.
After baking them I found I still had balled dough that had hardened and was super crumbly and fell a part.
I didnt get the yummy chewy cookies that the recipe enticed me with.
Help! Can anyone explain what went wrong?
I see that Emily Suess comment #784 also substituted the sugar for stevia and she said that her cookies turned out amazing. That was the only thing that I changed. Is using Stevia the root of my problem?
Unfortunately, I’ve never baked with Stevia before so I cannot be sure. It might be worth giving them another spin, nevertheless.
Little nuggets of joy, these cookies are just that! Thank you for a fabulously easy and delicious receipe! Eaten and enjoyed by two 40-something parents, a picky 4 year old boy and easily pleased 2 year old girl. TY!
This is my all time favorite cookie recipe!! (And the cookie dough by itself is almost as good as the baked cookies!). Thanks so much for posting this!
I gave them another Spin. I shaped the cookies ahead of time because they did not drop for me, and I took them out a little sooner and I got the chewy texture! Totally delicious! I made a double recipe and they were gone in 3 days! I have been shamelessly eating them for breakfast. What! There is no sugar! :)
Best oatmeal cookies ever! I skipped the raisins and walnuts in favor of adding 3/4 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips and they were outrageously delicious! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Deb, these are spectacular. I also substituted chocolate chips and I am in love. I don’t see the need to make anything else to eat… ever again.
Awesome recipe! My granps who is diabetic can’t have too much sugar. A fair amount in this recipe and with added raisins nothing is missed… Good cookies and I’m sending them to him as I type this! I’m sure he’ll be pleased.
Hmm. Just made these and they are not so good. Not inedible, but not yummy. Too bad – I was hoping to bring them to work tomorrow. Now, I think I will skip – don’t want anyone to think that’s the best I can do. Not sure what went wrong, or if that’s just the recipe, but I just don’t love these. I am holding out hope that they magically get better by morning.
Just finished baking and boy are these delicious! I didn’t have any eggs, so I substituted a ground flax + water mixture, with no problem. Thanks for the recipe!
These are the only Oatmeal Raisin Cookies I will make! I have found that chilling the dough is KEY, definitely makes a difference.
Tip– Soak raisins in a bowl of warm/hot water, covered with plastic wrap for 5-10mins. Adds a little moisture to the cookies. :)
I really believe this is a no-fail recipe! I’ve made this recipe countless times, and it always turns out well. Like, really, all-the-cookies-are-gone-in-a-day, well. I very highly recommend this recipe; it’s simple, quick, and delicious!
I made them last night, baked them for breakfast. Great recipe!
These are the best oatmeal raisin cookie ever! I am a huge fan of thick and chewy cookies, and this recipe really lives up to its name. I’ve linked to your blog here:
http://evabakes.blogspot.com/2012/02/homemade-hot-chocolate-mix.html
Just finished making these and they’re absolutely perfect. Couldn’t ask for better oatmeal raisin cookies.
Amazing. I have made these a couple times now, and thought to return to where I got the recipe to add this comment: THANKS for this! Best oatmeal raisin cookie recipe I’ve tried. And, indeed! They turned out thick and chewy, and everyone always loves ’em.
I’m planning on entering my town fair’s baking competition in the fall, so I’ve been trying out oatmeal raisin cookie recipes in preparation. So far these have been the best, hands down! My boyfriend took them into his office and one of his coworkers said they were the best oatmeal raisin cookies she’d ever had. I’m pretty sure this is a perfect recipe!
Unsalted or salted butter?
Jessica — Unsalted.
Thanks, The cookies are PERFECT! :-)( I added a handful of hemp hearts.)
Made these cookies last night, not sure what to expect. But my guest could not stop eating them — nor could my son when he got home. Both are major chocolate fans, so I wasn’t sure how the cookies would go over. Also….I didn’t have quite enough raisins, so I added some chopped dried cherries. Yowsers! Like little bursts of sweet in the amazing cookies. This recipe is a KEEPER!
This is basically the recipe on the Quaker Oatmeal canister.
In the post, the differences/changes made are described.
Sounds good…..but I always say that you should never put a raisin where a chocolate chip ought to be! :)
Oh wow,thank you so muchfor the recipe, I am eating them as I am typing this ,they turned out to be scrumptious, I substituted for whole wheat flour and vegetable shortening and added some dry plums,as I didn’t have any other fillings at hand, we loved them, super good recipe, thanks so much for sharing, I never eate such a delicous cookies and never thought I can make tasty cookies like that :))).
I have an old recipe that soaks the raisins in the beaten eggs for an hour before adding to the cookie mixture and the raisins are plump and moist and don’t suck the moisture from the cookie after they are baked!
MAde these today with dried sour cherries and chocolate chips. I love regular old raisin walnut too – but dang these were good. Did half vanilla, half almond extract to enhance cherries. DELICIOUS!!!
mmmm sooooo gooood. Just made these, rarely comment on recipes, but these are worth it. Turned out soft and chewy and perfect. I took some of the dough and baked it in a mini muffin tin, then topped each with a bit of cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
I just made it, its crunchy, soft and chewy….thanks a lot for sharing this recipe:)
I have to thank you for this recipe! I’ve used it a few times before and made them again today. They’re the BEST oatmeal raisin cookies ever! My sister who doesn’t like raisins, loves these! Thanks a bunch! I’ll be using this recipe for years! :-D
These are easily the best oatmeal raisin cookies I’ve ever had! I change it up a little by adding a couple tablespoons of chopped dates to the mix. Everybody raves!
Every time I have baked in the past what ever I was baking turned out horrible, so I stopped baking. Then I found your recipe about 2 1/2 weeks ago and I am making them again already! They turned out wonderful the first time, so maybe there is hope for me yet!
I’m making these right now! I’m a sucker for a chewy cookie, and can’t wait to try these once they’re out of the oven. Thanks for the recipe :)
Help.Me.Stop.Eating.These.Cookies!
Excellent recipe. You don’t want to know how many I scarfed to my head on my own.
(I veganized it, and skipped the chill, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly as written, worked perfectly.)
These cookies are delicious!!! Thank you for yet another wonderful recipe!
I’ve made these for a bake sale three years in a row. I double the recipe and use a standard ice cream scoop. Usually makes 26-28 cookies. These are just as the title states – thick and chewy. One buyer purchased 5 – then came back for more!
I followed this recipe exactly like you said to. They were not as good as they sound……They were thick and chewy but very bland. A waist of ingredients . Shoud have stuck to my own recipe ….. hmmmmm thanks for sharing !
Okay , i had to add more of my own ingredients into this last batch , much better . Next time i will be better off taking my 7 yr ols advice for Thick and chewy oatmeal cookies ….. i dont understand how so many people can like this recipe . It was absolutely horrible , my son wont eat these and he usually eats just about anything . Yuck !
simple to make and yummy
Thank you for a very delicious oatmeal cookie. I did add a little coffee liqueur and bailey’s irish cream, which added a nice hint of coffee. Sharing with friends this evening. I know they’ll be a hit.
Love, love, love these chubby little morsels! I substituted 1 1/4 c chocolate chips for the raisins and nuts and added a dash of powdered ginger for a kick. My family all loved them, and husband asked me to make more for his work. Mixing ingredients slowly and chilling the dough is essential with this recipe. Thank you.
I just made a variation on these today (+ginger and creamed coconut), and they are SO GOOD. I will never, ever admit the number of cookies I consumed today. The recipe’s on my blog, and I linked to this page. Thank you, as always, for a spectacular recipe! xxx, j
Great as always. We added toasted coconut this time and went with your salt suggestion. They were a bit too salty. I’ll stick with the 1/4 teaspoon next time or my usually just a few shakes. SOO good!
Hi Deb,
What’s your opinion on the type of oats that can be used for these cookies? I’ve read that steel-cut oats take longer to cook, and instant oatmeal gives a mushier texture. I don’t have any rolled oats at home and don’t want to go out to buy a whole bag. Any suggestions for a substitution?
Hi Zuzu — You could try to use a mix of steel-cut oats and instant, if you have both. Hopefully they’ll balance each other out and the cookies will have a wider range of texture.
Not sure what I did wrong, followed the recipe exactly, but the cookies came out flat as pancakes. Delicious, moist, and chewy, but flat.
Dad wanted “a few with molasses” in them so I divided yur recipe in khalf, (Your recipe without changing for my son) and to dad’s half, I cut the sugar in half and added 1/8 cup molasses.Yummy!!!!!!!!!!
Finally found a recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies that I LOVE!! Just made first batch, tried one and was in cookie heaven! Can’t wait for the husband and kids to get home to show them off!! Thank you for this amazing recipe!!
I made these yesterday. I didn’t take out anything and also add anything. so easy to make and soooooooooooooooooo DELICIOUS!! Thank you!
Love…
I swapped the Walnuts for cranberries, yummo!
i Deb…Just made these cookies. They taste superb though I tweaked a bit with some almond meal in place of flour.
Awesome cookies! Thank you!
These cookies are amazing! Wow! I was wondering, do you have a lower fat or lower calorie version that you have on your site or that you can share? I looked one up on google, and the recipe i tried was EXTREMELY dry and too thick. Thanks!
Oh my. These turned out just fantastic. I have been craving oatmeal raisin cookies for weeks, and these totally hit the spot.
Note to the vegans: I tweaked a couple of things to make these vegan: I used Earth Balance, and used the amount of salt in the recipe. (Earth Balance has salt in it already.) I made a flax “egg”: mix 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, and let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
Other little tweaks: I also used whole wheat pastry flour instead of whatever flour was recommended, well, because that’s the only thing I bake with. I also added a dash of allspice, but considered nutmeg.
Love this recipe. I live in Mongolia now, and have been turning my Mongolian friends and neighbors on to American bake goods. They had a mental block using oats. But after the second bite of the cookie, their sold. I must say nothing makes friends out of neighbors here than cookies, brownies and banana bread.. A new treat for them.
Thank you for a simple recipe that was easy for them to learn.
moose
Just made a batch last night and brought them to work this morning. They were gone within 15 minutes. Great, easy oatmeal cookie recipe! I substituted dried cranberries for the raisins but kept the walnuts.
I love these. I used 1/2c crushed bran flakes in place of the nuts (I find that it helps make cookies chewier). SO GOOD!
Love your receipt ! I add dark chocolate chips!!!
AMAZING!!!!! i fecommend double batch on these. Last night they made 2 dozen exactly!! They were gone as soon as i set them out!!! I only got 2:(
These are soooo easy and absolutely delicious. Crispy edge and a super chewy middle!! Best ever
I have these in the oven right now! I doubled the recipe (lotsa people to feed) and used 1/2 cup of shortening instead of a whole cup of butter. I also added 1/2 c xtra raisins. I added 8 dashes each of nutmeg and ginger (gives them an exotic taste!). I also boiled my raisins prior to adding them.. I also used 1/2 c granulated sugar along with the brown sugar. Last but not least I added another 1tbs of vanilla. They turned out fabulous. Sorry I amended the recipe so much, but us southern people like our cookies soft and sweet! ~country momma
Thank you for posting this recipe! I made them for my friend for his birthday, and I added chocolate chips instead of raisins, and a little bit of pumpkin spice in addition to the cinnamon. Super yummy!!
This is a good recipe. Thanks for the tips you suggested about chilling the dough and letting them cool on the sheet for five minutes; these were helpful to me (and I have also learned to love using parchment paper!). I also particularly liked that you included the measurements in grams, since I made these cookies for the first time when I was visiting family in Germany, and that’s the standard way of measuring there. One thing, though, is incorrect. You said you “dialed back” the sugar. The original Quaker Oats Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe (which is basically this recipe doubled) has 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. That makes 20 tablespoons of sugar. This recipe, at 2/3 cup of brown sugar, is 10.66 tablespoons of sugar, which is two teaspoons MORE sugar than the Quaker Oats recipe. With the additional raisins (which I really enjoyed in these cookies) there really is more sugar than we think we’re getting. So, no more sending them to diabetic family. :D
My four year old daughter and I made these tonight and they are sooo good. The perfect oatmeal cookie. Thanks so much :)
Loved these cookies – they are sooo yummy. Made a 1/2 of the recipe – 12 cookies – just right for me and my hubby!
These were SOOOOOOO good. The cookie dough was amazing….it almost didn’t make it to the actual “cookie” stage hahaha. Loved them. Thanks so much ^_^v
Seriously the BEST oatmeal cookie recipe out there. I made these twice already and everyone loved them! This will be my go-to cookie recipe! Do not look any further for a recipe!
Ive just made these but used gluten free/ wheat free flour as I have a wheat intolerance and they turned out fabulous!! Best recipe yet!! Definately a winner , going to have to bake some more as they have all been eaten by my family :)
I made these last night with dark brown sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla and a teaspoon of cinnamon. Really liked the molasses flavor of the dark brown sugar and they’re not overly sweet. Only a few left today!
I made these cookies with my son last Sunday these were the best oatmeal cookies I have ever. I did add 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract(love the taste of almond). I will be using this as my regular oatmeal cookie recipe.
Made these cookies twice now; once I made an exact copy of listed and they were okay; took out the nuts and added nutmeg and extra vanilla second time…. This is an excellent cookie!
Thanks for the post! Just the one I have been looking for. Will it make any difference if I use salted or unsalted butter?
Best oatmeal cookie ever! I substituted golden raisins and pecans instead of walnuts. Couldn’t stop eating them and they were gone within 2 days.
These cookies are just delicious!!!
the first time my cookies come out soft and stayed chewy also after cooling off!
thanks so much for this recipe!
:)
These coolies are going to be so good. I have to try and stay away from sugar and white foulr so I was looking for a recipe that didn’t take white and brown sugar. I also knew that when I found a recipe then I would be able to sub wheat flour for white. When I stumbled onto yours I was really happy. I cooked with coconut crystials instad of useing Brown sugar. It is a sugar subistute and is dark like brown sugar. I am making theses for my husbands grandfather and for me. I also put in crasions and rasions. I boiled them in some water before I added them to the cookies. I think they will make up a good combo and I added chopped almonds. I also made them with wheat flour as well. I can not wait to try them. Thanks for the recipe!
Lost my wonderful recipe for Oatmeal Raisin cookies so I pulled up “Smitten”. There it was!!!! How handy. My only addition is to rest the raisins in boiling water for about 1/2 hour, use a couple teaspoons of the water in the dough as the raisins are mixed into the mixture. Those raisins are so plump and chewy! Just like candy. Thanks for the “chill” idea. Headed for the kitchen right now.
Mmmmmmmmmmmm tasty
I absolutely loved these cookies. The only change I made was that I used egg-replacer in place of the egg. I had to stop myself from eating the raw batter.
I’m so happy I stumbled across your blog. <3
-Ariana
I don’t care for the texture, it was too dry, so I added some rum extract!
Thank you, Deb. Your recipes always seem to be exactly what I’m looking for. I used half white whole wheat flour to up the “healthy” quotient and golden raisins cuz that’s what I had on hand. Best oatmeal cookies ever! Chewy, and way delicious!!
I made this oatmeal cookie recipe today and was very pleased. The resulting cookies were both thick and chewy; next time I will follow your advice and chill them for a thicker final cookie. Additionally, the cookies were delicious and the amount of cinnamon was subtle, but a wonderful flavor. Overall, I really appreciated these cookies and in the future this will be my go-to oatmeal cookie recipe.
I made these today and they were awesome. Thank you, Deb! You are my go to and haven’t failed me yet.
I made these yesterday and they are gone! Best oatmeal raisin cookie recipe I have ever tried. Thanks for sharing!
Mine came came out kinda dry. Needed more butter =(
Made these last night and so happy I did. Mine are slightly crispy around the edges and perfectly chewy in the middle. I added a bit of almond extract and soaked my raisins in a bit of dark rum, vanilla, and water for an hour or so to plump them. I also took your advice and did 1/2 tsp of salt. Very tasty cookies!
Hi Deb!
Quick question. I just made these (the dough is amazing) and am planning on freezing them for later. When I decide to bake them, do I need them to completely thaw before cooking? Or, can I bake them from frozen? I am making them for a Downs Syndrome bake sale on Saturday, and I can’t wait for everyone to try them! Thanks for your help!
Stepehnie — You can bake them from frozen.
made these tonight and they are soooo good, cookies didnt spread at all, put raisins in hot water while getting everything else ready, followed your advice used 1/2 tsp salt…and i used golden raisins..will be using this recipe again.
I know this is a super old post… But I just have to say that I am pretty sure we have the same taste in cookies. Between this recipe and the chewy crispy chocolate chip cookie recipe and the peanut butter cookie recipe…. Mmmm. Thank you for creating cookies that taste exactly how I imagine them in my head. Because lets be real… I day dream about the perfect cookie.
Right there with ya, Marie. I love these cookies. I have made them about a million times. They are glorious in their original form, and they accommodate substitutions very graciously. I made them on a whim a few weeks ago — despite missing butter and sugar, for which I substituted tahini and honey (halving the amount of sugar), respectively — they still turned out fantastic. Thanks Deb!
I ADORE these. I generally swap the walnuts and raisins for cranberries and pecans just cause i like the tang of the cranberries and the way they pair with pecans. LIke others, I also add a pinch of ginger, nutmeg and ground clove. Makes for a wonderful Fall cookie. Thank you!
I have made these every ten days or so for the last three months. I use a SunMaid raisin medley which has golden, flame, and other raisins, really nice. In addition to the walnuts I also throw in a tablespoon of flax seed. They add a nice crunch and are nutritious!
Very good blog post. I absolutely appreciate this site. Keep it up!
Cookies looked so good decided to try them, but after 65 years of cooking I think I am pretty clever myself and hardly ever follow anyones’ recipes. I didn’t think any New Yorrrrrkkkk kid could teach me much. But! This one time, I decided I would do exactaly as printed on smitten kitten. AND – They are just fabulous. I did not delete or add one thing. I even timed my baking for a change. They are so good I am not sharing many with my hubby. Thanks for the lesson and thanks so much for the delicious cookies. You rock , my girl.
I just made these and they are perfect in every way. The only way they could be better is if they made themselves. Thank you!
I made these cookies last night and they were fabulous and delicious.. Everyone loved them.. Thank you for this great recipe.
I just wanted to say that this is a fantastic recipe. I made it a few weeks ago and I have been experimenting with it ever since. I think my favourite adaptation (so far) is swapping the raisins for currents and added a bit of freshly ground cloves and nutmeg as well as the cinnamon. Thanks again for sharing such a lovely recipe. I grew up in Canada but I am now in Australia where oatmeal and raisin cookies aren’t really made so I was so excited to be able to recreate one of my favourite cookie recipes from childhood.
This recipe was delicious!!! But I mixed it up a bit by adding banana and replacing the raisins for chocolate chips. I can’t wait to make them again when I have the time. Thanks so much!
I just tried this recipe over the weekend and they were a hit! The cookies were chewy and just the right sweetness. I did adjust my baking time and added a few more minutes since I had bigger sized cookies. But despite that, it was still chewy. Did I say I love it?! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I made these over the weekend… Needless to say they were a huge hit! I did do something different (As it seems everyone does). Made 2 half batches and then halved those.. Was able to make four different kinds of cookies. Oatmeal Raisin, Oatmeal Raisin Walnut, Oatmeal Apricot and Oatmeal Apricot Cashew. I like a tiny cookie, 2 bites MAX, so it made a ton of them… Funnily enough though…. They were all gone that day anyway….
i just made these! omg they are incredible, not too sweet and great texture. my husband is chewing right now as i type
These are the best cookies EVER!!! Thank you Deb for being such an inspiration to all of us :)
Deb,
I love these, as you know. Yesterday I made the chocolate favorite chip cookies from your blog. I used this same scoop and baked them at 300 for 18 minutes as the recipe said. They are very good, but they are flatter and wider then the oatmeal ones. If I bake the chocolate chip ones at 350 for 12 minutes, will they look like the oatmeal ones in shape?
Anna — Cookie shape is more determined by ingredients; a more buttery cookie will spread more. Oats keep these thicker, as do raisins.
Never liked raisins. Is it okay if I replace it with the same amount of chocolate chips?
Cameron — I am sure it would be delicious.
I never had an opinion before about oatmeal raisin cookies, but I do now. Thick & chewy is THE BEST! As you know the recipe is wonderful & the cookies got rave reviews. Just wanted to share one thing- I subbed the butter for coconut oil because I bought some to cook with & have been looking for the right type of recipe. The subtle coconut-y flavor really goes wonderfully with the oats/raisins/cinnamon.
Thank you!!
I saw this recipe and instantly started baking. These might be the most amazing oatmeal raison cookies I have ever had before. AMAZING!!!
This is the third time I’ve come back to the site for THIS recipe! Probably in as many months. My husband, a protein shake drinking, cardio king, health nut CANNOT pass by these. He has asked me NOT to make them because he can’t say no to these!
So of course, in preparation of a 30 degree night and a high tomorrow of 52, I’m making a batch to have something to snack on while I drink my tea in the cool weather.
Thanx for the great recipe! I added a little extra touch of my own ;-) Be blessed
Just baked these for the kids, and they turned out fantastic. I threw in some dark chocolate chips for good measure, too! Thank you for this yummy recipe!
My came out flat as a pancake. I followed the recipe exactly. Any thoughts? I’m so bummed.
I have made these twice so far – they are my favorite cookie recipe so far. They have beat out Alton Brown’s choc chip one even! SO GOOD! I add some ginger, extra cinnamon and use whatever nuts I have laying around. I also add toasted wheat germ or ground flax for added health benefit. :) THANK YOU for this recipe!
Just in the fridge, chilling! Can’t wait to try them! The cinamon & walnut sold them to me ;)
I have been using this chewy oatmeal raisin cookie for years… and I just realized it is yours.
it is 100% the best, most chewy, perfect oatmeal cookie on earth. The chilling makes all the difference!
I was just thinking about making my brother Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for his b-day as I have all the ingredients and I know he’ll appreciate them but I was hesitant due to recipe possibilities. This is perfect!! I was already to make the dough 2 days in advance and freeze it until an hour before I meet up with him and not only do you allow for this you encourage it which was a relief. I was going to halve any recipe because he’s a single guy, I don’t want to drown him in cookies, so I was delighted to find this recipe already halved! It just made this present so much easier!! Thank you :)
The cookies were excellent! Just one problem…they disappeared in a day.
We’ve been making these for a few months now and they are absolutely brilliant. A simple recipe from store cupboard staples. I’ve just put a batch in the oven with some Green and Blacks chocolate chips……should be interesting!!
Thank you.
THANK YOU!! I made these at the weekend and they were AMAZING. The perfect amount of chewiness! Every other oatmeal & raisin cookies I’ve made has been too crispy for my liking – your recipe and fridge technique was SPOT on! My colleagues gobbled up about 15 between 5 of them!!
So, thank you :)
Great recipe, made them with the magic ingredient and they r definately delicious. Thanks xo Ps ~ Super easy too
Success! I’ve been stuck inside b/c of Sandy and went on a baking bender. I tried three other oatmeal raisin cookie recipes this weekend and yours was by far the best. I had to make a second batch …. the first batch went so quickly. I am now throwing away all other oatmeal raisin cookie recipes. Thanks for the great recipes!!
Delicioso! (in our Dora voice)
These are PERFECT oatmeal cookies. I like that they are not too sweet AND I WILL be having them for breakfast with my tea! Good job and I will be following your blog now!!
Made these with craisins since I didn have raisins on hand and they turned out wonderfully! My bf ran to store after one bite to buy me raisins and said he’d love me forever if I would make them again lol
I’ve tried the recipes requiring raisins be soaked in yolk and whatnot and they never turned out with the thick, chewy texture that I love. Thank you for this fabulous recipe!
I’ve been wanting to make some oatmeal raisins! thank you will give this a try!! yum. :)
WOW! These are amazing. I should have made a double batch! I was out or raisins so I used dates, YUM
They are our favorite cookies!!! My friend calls these “life changing cookies” Thanks Deb!
Regarding whether or not the cookies will work with QUICK cooking oats, they absolutely will! This is the same recipe that Penzy’s uses in their catalog, except that their recipe is doubled, and they use QUICK cooking oats, rather than Old Fashioned Oats, just like I did last night when I baked a batch of these cookies. Since I didn’t have any raisins, but I had dates, I buzzed the dates in my food processor and used them. Although my husband thought the cookies were good, he would have preferred raisins, which I usually use in oatmeal cookies, but didn’t have this time. I refrigerated the cookies for just 30 minutes, and this was adequate time for them to retain the shape in the oven. I rolled the cookies in my hands to the size of large walnuts and then flatted them a bit on the parchment paper and they kept a nice, rounded uniform shape when they were baked. I have a hunch that part of the butter in the recipe could be replaced by unsweetened applesauce, and then minced apple, plus butterscotch/heath bar pieces and some chopped nuts combined to give it a hint of a caramel-apple flavor. If anyone has tried something like this, please post.
I made these last night and they were so good! Seriously the best. I stored them in an airtight container and this morning…they’re just meh. I followed the recipe exactly as written, except for using 1/2 regular and 1/2 golden raisins. I will make these again for sure, but I think these are best eaten the same day.
I’m gonna try ’em right now! look scrumptiously deicious!!! CHEERS!!!
Just made these and they turned out just as described – thick and chewy! Thank you – I love a recipe that Just Works.
I think you have the right to stick to this recipe,I wouldn’t change this texture for anything in the world! It’s like everything I ever wanted in a cookie.
Thank you,great as always!
I found the recipe and had the awesome cookies in my hands in no time. They are absolutely perfect. Now my house smells extra wonderful too. Thanks for posting the recipe! :)
Hi got this recipe and i thought it was awesome i also used a tad bit less sugar however i also added some dried cranberries to the mix…………so far so good :)
I’m waiting for them to bake, as I write this… can’t wait… the dough tastes great!
I just made these for like, the fifth time and i swear they get better with each batch. Everyone says they’re the best oatmeal cookies they’ve ever had. Thank you very much for the recipe!
Brilliant my go to recipe
Just made the full batch of cookies. Easy, turned out great! Did not use any nuts.
Yummy cookies!
Wow! Great, simple, awesome recipe… had my doubts about the cinnamon, but now I’m a believer… my guy and daughter loved ’em too… thanks!
Awesome, though I tweaked based on what I had on hand. I subbed 1/4c unsweet applesauce for egg, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder for the b. soda, 1/2c ‘lite’ maple syrup for brown sugar and added a sprinkle of nutmeg. Fantastic – the chilling really makes a difference.
Delicious, I made them with 1 minute oats and next batch with old fashion. Old fashion were the best. I also chilled overnight. The best cookies I have ever baked. I followed the recipe to the letter. I will treasure this recipe.
Simply good, that’s all.
I made these tonight after my neighbor started a christmas baking war and they were incredible! To say I loathe oatmeal raisin would be an understatement… I made them as a filler to a large basket of other cookies and was astonished at how amazing they were when I tried one. These are the best oatmeal raisin cookies I have ever had! Now I can’t stop eating them. I wanted to also say thank you for the recipes you share, you never ever fail me. The mushroom bourguignon recipe remains to this day my favorite stew of all time. You rock.
Best oatmeal cookie recipe ever!! I have made these cookies using this recipe many, many, times. It has never failed. These cookies take me back to when I was a kid sitting in my Aunts kitchen. The only problem I have is waiting for them to cool before I eat one. It never happens. Thanks for this recipe!! It’s perfect!
MMMMM!!!!I have been making these cookies for 3 yrs now since I found the recipe. These are the ULTIMATE oatmeal raisin cookes! Im getting ready to make them now and cant wait! Thank you for sharing.
These may have just saved my marriage.
Deb: a suggestion
I preheated the oven, then it ran empty while the dough was chilling….because I hadn’t read through the entire recipe.
For future users, make a note after the oven temp to hold off pre-heating until the dough goes in the fridge.
Cookies were gobbled up so I’ll be making another batch today!!
jeanneb — Whoops! Thank you.
Just made these! Seriously one of the best oatmeal raisin cookies ever… pending boyfriends approval. YUM!
this recipe was not good at all, the cookies are super dry…
These are THE BOMB. You have to watch them, though. I want the crispy edges and the chewy-gooey insides, adnd this is it. To the commentors who said “too dry”, well, you’re just overcooking them!
i don’t know if this has been posted yet, but if you want to lighten them up, you can use applesauce on a 1 to 1 substitution for the butter, swap the brown sugar for splenda-brown sugar blend (makes them a little sweeter, i’m going to try using a little less sugar-blend and a little more flour next time). and you can swap the egg for 2 egg whites if you’re cholesterol conscious. i may experiment with wheat flour instead of normal flour in the future, but i’m not sure i’ll get away with that one…anyway, great recipe!
this recipe is awful. very very dry. save your time and money DO NOT USE THIS RECIPE!
Baked these last night for a cookie exchange night with my family and they were OUTSTANDING!!! Everyone loved them, even my husband who doesn’t care for Oatmeal raisin cookies. Aloha.
For special Christmas treats to give my mother and sister-in-law, I made up a batch of these cookies using dried cranberries and walnuts, topped them with a thin layer of your apple cider caramel while they were still warm, and then dipped the bottoms in dark chocolate after chilling. I don’t want to know how many calories are in each one, but they’re like the most delicious homemade candy bars I’ve ever had, and were very enthusiastically received.
Have been loving the blog for years, and now that I got a copy of your cookbook for Christmas I look forward to trying even more of your recipes. Thanks for the great and inspiring work you do!
this was awesome recipe… used almonds…still came out great, did not know you could have chilled the cookies to get thickness…
Didn’t want to read through all this, so forgive me if these suggestions have been mentioned. 1). I soaked the raisins in apple cider over night. Made the raisins nice and thick. 2). Also, I used apples instead of raisins for one batch. Both came out awesome. A week later and they are still moist.
I made these cookies for my office on Christmas eve and everyone enjoyed them and everyone asked for the recipe.. Thanks for sharing.
I made these again this week on a windy, sleety, terrible day that absolutely required cookies with 1/2 cup raisins and 3/4 cup coarsely chopped chocolate and no nuts and my testers (husband, son) felt they were the best versions ever, the perfect balance. :)
I made these again – only as bar cookies this time because I was feeling lazy. I ran out of brown sugar so I used 1/4 cup of honey and added walnuts and raisins. They taste good, but I think I’ll stick to regular cookies next time. They’re just not the same as bars.
I made these cookies today, substituting chocolate chips for raisins. While the size and consistency are perfect, I do think they need a touch more sugar. Perhaps, upping the amount to 3/4 cup?
I just made these, after craving them for a week or so. I did make two small changes-switched the cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice, and added about a tablespoon of maple syrup(I think will use less next time, if any). They are awesome! I had to fight my 16 month old to stop eating the raw dough, and now that they are cooked, he has stolen two off the cooling racks! Will make these again! Thanks for the recipe!
Just made this recipe and WOW, it’s great as is. My husband and daughter, who know their oatmeal cookies, are currently gobbling them down. Excellent recipe.
Made these cookies for New Year’s Eve dessert… what a great choice!
Added Chocolate chips, walnuts, and some mixed dried fruit along with the raisins… Definitely chilling the dough made a difference. I’m smitten…
These are THE best cookies I’ve ever had or made. I don’t eat wheat/sugar much as my family sticks to a primal/paleo diet, but when we need a little treat – these can’t be beat!
Just tried this recipe and I can’t stop eating them. I used dark brown sugar since I didn’t have any light brown sugar and also had to add some chopped apricots since I didn’t quite have the needed amount of raisins for the recipe. Thank you for such a great treat!
Wonderful, and by far the best I ever tried and made. I made a double dose, and used walnuts,pecans and hazelnuts finely chopped. I also used a mix of cranberries and raisins, and a 2 tablespoons of spiced rum. Cant stop eating them. Thank you very much!!!
I added the zest of an orange and a little fresh squeezed (juice of one orange) and doubled the recipe and also about a half tsp of clove powder… fantastic!!
Fresh out of the oven and they’re SO good! First recipe that I’ve tried from SmittenKitchen, definitely going to be my new place to look for new recipes. Thanks! :)
I just made these! They are the best cookies I’ve ever had!
Excellent! Thank you for halving the recipe!!!! It has inspired me to always make half batches now! Your omission of white sugar gives the cookie a more complex taste. I could actually taste the oatmeal and didn’t get that too sugary mouth feel. I substituted about a 1/3 cup of chocolate chips for the raisins.
Two years later and still using this recipe. And look at all these comments. You, my blogger baking babe, are the bomb.
These are the best. My boyfriend requests them every time I ask him what I should bake. I try to under-cook them just slightly like you suggest bc they really do cook the rest of the way on the baking sheet when you let them sit for 5 min. . . the chilling part is important. I usually put the whole mixing bowl in the fridge for about 30 min while I clean up. LOVE these and they are so versatile!
Just baked these today and they are the perfect chewy oatmeal raisin cookies I’ve ever made! Scored points with the hubby on this one! :) Thanks for sharing!
I ran out of regular oatmeal and used some maple brown sugar instant and omg so good! Also with chocolate chips cuz I hate raisins.
Super excited about the refrigerating tip- thick, chewy cookies are my ultimate goal when baking. My dough is refrigerating as we speak! Just wanted to throw out there- I’ve been adding orange zest to my Quaker Oats recipe from the lid for years- it makes the flavor out of this world!
I do not like raisins so I use dried cherries instead….Really great. I love Oatmeal cookies and look forward to trying this recipe. I like the fact it is just enough to be a batch and not too much to baking them.
thanks
Made these, specifically for breakfast… SO GOOD.
Absolutely brilliant!!! Made them twice so far, used varied nuts & love them so much! Hubby too- oat & raisin are his favourite kind :)))
I used this recipie as a base and added my own favorites. I ended up making coconut and mini chocolate chip, cranberry and walnut, raisin, and peanut chip/white chocolate chip. My brother threatened my life if I didn’t make more of the coconut kind. I think this is my new go to oatmeal cookie base. Thanks so much for sharing it.
I searched “oatmeal cookie recipe” on the googles and this came right up. Preheating the oven now.
OMG! i have 2 have them know, i have 2 bake them over the weekend!!!!!!! can wait!!!
These cookies are my boyfriend’s favorite…They may get me married…hehehe
Best. Cookies. Ever.
Really stellar cookies – Ionly bake half at a time, and just leave the rest in the freezer for a rainy day when “I neeeeeeed cookies” .. Which happens oh too often
These look amazing! I’m making a batch right now and I can’t wait to try them:)
Thanx for the recipe
I used to have qualms with oatmeal raisin cookies – usually crunchy and dry, traits I’d only seek in a shortbread cookie or sweet biscuit. This recipe has changed my perspective. I made mine with demerara sugar and two tablespoons of molasses, added a bit more spice – my family was in cookie heaven. If you follow this recipe and make teaspoon sized cookies you’ll get about 2 1/2 – 3 dozen cookies.
For the people that said the cookies were dry, you probably baked them too long…each oven is different and has it’s own temperament and hot spots. Try baking them for 4 minutes, rotating the pan, baking them for another 4 minutes and checking the edges. If they’re golden brown, take ’em out. Freezing the cookies before baking helps, too – they’ll spread less.
I just made them. They came out dry and falling apart. They did not flatten out like cookies usually do. Perhaps I failed to add enough butter.
Julia — They are thick cookies, as per the title, not intended to spread as much as some cookies do. But they should not be dry. Using too little butter could cause that.
Just made these subbing the butter with coconut oil, whole wheat flour and dried blueberries instead of raisins. So good!!!
Help! The last few times I’ve made these they’ve turned out flat. Dead flat. I love this recipe and want to get them right again!
I’m thinking about making these with a dried berry blend I saw today at the store – cherries, cranberries, and blueberries – and maybe some slivered almonds. Does that sound fantastic to anyone else or am I crazy?
I made them just as described for Christmas – and they were FANTASTIC! =) Thank you!
My first try, I came across a very easy recipe. Ewww, they were horrable. Then I found your recipe & and just finished making them. Success!! They are GREAT. This will be the recipe I will always use. Now all I have to do is figure out just the right size scoop for my cookies. Medium size scoop to big & my small scoop a little to small. I will be making another batch & getting this just right. Thanks for sharing.
This oatmeal cookie is the best. I wish I had 4 hands!! So I could give your Oatmeal Cookie recipe 4 thumbs up!!!!!
These were lovely, the family enjoyed them very much :) Putting them in the fridge really makes a difference. Thank you!
Perfect! I made them with the chocolate chips and cranberries instead of raisins and nuts. I also used whole wheat flour. Yum!
Just what my (21yr old) son asked for! More cooking in the oven now. Great recipe.
Thanks for this fantastic recipe! The only change I made was before I measured everything out I soaked the raisins. To do this: heat some water in a microwave safe bowl (a minute usually does it), put the raisins in to soak and soak them for about 5 minutes, strain them, pat them dry and tossed them in flour to prevent them from sticking together. Finally, add them to the rest of the ingredients. This makes the raisins plump and juicy and, in my opinion, makes this recipe even better. Thanks again!
I made these cookies and now I have cravings for these cookies.
I previously never enjoyed oatmeal raisin cookies – I preferred chocolate chip instead – but since my fiance likes oatmeal raisin cookies more than choc. chip, I went searching for a good oatmeal cookie recipe so I could make him his favorite type of cookie. This recipe was successfully executed and I ended up eating the majority of the cookies made.
That’s the story behind why I now LOVE oatmeal raisin cookies and I am tempted to try them out as a breakfast item with my usual cup of coffee and Greek yogurt when I make my next batch. Doesn’t that sound fantastic?!
Have just baked these…absolutely scrumptious. A coffee in one hand, a warm cookie in the other. A lovely way to avoid lesson planning this Sunday morning.
Omg! Just baked these cookies- so good! Definetly a keeper ;)
Im picky about oat meal cookies and this recipe is a keeper! Going in my recipe box. I added a dash of nutmeg and a spoon full of peanut butter and some burberries. Yum!
my touches: don’t use cookie sheets, just foil. make the cookies double size / really big. eat half of the dough raw. bake the rest. also, wasn’t in the mood for raisins, walnuts, or chocolate, so I played around and used currants and raw, hulled sunflower seeds. sounds strange, but they just add a little nut-like texture and richness without the slight bitterness of a walnut. seriously great recipe – thank you!
THESE COOKIES TURNED OUR PURRFECT. MY WHOLE FAMILY LOVED THEM…I FED THEM TO MY CAT AND SHE JUST LICKED THE WHOLE BOWL CLEAN. LOVELY MY FRIEND! <3
I MADE THEM AGAIN AND THEY WERE JUST FAB FAB #PURRFECT
I’ve made these three times in the past week and a half and I am completely in love with them. I first mixed them up making banana and cinnamon ones, then I next did a combo and did three different flavoured batches: plain cinnamon, raisin and stem ginger, and decided stem ginger was the winner, I’m making a double batch right now, I thought there would be loads of them but I seem to have eaten them all! Best cookie recipe ever. Can’t go wrong.
These cookies are absolutely delicious and perfectly oat-y, but not as thick as I’d hoped. I followed the recipe AND baked from frozen. Anyone have a tip on what I could do differently? I love a really thick and chewy cookie but have never been able to make it happen at home. That being said, I’ve already eaten three, maybe four…
Hi Melissa — There are a few things that can cause a cookie to spread. If none of these relate to yours then I might be stumped, though I’d love to help if you can tell me more about what happens.
I made these this morning. I used chocolate chips cause that was all the goodies I had to put inside. I love the reduced sugar tip, and I added a 1/4 tsp of ginger. They were Great. My almost 3yr old at them quickly. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Oh and one more tip I rolled the spoonfuls that kept them thicker and fluffier when baked, and I did not have to chill them.
I made these this morning. I used chocolate chips cause that was all the goodies I had to put inside. I love the reduced sugar tip, and I added a 1/4 tsp of ginger. They were Great. My almost 3yr old at them quickly. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Oh and one more tip I rolled the spoonfuls into balls that kept them thicker and fluffier when baked, and I did not have to chill them.
OMG Just tried one of the cookies I baked earlier and they are just like my favourite store oat & raisin cookie. I swapped walnuts for hazelnuts, and the cookies taste fantastic. Thank you for an incredible recipe, that’s easy it make and nice to share. Cheers, Cris.
why can’t you (the poster of this recipe) post recipes for everything I wanna make? i love the way you do it!
Just made these with everything in them. Can’t. Stop. Eating.
Thanks so much! I’ve made them multiple times and I think I’ve perfected it based on your recipe. My husband loves them and it’s my go to recipe every time I want to make cookies. Your awesome, keep it up!
Well, I didn’t follow the entire recipe because I didn’t have all ingredients, but used Oat flour instead of white, added finely chopped pecans, and didn’t have any baking soda so went without . . . . My hubby LOVES them! Thanks so much and I’ll be making these again and again.
I made these last night ad they where a hit. The kids love them and the hubby was so excited since these are his favorite cookies. This recipe is fantastic. Thanks.
Just made these cookies but vegan. They were so chewy and moist! The best oatmeal cookies I’ve ever made! :)
These are amazing. My flatmate even said they reminded her of the cookies her mother made her when she was little.
My son has just gone on a dairy free diet and as a result has given up breakfast [no milk on cereal – doesn’t like the alternative soy / Coconut and allergic to almonds]
So I figure that a big fat oatmeal cookie, might be the better choice rather than starvation. Hopefully I can adapt this by using the substitute for the butter.
Thank you.
Oh my God, these cookies are JUST what I’ve been looking for!!!! I made a batch of 34 cookies this afternoon and I’m sure we’ve already eaten a dozen of them. I didn’t have any chocolate chips so had to have “plain” oatmeal and raisin but they are WONDERFUL! I now find myself wondering how they would taste with bits of Harry & David peppermint bark mixed in instead of raisins. I may have to try it next week. . . or maybe tomorrow? THANK YOU!!!!!! I didn’t have any parchment paper but they came out beautifully on my Teflon liners!
Delicious! Though next time I will double the recipe, but I made this one exactly as written and it was incredible. Thanks for sharing. :)
Thanks for this recipe – they turned out great. I also use a bit more salt than called for, same with cinnamon — I generally double the amount of cinnamon a recipe calls for. Try adding nutmeg (1/2 to 1 tsp) and garam masala (1/2 tsp or so).
I am trying these very cookies right now. The dough is in the fridge as of 4:39 pm EST March 29, 2013. LOL.
They looked so good on your website, I had to try them. I tried a few things. Dried cranberries instead of raisins, the sweet variety, or they are sweet before I tasted them, making sure they wouldn’t ruin the cookie with a sour taste.
I meant to thank you for sharing this recipe. So excited about the cookies themselves I forgot.
Thank you so much for sharing. :)
Wow just finished full double batch. 40 cookies. They are wonderful. I think the key is putting dough in the fridge. They spread right out like they were supposed to.
Chilled the dough for 3-4 hours. Preheated oven and cooked away. Thank you again for the recipe.
Regards Richard Reels
I forgot to mention in my original posting that the 34 cookies were from a single batch and not a double. I guess I tend to make smaller cookies than most.
It’s official. As of 8:47 EST standard time. The cookies have passed away. Thanks again for the recipe. Excellent, excellent.
Regards Richard Reels
This is, hands down, the Hubby’s favorite oatmeal cookie recipe that I’ve made for him. I use dark chocolate raisinettes. :D
This is the recipe I’ve been searching for! Thick chewy oatmeal cookies. I added a little bit of: craisins, raisins, chopped walnuts, chopped up milk chocolate kisses had laying around after VDay, and the tiny bit of coconut left in bag. I thought I may of overdone it with extras but the cookies came out so thick and chewy and stayed that way without drying out how some can in a day or two. This is definitely my go-to oatmeal cookie recipe from now on! Thank you!
I just wanted to say thanks for this recipe. I made them this afternoon for my family and everyone loved them. I just wanted to let you know that I had to put the recipe into a calculator to figure out the carbs/cookie (I have a diabetic daughter). I have included the nutrition facts for the cookies in case you were interested in adding them to your post for other viewers.
Thanks!
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 Cookie
16 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 159.0
Total Fat 6.6 g
Saturated Fat 3.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.9 g
Cholesterol 15.5 mg
Sodium 86.0 mg
Potassium 118.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate 26.6 g
Dietary Fiber 1.2 g
Sugars 15.2 g
Protein 2.3 g
“WHOLE WHEAT”
Just baked them… they are truly amazing! exactly the texture and flavour I was searching for. I cannot wait to try them with raisins (was out and used dried apricot instead). I only had whole wheat flour left (the real “brown” whole wheat flour) and was a little scared, I just swifted it trying to make it “lighter”….turned out FABULOUS!! Thank you so much for this recipe! and for scaling it down.
Just made these and there really good!!!
Wondering if these would work spread in a 9×13 for a bar cookie or am I ruining a good thing?
Made another full batch. 40 cookies. Even better this time. Thanks again.
Richard Reels
Yum!
Made them with 1/2 C raisins, 3/4 C chopped pecans & 3/4 C chopped dark chocolate (and olive oil margarine (Olivio), gluten free flour and 1/2 C brown sugar).
They are delicious! My partner begged to take a batch to work to share. Will definitely be making again :)
Hi! Have been craving oatmeal cookies for a few weeks now… So, just made a double batch of this recipe, before picking up kiddo’s from school. It’s in the refrig and upon my return, will be ‘divided into thirds’ to add stir-in’s before baking. Have to satisfy everyone in the house of course!!! One will have chopped chocolate (no nuts or raisins), one will have raisins only and the last third of the batch IS MINE! It will have raisins, pecans and walnuts (and cranberries if I can be lucky enough to find any?!! Can’t wait! *drool… :) I wanted to also share that many of my Facebook friends post your recipes. I finally decided to make a visit! Great Blog, wonderful recipes with nice pic’s and descript’s with animated words/inflection(s)… Thanks and like Arnold says, “I’ll Be Back!” DEFINITELY!! ;)
Thank you for such a great recipe! These cookies are eaten so fast whenever I make them, and I get requests to keep making them all the time. Wonderful!
Hi,
I just found this site and so far just love it…I would like to know if it makes a difference which type of oatmeal you use ??? I am making these this afternoon & I’m going to use walnuts & raisins because that’s my all time favorite…followed by pecans & cranberries which will be the second batch.
Thanks
Adeline — Old fashioned rolled oats are best. Quick-cooking oats will work too, but there will be less of an interesting texture. Irish oats would remain hard.
Mmmmmmm tasty tasty cookies!!! EXACTLY what I had in mind when I craved oatmeal raisin / oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
The only thing I changed was to replace a 1/2 cup of oatmeal with a 1/2 cup of wheat germ ( I doubled the batch ingredients above to have ready to bake freezer cookies)
Thanks so much!!!!
these are delish!! your oatmeal idea is so samrt!! i made these twice, the first batch i forgot to put the oatmeal in. awesome. then they came out great!!
I’ve switched the cinnamon out for all spice and the raisins for craisins…yum!
This by far is the best homemade oatmeal raisin cookie recipe I have ever made. My love for oatmeal raisin cookies has taken me to trying to make them several times, but I was never really satisfied. This is the first time I have refrigerated the dough prior to baking (approx 1 hour) and that seems to have really helped them from being flat and dry. Keeping this one for sure!
I just finished baking these and, having had my first taste, wanted to thank you! As a kid I used to make oatmeal “cookies” that no one but me could stomach because they tasted so awful (I, of course, thought they tasted great) and so when a friend mentioned an oatmeal-raisin cookie craving (we both share a preference for them over chocolate chip) I knew I’d have to find a better recipe, and here it is! As it was my first time baking it I did it mostly to the letter of your recipe and they turned out beautifully! Crispy yet chewy edges, soft chewy almost squidgy middles, and the amount of cinnamon is just right.
I’ve yet to cook one of your recipes and have it turn out poorly. Thank you so much :)
I made them with white whole wheat flour and under-cooked them a bit. They’re sooo good… and sooo gone already ;-)
I am so happy that I found this recipe. Oatmeal raisin cookies is the only way i will eat oatmeal Thank You much.
This is now my go-to recipe. Wonderful, thanks!
so small!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! one mouth only!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had a craving for oatmeal cookies while watching the Heat and the Spurs in the playoffs. I came across these and had to try them. Thaaank youuu very much, they tasted great and were a great addition to watching the game.
This has been our #1 go-to recipe for a year now! Our whole family loves oatmeal raisin cookies… and when they are requested (which is very often)…
this is the place I come. I have bookmarked your page and pinned this recipe.
Thank you for sharing this awesome, never fail, tasty recipe with us! :)
I love this recipe! I’m 39 weeks pregnant and want to make a big batch for the freezer, for guests or for breakfast!DoI cook them direct from frozen or do they need defrosting?
Thank you
Sarah — I do all the time. They do not spread as much (they’re quite tall) but nobody has ever complained. These are what I’d call our “House Cookies,” btw, the one I make most often when we want a sweet after-dinner indulgence, usually with the chocolate/raisin/reduced sugar I mention in an updated note up top.
I made these this past weekend and my husband went INSANE. They are so simple and so good! Thank you!
I looooooove these cookies!! I use Craisins, chopped white chocolate and add some orange flavoring. Everyone always asks for these cookies and they’re a favorite gift during the holidays :)
I’m with Sarah – just tried these and they are a great “2nd week of mat leave/waiting for something to happen” quick, easy recipe that I’m going to freeze. I used chocolate chips and raisins and with 1/2c of sugar it was more than sweet enough. I refrigerated the dough before scooping it and some cookies were flat, some were thick…maybe it’s my oven. Either way they are all really yummy.
Best oatmeal raisin cookies EVER!! Thank you. Love your blog!
Yum! After purchasing a raisin and Oatmeal cookie from a shop yesterday I goggled for a recipe and have just made these and Yum Yum Yum! I love that all the ingredients are what you already have in the pantry, quick and easy, chewy yum, Thank you!
I was wondering if these do well doubled in size? Say six inches across? I love big cookies…mostly because I’m a bit (lot) of a glutton, but I can give my fella a nibble (a giant bite) without losing half my cookie.
Elizabeth — These aren’t ideal for large cookies because they stay thick/don’t spread much. Though, additional butter can aid spreading, if you want to fiddle with the recipe.
Do you think I can flatten them on the baking sheet before I put them in the oven?
We have been in search of the perfect oatmeal cookie. Today is the day!!! We are headed to the kitchen to try making these now :) Thank you for sharing. We know exactly what you mean about being particular with oatmeal cookies…they HAVE to be just right!
These are the best oatmeal raisin cookies I have ever eaten – and I have eaten a lot. My family thinks there are too many raisins so I have cut those back a little. These stay moist and chewy unlike some other recipes I have tried.
These are my go-to cookie recipe! These little heavenly bites have forever changed my expectation of an oatmeal-raisin cookie. The dough has been fun to adapt as well, lately it’s with chocolate chips and coconut (same measurements as raisins and walnuts respectively)! I literally have just pulled a batch out of the oven, off to enjoy!
I make these substituting with whole wheat, ghee (clarified butter), jaggery (unrefined sugar) and a mix of raisins and chopped dates. Works well, both my kids love them.
Made these tonight and they were delicious!!!!!!!
Making these for a friend of mine tonight…doubled the batch to take some into work. I’ve never chilled the dough for oatmeal raisin cookies before, so I hope this is the missing link!
I made these and added a few extra ingredients, I find that the rolled oats don’t soften enough, so I tried again using quick cook oats and they were much better.
Thanks for this recipe. It really hit the spot and today I made it for the second time. I did decide to plump up the raisins by simmering them in rum. Don’t worry–my 4-year old’s cookies were sans raisins. They are good!
When I put “oatmeal raisin cookie recipe for high altitude” in Google search, your’s was the first to pop up in the search. But I don’t see any notation in your recipe about adjusting anything. Do you adjust anything in this recipe for high altitude? Or have I not looked far enough for the high altitude recipe?
Hi Pam — No, I didn’t mention it but it came up in the comments. Comment #304-305 make a small adjustment that you might find helpful.
Thanks. I wondered if that might have happened. But reading through all 1065 comments just seemed a bit too much!
Thank you, again.
Just made these & was hoping for 4 dozen so I doubled it…. barely got 3…
so just finished the math to triple the recipe for next time.
These are REALLY excellent.
Only changes I made was to add an obscene amount of freshly ground nutmeg, and a tiny sprinkle of flaked sea salt on the cookies before baking…. sooooo good… thanks :)
I’m going to try these with sugar substitute. We love oatmeal raisin cookies and my husband can’t (or rather shouldn’t) have sugar. I’ve been trying and trying to come up with a good recipe and they’re all either too crumbly or too soft and not chewy at all. Will let you know how this turns out.
Thank you! I had a craving for oatmeal raisin cookies, and like you I really wanted thick & chewy. I googled and these looked like they would hit the spot. I just finished making these and they are delicious!
Our community theater group sells refreshments at performances to make additional money and I was looking for one that would travel well and be a welcome change from the regular chocolate offerings. This fit the bill. I was out of pecans (I prefer them to walnuts) so tried sliced almonds. I sugared the tops with some raw sugar just to add a little crunch. They are cooking now and I plan on leaving a few for my husband or he will be very disappointed. If the dough is any indication of the cookie, it will be wonderful. I know I shouldn’t eat the dough but I couldn’t resist.
Can’t wait to try oatmeal raisin cookies. Making them for the Mormon Missionaries this weekend. All the reviews since 2009 raved about these cookies. Gotta try them.
As always, LOVE them. Classic! I doubled the recipe and chilled them. My only mistake was thinking that they were cool enough to stack. Quite a few are stuck together… and oh so yummy!
I made these twice and whilst they are delicious mine instead of being thick are spreading and are flat. I haven’t read through all the comments but think it may be the butter which was melted instead of softened. Will try them again soon keeping in mind the butter issue. Any other things I need to be mindful of ? However have to once again say that they were outstanding in taste!
Hi Deb,
I made these hoping for a thick chewy cookie. I chilled them thoroughly in ‘fridge overnight before baking. They did not bake up thick–not exactly thin–but definitely not as thick as your photos or as I would like them. I have trouble getting any cookie I bake, even if the recipe is “designed” to produce a thicker product, to bake up thick… I’m wondering about the cookie sheets I use: Vollrath (Cook’s Illustrated #1 rated). They are quite thick. I use parchment. My sister, also a baking fanatic, has experimented and found that thick, sheets produce flatter cookies than the fancy thick ones. Any clues? What kind of cookie sheets do you use?
Hi Meg — Are you at a higher altitude? That can affect baking in weird ways. Here are the things I know about cookies spreading — do any of them sound like they might relate?
Super delish with a nice little outside crisp! Out of eggs so substituted 1 Tbsp mayo and a very small drop of canola oil. Worked like a charm.
I made these today and chilled the dough but they still turned out cakey rather than chewy. I have tried various different recipes and find the same thing happens, any tips?
Preeya — Cakey might be from too much leavener, the wrong one, or more than you need. Are you at a higher altitude? You’re definitely using plan flour, and not anything that comes with leavener already in there?
Deb,
Not at higher altitude…dough is thoroughly chilled. Careful and experienced about following recipes ( I generally weigh ingredients when baking). So,do you have any experience with thick sheets like the Vollrath? I use parchment. What kind of sheets do you use to produce these thick cookies? ARe they dark or shiny?
Thanks. BTW, I did read your notes on spreading cookies—-I’m already doing all of that.
I pressed the dough into 1/4 cup measuring cups for shape and popped them on the cookie sheet to bake. Same time – 12 minutes and I had amazing JUMBO cookies. Best cookies ever! AND super healthy! (Next time I will add the choc chips for sure.) Thank you so much.
I only had half the amount of flour listed, so I substituted the other half with coconut flour. And I was about 1 OZ shy of butter, so I substituted the remainder with raw coconut butter. Folded in chopped chocolate instead of raisins or nuts. (As you suggested, I cut the sugar due to chocolate). Results = amazing.
Thank you for a great recipe! :)
I used sultana raisins and currants presoaked in gin to plump them up a bit :)
My cookies didn’t flatten whatsoever; they stayed like puffy little golf balls. Tasty, but an odd shape. I think it may have been that I left the dough to cool for a couple of hours and it was pretty solid by the time I two-spoon scooped out the cookies. Perhaps it’s better to scoop them on the parchment and then cool them…
These are my fav cookies. I’ve used your recipe without alteration to make them over and over and my friends are always begging for them. :) Thanks for sharing!
My younger daughter can literally live off these, so I’ve been experimenting with making it healthier. I use ghee, whole wheat and finger millet flour, jaggery (unrefined sugar) and chopped dates, and apparently they’re still great.
I made 18 dozen last Xmas. The best cookie ever!!! I kicked it up a notch by soaking and dehydrating the walnuts to take off the bitter taste and I made my own raisins by dehydrating black seedless grapes for the sweetest juiciest raisins ever. Addest a dash of ground cloves. This recipe won me over as a fan of smitten kitchen forever. God Bless you!
cookies sound amazing; will be baking them tomorrow. do you know the nutritional breakdown as per your recipe without any alteration (calorie/cookie, grams of sugar/cookie, etc)? Thank you!
elisa — I do not, but I use this site as a resource when I need to find one.
thank you for the nutritional breakdown site!! have you tried your recipe in bar style? i noted your comment about not making them too large but wondered about baking them (frozen of course) in a 9×13″ pan as batter cannot spread if it is contained.
I just made these and they turned out terribly :( Followed recipe exactly, but they didn’t keep their shape. Very flimsy. edges are crumbly and falling apart. Very wet batter. They are tasty, but they are a mess.
Any tips for making them presentable/ an actual cookie? :P :(
I can’t for the life of me figure out how the batter ended up wet. It’s insanely thick when we make it, almost too hard to mix. (And we make it a lot.) Were there any changes or anything that seemed off?
Thank you for this recipe! My husband says that they are the best oatmeal cookies he’s ever had and I agree!
Found this recipe on a web search for oatmeal cookies. Followed your note and reduced sugar and added chocolate chunks and walnuts and also peanut butter chips-they are perfect! I love how they are not overly sweet via sugar–and also love the size and shape…. Thank you for my new favorite cookie recipe!
a 100 times yes to the chocolate chip addition! just heavenly. a new favorite for sure.
I made these today with my kids (who had a great time). They turned out great. I greedily doubled the batch. That’s a lot of cookies! I didn’t have a scoop so I just used my hands. My husband said that they are the best oatmeal cookies he has ever had. And that is saying a lot because he is a culinary snob ;)
Of course this recipe is amazing as it is! But I just did a variation by adding a small handful of flaxseeds and sunflower seeds, and replacing half the raisins with dark chocolate chips. It worked well! And added a cool texture.
Hello,
So I was sick of eating the subway oatmeal and rasin cookies and decided to make my own since I like them so much. Googled a recipe, this one came up. I enjoyed your writting style and the simplicity of it so tried it. WHAT A HIT! I have made two batchs in one week and have some cookie dough now in the freezer too. Thank you from from my family to you, I am now hooked on your blogg!
This is my second time using this recipe and the cookies have been delicious both times!! Being that it’s Thanksgiving season, I substituted pumpkin pie spice mix for the cinnamon. I doubled the recipe and measured a “heavy” teaspoon of the spice. I also put in a tiny bit of cinnamon. Next time I might go a wee bit heavier on the pumpkin pie spice – maybe 1 1/4 spice plus 1/4 cinnamon. Thank you!!
I made these last night on a whim, since we were stuck inside due to snow, and they were perfection! I live at a very high altitude so I always worry things won’t turn out, but these stayed thick and yummy. A keeper, especially with your chocolate chip edit!
Thanks Deb! They came out just the way I like them. Thanks also for providing weight measurements. No chance to screw that up.
Add some dried cranberries instead of raisins & add white chocolate chunks. You will absolutely swoon!
Deb, these cookies are a revelation. They also get a hearty thumbs up from my husband, who is very particular about oatmeal raisin cookies. Just getting ready to make my second batch, I’m going to add chocolate chips to half and see what happens. Thanks and hugs on a chilly West Coast Sunday afternoon!
Mrs. Kennedy, K.O. — Thank you! These (with the chocolate chunks) are basically our House Cookie these days.
The little black dress of cookies! I’ve made these several times over the past few winters, and they turn out great every time. Love them with choc chips and without. Used dried cherries instead of raisins tonight. Love the small batch size- we eat a tray hot out of the oven and freeze the rest of the dough for another day. Thanks!
One word ……AWESOME ….Ty very much perfect oatmeal cookie finally !!!!!
OMG finally I found the RIGHT recipe! I have 4 days off and I’m about to go into hyper bake mode with these. Like you I am very particular about my oatmeal cookies…actually only oatmeal cookies. My favorite recipe was from a 4H booklet from the 60’s and I haven’t tasted anything close since. I’ll be taking a big batch to work if I don’t eat them all. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!!!
5 thumbs up!!!
These are fantastic. FANTASTIC. I made these just now for my FIL and it is hands-down the best cookie dough I’ve ever eaten. I bet the actual cookies are even better, but I’m a dough eater.. ;)
I would like to submit that I added a pinch of cardamom, and subbed chopped pecans for walnuts.
FANTASTIC! THANK YOU!
I have been making these cookies for 3 years and every Xmas time I look for this recipe. I love that there is no granulated sugar. This is my goto cookie recipe!! Thanks for sharing it!!!
I’ve been making these cookies during the holidays for quite sometime now! But I use pomegranate craisins, and almonds instead :) Super yummy.
Hi Deb! How long can frozen dough last in the freezer?
Beyond awesome.
Back again! OMG…I’m making a double batch to take to work tomorrow but I’m gonna have to hide them! LOL Half the batch has been “sampled” already. :-D
I choose dried cranberries, pecans and cinnamon chips as my add ins….just heavenly!!! Thanks for a solid base for my experiements!
Tried this recipe and it was such a big hit I’m back to make more! Thank you!
These cookies are delicious! We made these last night and I loved the combination of the cinnamon and oatmeal
Fantastic! Just what I was looking for. I often reduce the sugar in cookies, and it can mess with the texture – these were just right. I left out the cinnamon, and the flavors just shone. Great base for other nut/fruit/chocolate combos, too. Thanks for this one; it’s going into the files.
awwwwwweeeeesoooommeee cookies! I added maple extract and chocolate covered sunflower seeds, and they were just about the best cookies I’ve had in a long time ! Thank you!
We have been making these for years, they’re brilliant, got a batch in the oven now!!
Thank you.
This is my cookie recipe of choice, on every cookie-related occasion. I love them!! Thank you so much for publishing this recipe. They turn out nice and thick and chewy every time, and I don’t change a thing.
I have it bookmarked in my browser as Perfect Cookies.
I accidentally added baking powder instead of baking soda… so then I just mixed in both, and then made sure to squish them before baking so they wouldn’t over-rise. They were perfect. I also added a little bit of nutmeg because I couldn’t help myself. Thanks for the perfect oatmeal raisin cookies.
Holy cow these are awesome! I’m not one to typically say holy cow either! Second recipe in a row in two days that have turned out FAB! Broccoli cream pesto yesterday was awesome too. Love SK!!
Since I was hanging around the kitchen anyway waiting for the Dulce De Leche to cook, I made a batch of these. I used raw sugar and also added two Granny Smith applied grated into the mixture – perfect lunch box snacks now with a bit of hidden fruit added.
I have these chillin in the fridge right now….I added a lil dulce de leche to the batter too!The chilling part is the worst part lol
I just made the chocolate version and they’re in the fridge chilling. Thanks for this site – I love it. Also appreciate getting the metric/centigrade info too.
I made these for my husband for valentine’s day. I couldn’t resist eating one for breakfast! They are AWESOME!
Dear Smitten Kitchen,
I love your blog, but there’s something wrong with this recipe!! I made a double recipe to take to my niece and it only made 4 dozen! I’ll have to make another double batch tonight just to make sure it’s only 48 cookies. My daughter who thinks oatmeal cookies are yuck- says YUM to these fabulous cookies, as do everyone else who eats them :) They really are a great cookie, especially with dried cherries I substituted for the raisins. Thank you so much for a goosebump inducing cookie!
I altered these and used the recipe as inspiration for my blog post that will be posted tomorrow. Oh so yummy! Thanks for sharing(:
perfect cookie! thank you.
Second time I made these, and this time I opted for chocolate instead of walnuts…sooooooo delicious!!!!!!!!!!! And very easy to make. Love this recipe
Just made these for my office! Used currants instead of raisins, triple the amount of cinnamon and then added the same amount of nutmeg! Instead of adding chocolate chips, I melted dark chocolate chips with a little bit of vegetable oil (slowly in the microwave so that id doesn’t burn) and dipped the tops of the cookies into the chocolate. Then sprinkled chopped almonds on top! The look very very very cute and taste LIKE HEAVEN, MAKE THESE COOKIES WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!!
These are exactly as described! Perfectly chewy. I chilled the dough and used the suggested 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Delish.
These are amazing. I didn’t realize that refrigerating cookie dough is what made them thicker. I’m glad I came across this recipe. It’s good to learn something new. I added a bit more cinnamon just because my kids and I love a stronger taste of cinnamon.
I was craving cookies and wanted something *NOW* – no 1-2 hours’ chilling in the fridge/freezer. These came together incredibly quickly (yippee for metric measures, the weighing scale and the ‘tare’ button!) and baked perfectly.
The addition of chocolate here is pure brilliance. My husband gobbled up 4 before they even cooled properly, and before he could have any more, he had to guess the main ingredients. Not being culinarily inclined at all, his first guess? “Ummm chocolate?” :)
Thanks Deb, for yet another of your winner recipes I’ve added to my file!
I just made these. They were insanely good. Here are a few changes I made:
– doubled the cinnamon & vanilla
– used 3/8 tsp. salt
– used whole wheat pastry flour
– melted and cooled the butter
– creamed the egg and sugar, then slowly beat in the butter
– added about a teaspoon of water
– used 3/4 cup raisins and 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Thanks for a wonderful basic recipe that can be modified so easily.
Made one batch with half raisins, half craisins, and walnuts. Then immediately made another batch without walnuts just to compare because I liked the first batch so much! I also added about a 1/4 cup of wheat bran for health reasons. Thank you!!!
Just mixed them. Chilling as I type … Consistency seems amazing. Threw in raisins, dark chocolate morsels and peanut butter chips. Think I will have a winner here !!!
I made a healthified version today, replacing the sugar with coconut sugar and the white flour with a blend of whole wheat and spelt. And my family stands divided on both nuts and raisins, so I didn’t use either. Which turned out to be okay, because these are some fabulous oatmeal cookies, even unadorned.
(And the dough ain’t half bad before it goes in the oven either ;) )
I have made Oatmeal Cookies time and time again, but I always like to look up the way other people make their cookies and I will say yours are the most no-none sense cookies I’ve seen on the web. I looked at some famous cooks who will remain nameless and the way and method on which they make their cookies and it is ridiculous. Plus the fact that one didn’t even put raisins or chopped nuts of some sort.
Thank you for this oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. I just made the batter (which taste amazing) and I feel like this is going to be a very promising recipe. I can’t wait to put them in the oven.
hmmm i’m lovin’ it! it’s sooooo delicious. yummy for my tummy :)
No changes and they came out great! Very simple, very chewy, and not ridiculously sweet.
Thanks for the recipe, I made some small adjustments, but the recipe was great. I will be posting on my blog with credits to you. Thanks again!
Finally an awesome oatmeal raisin cookie recipe! The only thing i changed was coconut oil instead of butter. They came out unbelievably good!
I have to comment because let me tell you: These are my go-to and all-time-favourite oatmeal cookies.
I’ve added everything from nuts to seeds to dried fruits of all varieties and different kinds of chocolate. The only thing I add is a dash of cloves (because I love cloves). The only problem with such a delicious and versatile cookie/biscuit is that it rarely makes it to that stage. The dough is just as wonderful! Cheers.
I just tried this recipe and they turned out so well! Perfectly thick and chewy. I added chocolate chips but I’m not much of a raisin fan so instead of eliminating the walnuts, I kept those and removed the raisins. These were a big success! I am going to start chilling all my dough first.
Just made these yesterday afternoon and yep…they were PERFECT! I can always count on you for a great recipe! My boyfriend has the day off today and I imagine they will be gone by the time I get home. Love the batch size!
I love this base for these cookies and saw your note about doing them up as oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies. Was wondering if this could be done all the way as a pure chocolate chip cookie by just dropping the oats and replacing them with some more flour, and chopping in a good chocolate bar for melty chocolate goodness even after they cool?
I haven
t made these since my kids were little. Now they have their own kids. I lost my recipe so used yours and they are delicious. I din’t chill the dough, I never did before. Yummy good Thanks
I followed the recipe to a T. Both my wife and two year old daughter were impressed. Thank you for making me look so good :)
Made them just now with chocolate chips (at the lowered sugar level you recommended) and dried cherries. So good and easy!
I’ve made these a few times before and loved them. I decided to quadruple a batch to make for Thanksgiving… and for some reason, they’re terrible. The flavor is just fine, but they’ve spread out and are too thin and fall apart when I try to pick them up. I chilled the dough as instructed – in fact, I haven’t changed anything from the last time i made them, aside from making more!
What have I done wrong?? :(
Melissa — Usually, when cookies spread a lot, there’s a little too much butter in them, or too little flour. See more reasons here. Hope they’re at least still tasty.
I think i need to try this recipe again with more butter. the cookies stayed in the round dollop shape i put on the cookie tray. they didn’t spread at all and ended up dense and dry. not bad really. but not the chewy tastiness i imagined.
my husband made them while i made cupcakes though so i think i’ll blame him instead of the recipe.
never a chore to try again!
Several years late but after making a ton of these last week and eating the leftovers for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I felt like I needed to tell you how much I love these cookies. I haven’t strayed from this recipe in three years. I bake the cookies for every occasion and get tons of compliments. I’m pretty terrible at all things kitchen-related and this recipe has never let me down. That’s a feat. Awesome.
These are my absolute favorite oatmeal raisin cookies…hands down! My husband is always disappointed when I make a batch of these for myself instead of chocolate chip cookies for him. But hey, I deserve my own treats from time to time.
Thanks deb! That makes sense. I plan on doing another big batch sometime next week, so I’ll see how that goes. :)
Deb,
I made these and added chocolate as in I kept the nuts and added chocolate. I used semisweet chocolate 65% and cut it up to equal 3/4 cup. The cookies no longer taste like oatmeal. They taste like semi-sweet chocolate cookies. Where did I go wrong? Should I exclude the nuts next time as your recipe suggested or is this how they are supposed to taste when you add the chocolate in the equation?
This looks like I’m going to try this right now. One thing I will do, like Pepperidge Farm is to soak my raisins first, maybe with rum!
This is the BEST oatmeal cookie recipe! I have searched high and low for the perfect recipe. I finally found it! Thanks!
I made these tonight and they’re just what I’ve been looking for in an oatmeal raisin cookie! I got exactly 19, 1-oz cookies using a disher. I’ll double the recipe next time. Chilling makes all the difference! Thanks, Deb!
I’m making these right now, and I’m putting them in a skillet.
Just made these today. As Deb suggested, I cut the sugar because I added chocolate (I left out the raisins altogether). :) Used 1c. chocolate– could probably do a little less. Great cookies!
These are amazing! Thank you – I was sick of eating oatmeal, but it’s totally the way I keep my mother’s milk supply up. So good!
Oh my gosh yes! I was just thinking about oatmeal cookies! Last time I used chocolate chunks and swapped out the raisins for dried tart cherries.
Yo, these cookies are dope as hell. I’m making them fo my crew next poker night
made these twice already in the last week! so so good! definitely important to keep it refrigerated at least for 45 minutes or so until the dough gets harder. delicious!!
Made these for a church fair this weekend – quadrupled the recipe, and that’s A LOT – almost one full (small box of oats). Absolutely perfect, although stuck together in the cookie tin, I think they were cool when I packed them,but maybe too tightly packed.
These are my boyfriends favorite cookies!!!!!
i have made this recipe at least 6 times in the last few months! it is the best oatmeal raisin cookie i have ever had!! love it :)
I was searching for an oatmeal cookie recipe to satisfy my love of raisins and my husband’s love of chocolate. I just pulled these out of the oven — they are perfect!
Omg…thank you!! My husband loved this too much
i don’t like raisins, so always substitute dried cherries or craisins, adding pecans. making these now… :)
This is my go-to recipe for oatmeal cookies. My 6 year old asks me to make these all the time. Chilling them is a must :-). Make a double batch…trust me!
My friends love this recipe – I started making them because we all had diabetes and this recipe didn’t make my blood glucose levels soar! We all love these cookies and so many of my friends have diabetes (awful, huh?).
Now my friend is asking for the nutritional information for these cookies (I use your original recipe – NO extras like chocolate chips – just walnuts and raisins). He really wants to adhere to his doctor’s dietary guidelines.
I looked through your comments section until my eyes were watering! So glad everyone loves this recipe. BUT, do you have the nutritional guidelines anywhere in your database? It’s really important, because I want to send him a big batch for the holidays. Thank you!
Mary — No, I don’t keep them on the site. I like this calculator, however, because it allows you to adjust to how many you made and any ingredient adjustments you used.
Every recipe I try from SK rocks. Today I made these cookies and the salted chocolate chip for nurses caring for my father while in the hospital. I love your blog and trust every recipe I try cannot be beat : ) Thank you, CM
I was searching for oatmeal raisin cookies and chanced upon your website. I reduced the sugar to 85g and substituted cranberries for raisins. Left the dough in the fridge for about an hour. Turned out really delicious. My hubby and I enjoyed these cookies very much. Am eating one while typing away. Thank you so much for the recipe. :-D
I don’t care for raisins, so I omitted them and added a bit more sugar. My daughter wanted the house to smell like Christmas, so I added 1/2 tsp each cloves and black pepper for a little heat. They were delicious. Thank you.
I made these and used half dried cherries and half golden raisins, with the chocolate. They were a HIT. I had some leftover vanilla bean cream cheese frosting, and I ended up making some homemade oatmeal cream pies. OMG. So good. Everyone loved them at Thanksgiving! Thanks for the inspiration!
These are hands down the best oatmeal raisin cookies I have ever had. i found this recipe a few years ago and have made it numerous times. I always get compliments and requests for me to make more. I never use a different recipe, they are that good! Thank you for posting your recipe!
These are my go-to cookies! I make a vegan version of them using an Earth Balance buttery stick in place of regular butter, and a ground flax seed “egg” in place of the egg. Also, I’m more of a dried cranberry fan, so I use those in place of the raisins, along with the suggested amount of chopped walnuts. So delicious!! I get rave reviews whenever I make them. Thank you for this great recipe, Deb!
Also, I use a scant 2/3 cup of coconut sugar in place of regular brown sugar :)
sadly I made these today and they came out very flat.. I did NOT chill them before baking.. Baking Soda was new.. Followed everything to the T.. Maybe chilling is the way to go.
Just baked these with my 4 year old son, he loved them! Thanks for a great recipe.
Just sweet, pillowy perfection. DEB, THANK YOU.
Deb, I see that in comment #816 you specify UNsalted butter for these cookies. In general, when recipes call for “butter,” I assume regular salted butter is intended. In your recipes, when you just say “butter,” do you always intend UNsalted? Thanks for clarifying.
Janet — Almost always unsalted. Will fix. However, there’s no reason you cannot bake with salted butter, which, let’s be honest, is way more enjoyable to have around for bread and frying eggs, you just won’t know automatically how much if any needs to be added (the real reason most bakers prefer unsalted). Some sticks of butter have something like 1/4 teaspoon salt, some more like 1/2.
Thank you! I never really knew how much salt salted butter contained, or how to adjust for it. By the way, I made the cookies exactly as directed, with raisins and pecans, and they are round and scrumptious! Chilling the dough and then not overbaking the cookies is definitely key.
I just made these, substituting chopped figs for the raisins; hand-chunked 62% choc for chocolate chips; and piloncillo for the brown sugar. I realize that this is now a really different cookie, but nonetheless — delicious!! **I’m trying piloncillo in everything these days, but I don’t recommend the switch to piloncillo unless you like substantially less-sweet sweets. The taste is also a little different, but that won’t be as noticeable as the fact that it’s not as sweet as other sugars.
Made these this evening – turned out really lovely but needed an extra egg.
Oh. my. goodness. These are so tasty.
I was out of raisins and nuts (darn it!) so I chopped up some dried sour cherries, cranberries and apricots and used those instead. Probably about 1.5 cups worth. I also followed your lead and did 1/2 tsp salt.
Really happy with the results. The edges of the cookies got “lacey” and crunchy. Yum.
Was looking for a flat oatmeal raisin for my husband…these looked so great I “sacrificed” the flat for the thick…not disappointed. And if husband gets to try them I don’t think he will be unhappy either!. Love your detailed recipes and helpful observations. I now toast every nut I ever put in a recipe because of you. I’m on a SmittenRoll here.
Thank you, Deb! Made these tonight and I couldn’t ask for a better oatmeal raisin cookie. In fact, whenever I have something in mind to bake, I always check to see if you’ve blogged about it, because your recipes never disappoint!
I just made these cookies now, and they came out great. Sometimes, when I soften butter and then cream it to make cookies, the butter becomes smooth and creamy, and other times, like today, it stays lumpy no matter how much I beat it. What mistake am I making, and does it matter? The cookies come out fine even when the butter is lumpy, but something tells me I am doing something wrong and I am not sure what. Not softening the butter long enough? Thanks for this and all of your other great, go-to recipes.
I don’t use butter or margarine. Will these still be chewy if I use oil?
Sheva — It will probably not be an issue.
How many dozen does this recipe make?
I tried adding 1/2 tsp of amchoor powder and my wife and I both liked the result.
Made the dough last night with golden raisins, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Made the cookies this morning and OH MY GOODNESS are they delicious! Mine stayed in little balls and didn’t spread at all. Is that normal?
These are a great “mother’s milk” cookie. I have made more batches than I can count! The oatmeal alone is a galactagogue, but sometimes I add slightly less flour and instead add some ground flax and/or brewer’s yeast. You can also add fenugreek, but only a touch because the flavor is overpowering. I usually swap the raisins for chocolate chips. I like to gift frozen dough to friends with newborns and they invariably ask for the recipe.
Deb, this recipe is fantastic! :D And I’m glad you wrote that 1 cup of chocolate chips can be swapped in because I had all the ingredients except for raisins, and I wanted these cookies “something fierce”. ;) And now that I’m addicted, I’m making them again and hiding the rest from my family. This one goes into regular rotation. A+
I wanted to report that I made these gluten-free, and they’re just as perfect as I remember them. I used gluten-free oats and replaced the all-purpose flour gram-for-gram with Gluten-Free Girl’s grain-free flour blend and reduced the butter by 10% to compensate for the fat in the flour. (I use her original grain-free blend recipe which consists of 40% almond flour, 30% tapioca flour, and 30% arrowroot starch.) I grew up on the standard Quaker oatmeal cookie recipe, and I absolutely love your tweaks to the recipe.
Wow – froze up a batch of shaped cookies on Wednesday – and put some in the oven for guests Saturday – amazing – they are thick and chewy and just like I remember as the best of the bake sale! The freezing really improves the texture!
these are OUTSTANDING!! i switched butter for coconut oil (thanks for the gram measurements), but otherwise left the recipe and instructions alone. i made them yesterday, we have three or four left as of this evening. my husband, who generally doesn’t partake in dessert, loves them. i think i ate a dozen today by myself. time to bake more.
These cookies are amazing! I say this as I have 2 batches chilling in the fridge haha! My family loves them and I make them at least once a week if not twice, they’re just the best cookies ever. My 3 year old loves them and insists on helping me make them and we can do it without looking at the recipe at this point because we bake them so much. I’m trying a batch with chocolate chips and mini m&ms today in hopes that they’ll end up like a monster cookie without the peanut butter. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Is there nutrition information for this recipe?
Deb,
Love these cookies — I have made them with chocolate chips & chocolate chunks. What kind of hand-chopped chocolate do you use? Thanks!
I have made these a few times now, always come out great. I have also tried them with alternative fruit and nut combos (dried cranberries/ golden raisins/ hazelnuts/ pecans/ dark chocolate chunks) all work great. Thank you for the super recipe – glad I’ve found my go to cookie recipe!
These are my go-to oatmeal cookies. They are crispy and delicious.
Has anyone tried these without the egg? Thank you for the tips. Love your blog
I made these cookies and they are out of this world delicious!!!! I am gluten/dairy free so I subbed Earth Balance for the butter and used Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose GF flour. I followed the rest of your excellent instructions and they turned out exactly the way you said they would. They are now my go-to recipe for oatmeal cookies! Thank you so much!!!
I have made oatmeal raisin cookies and their puffy in the oven but when they come out they flatten can you tell me what I’m doing wrong please..
Thank You Cheryl
I’ve made these a couple times (second time because I figured I must have messed up the first time), and I can’t get past a really annoying problem. These are consistently burning on the edges while remaining raw in the middle. I chilled them and weighed my flour and followed all your tips. I moved the cookies higher in the oven and lower, turned the temp up, turned it down (and I have an oven thermometer that I trust), patted them down a little bit to help them bake more evenly… I feel live I’ve tried everything I can without changing the recipe (but I’m so tempted to add more flour)…. any idea why I’m having this problem when no one else is? Hopefully you’ve seen it before! Thanks for your help!
Overbaking and raw centers usually means too hot. Perhaps an even lower temperature?
Thanks for the reply! Unfortunately when I turned the temp down, they just flattened even more (and then more of the edge burnt). But maybe I accidentally combined changes and the combination was bad. I’ll try again with leftover dough! (I quadrupled this recipe because I intended to give these to my students, so I still have LOTS of dough to experiment with in the fridge.) Thanks again.
Hi Julie! I’ve heard (from our friends at America’s Test Kitchen) that more than doubling baking recipes can be problematic because the necessary proportion of the chemical leaveners changes with the increased volume of other ingredients. I wonder if your results would improve with a smaller batch? Good luck and Happy Holidays!
Thanks, Lindsay! I had forgotten, but I’ve heard that too (probably from ATK as well). I don’t think that was the problem here for two reasons: 1) Since Deb’s recipe was halved, I didn’t really quadruple it, but doubled it (still HUGE, so maybe it did matter anyway), but more importantly 2) I’ve determined that the oven in my new apartment just stinks (specifically, it’s way hotter from below than from above… I toasted slices of bread in it recently and I put them up very high, but the bottom still got brown first). However, due to your reminder, I resisted the urge to double a fruitcake recipe last night! So you may have saved a different recipe (still used the same crappy oven, though). Thanks, and happy holidays to you too!
Hi Julie,
If you are still following this comment I might have a suggestion. I used to have a similar oven with a bottom heating problem and I found that using a silpat cookie sheet liner really saved my cookie bottoms from burning. It’s better than parchment for this, although parchment also seems to help with even cooking.
I have made these cookies numerous times. I usually make 6 batches at a time and have had no problems. I make sure to chill the dough. I usually bake mine 14 min. then leave them on the pan for the 5 min it says to. They will continue to bake on the pan. Love these cookies. I always make an icing with powdered sugar, water and vanilla. It is the cherry on top
Does rotating the baking pans help? I haven’t had the problems you described, and I make them often.
Maybe your oven temperature is off? Needs to be recalibrated?
I made these today (doubling the original recipe), and browned the butter first (adding an ice cube in at the end as per serious eats’ chocolate chip cookie recipe). ZOMG! Thick, chewy, toffee-y, amazing. Absolutely amazing.
These look similar to the ones from Cook’s Illustrated (1997) that I make almost weekly – with a few changes. Craisins instead of raisins, more walnuts, and grated orange zest!
Would steel cut oats work well with this recipe too (it’s all I have at home at the moment) or should I stick with rolled oats?
NM. I just read previous comments regarding this. I’ll go get some rolled oats and do a combo of both types. Thanks!
These were great with dried cherries and semi sweet chocolate bar cut up in it. And so easy!
Greatness! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. This was the first oatmeal cookie recipe that I have baked for years, and it may be the last (failure on the only other oatmeal cookie recipe I made scared me off, I guess). I made a full batch with Ghiradelli 60% cacao chips and raisins, and reduced sugar. The SO very much liked them too but wants to try them with dried blueberries or cherries, so that’s on the list for next time. See the link for a pic of the last batch that I baked. Yum!
These turned into a “kitchen sink” cookie for me. I added 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/3 cup chopped pecans, 1/4 cup dried cranberries, and 1/4 cup sunflower seeds. I ended up with twenty 1.5 oz cookies. I scooped and chilled the dough (a definite must-do) before baking and baked at 350 for 13 minutes. They are chewy, with little crispy patches of caramelized butter and brown sugar. I will definitely make these again!
Good recipe! I don’t like too much salt nor do I like vanilla flavor or too much cinnamon. I used the lesser amount of salt and cut the vanilla and cinnamon in half. I used the full recipe and my yield (with a number 40 scoop) was 40 cookies. I used fantastic giant plump raisins from the farmers’ market and I added walnut pieces. One recipe I saw suggests toasting the oats so I might try that next time. I also considered adding a bit of molasses. Thank you.
Fantastic cookies, made with the recommended chocolate chunks and sugar reduced to 1/2 cup. I love oatmeal raisin cookies, love adding chocolate to them, but dislike nuts in my sweets. That’s a hard-to-find cookie at any bakery, so I wanted to be able to make them at home. This will be my go-to from now on!
These taste delicious but I failed and subbed all coconut flour for the AP. It’s like a sandy granola that is just barely clinging together. I’m hoping they become more stable as they cool bc right now they’ll crumble as soon as you look at them.
Have you successfully subbed coconut flour for AP flour in the past with other recipes? I wonder something additional was needed in order for the coconut flour to work in the same way as AP does in baking? I got curious and looked what the proper sub ratios should be and found this (from this website http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/10/26/cooking-with-coconut-flour.aspx):
“Due to its high fiber content, coconut flour acts like a sponge when you cook with it. Because of this absorbency, you can’t simply replace the flour in every recipe with 100 percent coconut flour and expect it to turn out the way you’re used to. If, for instance, you substitute one cup of wheat flour with one cup of coconut flour, you may end up with a mixture that’s either too dry or falls apart.
As a general rule, however, you can easily replace up to 20 percent of the flour in any given recipe with coconut flour, and an equal amount of liquid, without compromising the taste or texture of the finished product.”
Here’s a better resource for that info. http://nourishedkitchen.com/baking-with-coconut-flour/
Coconut flour is wildly absorbent. Usually can only be subbed for a quarter of the AP flour in a recipe or else you get a crumbly mess.
I made this using a bland white powder in a bulk item bag only marked with its code number that I assumed was flour.
It was corn starch.
There’s nothing you can do about this I just hope someone finds it funny. One day I will be able to tell bland white powders used in baking apart.
Bree, I did laugh, after I gasped – out loud! So sorry.
I learned (on a NOLS course, of all things) that starch is squeaky :) so that’s one way to tell one bulk-bag-of-white-powder from another.
Just made these chocolate chip style… Delicious!
Hi,
How long do you recommend them to be chilled before baking?
Thank you,
JD
You can chill them for as long as you have or bake them right away. I usually do the latter. They’re even taller if you chill them though.
Made these yesterday for a birthday and they were a huge hit! My new go-to oatmeal raisin recipe. I followed Deb’s updated notes from 2013 using half raisins and half chocolate chips and reduced the sugar. I also replaced a 1/3 of the AP flour with whole wheat flour and they were still totally thick and chewy. Oh and used golden raisins!! Yum! Cookies are definitely thicker when dough is chilled but I did a first tray right after making the dough and while a bit flatter they were still very chewy. I’d recommend doubling the recipe if you want to use a #70 scoop and want more than a couple dozen. Thanks for another winner Deb!!
Well, I can tell you what happens if you accidentally add double the butter. Wah, wah. Also my son went pee pee on the kitchen floor as I discovered my mistake. Oh, these little trials of life!
They spread a lot?
The pee pee or the cookie? Sorry, can’t help it.
This is the recipe I have been looking for.
I definitely would cut down the sugar. Unfortunately, I was so excited to try this recipe that I overlooked that tip of advise. I used craisins instead together either the chocolate chips. These cookies are really good especially straight from the oven but realized even more straight from the fridge.
The recipe is what it is. A Great recipe!
I’m looking forward to making them for our Disneyland trip. I know this will be a hit!
Thank you for sharing.
Awesome recipe! Thanks, Deb. :) I soaked golden raisins in dark rum for a day, went with 1/2 tsp of salt, and subbed pecans for walnuts. This is one of the few times I feel that I deserve an award for my culinary genius. P.S. I made balls and froze them on a cookie sheet, then transferred to a freezer bag. From frozen, bake at 350 for 10 min then give each cookie a gentle a “smush”. Bake another 4 or 5 min from there.
Good recipe that’s a keeper, but in my opinion you leave out a crucial step which is plumping the raisins in hot water for about 10 minutes (actually while you’re making the dough will be enough). This keeps the raisins for drying and keep them moist as well as prevent them from absorbing moisture from the cookies.
I would like to make these sugar free by swapping out the sugar for dates. Do you have a recommendation on the measure exchange? BTW, these are the BEST Cookies EVER – our family LOVES THEM! Thanks!
Dates have a lot of sugar in them.
I have successfully swapped the sugar for golden monkfruit. Hope this helps! I used 1/2c monkfruit.
What happens if you use Whole Wheat flour with this recipe?
Here are a few comments from people who have made these with whole wheat flour:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/02/thick-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/#comment-660182
https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/02/thick-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/#comment-660188
https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/02/thick-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/#comment-660189
https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/02/thick-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/#comment-660275
https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/02/thick-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/#comment-660274
https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/02/thick-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/#comment-660315
https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/02/thick-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/#comment-660316
https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/02/thick-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/#comment-660463
Thank you thank you thank you for including weight measurements in grams! Particularly for dry ingredients weight is so important! Going to make these to take to a friends house tomorrow. Going to make a full batch and freeze half the dough ready to bake another time (thanks for the tip). Like you, we eat as healthily as possible and if we are having a treat I do my best to make it from scratch so we know what is in it.
Made these and they turned out great. I used cassava flour instead of AP to make them gluten free, and added a little ground flaxseed and then threw into the freezer for a few hours. I also added a tbs of molasses for extra depth. They are a hit with kids and can easily be customized.
I was looking for an oatmeal raisin and walnut cookie recipe a few years ago and I stumbled across this one! I made them exactly as the recipe was written. I’ve made a few changes to make it my own and everyone loves them! I just needed a base. I added more butter and white chocolate chips. They are always requested at school and at family gatherings. Thank you for sharing!
This is a great recipe! Of course, I’m as incapable of following a cookie recipe exactly as I am of committing homicide. So I made the following changes for a double batch: used the full 1 1/3 cups of brown sugar, half light brown and half dark brown, and subbed a bunch of different chopped dried fruits for the raisins and half a bag of mini semisweet chocolate chips for the nuts. My husband had to undergo an angioplasty a little over a month ago, and is now all concerned about healthy eating, and he asked me to bake some oatmeal cookies because his nutritionist says oatmeal is OK to eat. I decided to double the recipe so I could bring some to my 85-y/o dad who lives in an ALF.
I am using choc chips. It says to drop the sugar to 1/2 cup. Is that both white and brown together equals a 1/2 cup?
It’s because the chocolate chips are sweeter. I use a rounded 1/2 cup brown sugar when using chocolate chips but I don’t think you’ll find the sweetness over-the-top if you use the full 2/3 cup. It’s mostly my personal preference.
They’re in the oven! I love raisins…and chocolate, but my husband (that weirdo he is) hates raisins so I left them out and used dark dark dark chocolate chips instead. YuM
I only had about 70 grams of raisins so did the last 50 grams of unsweetened shredded coconut and loved them!! If you’re a coconut fan, highly recommend.
Hey Deb, just making these for the first time, and have started paying attention to the weights of dry ingredients (especially flour), which I so appreciate you including. Makes a big difference! My question in this recipe though, is that in measuring the oats, 3/4 cup weighed 120 g (just like the raisins); so I’m wondering if since you halved this recipe, perhaps it should read 3/4 cup oats instead of the full 1 1/2 cups?
So I’m replying to myself: I played with my scale some more to see what was going on, and it seems to be playing mind games with me! So actually, on my scale to get 120 g large oats I need just under 1 1/4 cups. I wanted to figure it out before I baked them, because in scanning through some of the comments, I saw some folks ended up with thin cookies. Not sure if I should go with the 120 g or the 1 1/2 cups, but this time I’ll go with the weight measurement and see how they turn out. By the way, just made your salted chocolate chunk cookies and they are likely THE best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever made! Your site is my go-to and I’ve used and shared many of your recipes over the years. Thank you!!
The recipe should work as written — hope you found this to be the cake. Rolled oats are very, very hard to get a consistent weight on. Those at the top of the canister/bag are intact and fluffy, at the bottom, more broken and collapsed. Few recipes will agree on a single weight for them per cup.
Going to make these tomorrow and try them with brown butter.
Can these be made in bar form or will they lose their texture? If so, how long do you reccomend baking them?
I haven’t tried it in bars but I think it would work, just don’t overbake them.
I made these last night as I really fancied the sound of them. However, as brown sugar is very expensive in Indonesia (where I live) I used palm sugar instead. When these came out of the oven they didn’t seem to set so are very crumbly. Delicious though. Could this have been the palm sugar?
I don’t have a lot of experience with palm sugar… actually, wait, I think it’s what we sell as “coconut sugar,” which if true means I don’t think it would have been a problem here. I suppose brown sugar is a bit more moist, perhaps that was it. Did they set up more as they cooled?
Hi there,
I assume it’s the same thing. They did firm up considerably in the fridge so I think our kitchen is just a bit warm. I will definitely make them again but I’ll freeze them before baking as these spread like nobody’s business and weren’t thick enough for my liking! Going to make your Honey Cake today as it’s a public holiday here and I’m not working today!
I added one medium honeycrisp apple, grated and squeezed plus 1 TBSP flour (to account for the wet ingredient). I also omitted the walnuts and subbed golden raisins. Tasted just like apple streusel! So delicious. Great base oatmeal cookie recipe! I love your blog, it’s my go-to!
Here’s how to make staff meetings (and yourself) more popular in the office….
1) prepare a batch of this dough, freeze in individual shaped cookies.
2) cut out parchment paper, and put it, a rack,and an oven mitt in your briefcase.
3) bake these in the office toaster oven as people are arriving for meeting….
we have a small group, so 9 cookies was enough, it smelled great, and really was easy to pull off between e-mails!
Abby
These are excellent! My go to oatmeal cookie, late night, when I have a craving cookie. I put choc chips, cranberries, peanut butter chips, cinnamon chips, whatever I have in these. They all taste great.
Love your recipes!!
Have you ever tried to use other dried fruit? Like figs, for example.
I haven’t but I suspect it would work just fine.
I love these. I substitute 1/4 white flour for whole wheat flour to add a bit more fiber to them. still as yummy.
Hi – I made these with chocolate chips/hand chopped chocolate and the decreased sugar as suggested – also followed the chilling tip before baking. They were delicious! Just wondering if oil can be substituted for butter? Thanks!!
Every time I make cookies they spread and never stay thick. I made the dough and then put it in the fridge overnight. I’m wondering if I’m creaming the butter and sugar incorrectly. I left the butter out a bit and cut it into small chunks in order to speed up the warming process. It seemed to “give” when pressed with a knife so I started creaming. However, using the paddle attachment for my KA mixer I noticed that it was T getting g smooth so I kept it going longer at a higher speed. Can someone please explain if this was the cause of the flat cookies? What should I do next time?
Question — is it okay to use quick oats? I’m going to bake these tonight and I assume it’s okay given the recipe on the box but just wanted to check in.
Congratulations on the new book! I have it and can’t wait to use it.
So good. I made the recipe on the box, and they were good while still still hot from the oven, but after that they were hard as rocks. Then I found your improved recipe, and O M G. So freakin good, and still chewy three days later. (that was as long as I could make them last) THANK YOU.
I just baked these for the first time, and they are now my go to oatmeal cookie, and I have baked many types of oatmeal cookies, my favorite cookie! I did substitute white whole wheat flour for the white, and since I added chopped walnuts, I toasted them a little (and let them cool) before adding. I almost always toast nuts before adding them to a recipe. I especially love the large percentage of rolled oats to flour in this recipe. Yum!!
Any idea exactly how many cookies this half recipe makes? I’m looking to take some to two different Thanksgiving dinners. I can probably get away with one to two dozen for my family, but my boyfriend’s family is bigger and would probably require three to four dozen.
Is making a whole recipe enough, do you think? I tend to make my cookies on the small side.
I just made these last night and I think this recipe makes around 20 normal sized (not super large) cookies. If you have a bigger crowd or want to snack on them for a few days, I would double the recipe.
i’ve made these a few times — chewy & delish!
These cookies are amazing! I only had dark brown sugar and couldn’t chill them before baking since my 3 year old was helping. They turned out so good! Thanks for an awesome, easy to follow recipe! I also appreciated that it was for a smaller amount of cookies than the 3 dozen on the oats container.
I’ve been making your oatmeal cookies for the last 4 Christmas’s and they are a family must-have! I use a mix of dried blueberries and craisins instead of raisins. They so so delicious!!! Thank you for sharing your recipe!!!!
Another hit out of the park! I made these cookies today — in the midst of the season’s first snowstorm. They are terrific! I decreased the added chocolate a bit, while still reducing the brown sugar (as Deb suggested if we were adding chocolate). My husband was disappointed not to get chocolate in the first two he ate, but I assured him he’d get chocolate in cookies the next time. I had to bake the cookies, after refrigerating the dough for about 15 min., for nearly 15 min. Boy do these make store-bought oatmeal cookies suffer by comparison!
These cookies are delicious!!! I used pink Himalayan sea salt for the salt and they were great. I also added chocolate chips heh :). My boyfriend claimed they were the best cookies I ever made…thanks for a delicious and easy recipe!!!
These are perfect! I doubled, used dried cranberries, and added a bit of nutmeg. YUM. I got 36 lovely cookies from that. 3rd batch cooking now!
This is hands down the best oatmeal raisin cookie recipe ever. Thank you so much for sharing! I make these way too much!
Made these for the second time earlier this week. They came out completely different from the first time! They looked much better and tasted better. (The first batch ((which I commented about above)) was very good, but hard to believe: this batch was even better! Raves all around.
I’ve reviewed the other comments and my apologies if I missed this – but can this dough be rolled into a tube shape, chilled in that form in the fridge, and then sliced and baked (rather than scooped or spooned onto the tray from a blob of dough)? I don’t know what makes a dough tube/sliceable or not, and it seems to me this would be an easy way to cool the dough without having to have room for a tray of scooped out cookies-to-be in the fridge. Thanks!
I haven’t done it but doesn’t seem like it should be a problem at all.
Thanks! The dough logs are wrapped up tight and snug in the fridge. I’ll slice and bake tomorrow morning. I really appreciate the response!
It’s official: they work beautifully as a log / slice-and-bake. I made mine with chocolate chunks and dried sour cherries. These are so tasty. Thank you again for your work!
I just made these cookies for Christmas (Dec 2017), OMG we loved the chewy texture. I made a double batch tonight (JAN 2018) and they turned out amazing! again! The tip about chilling the dough before baking them is the trick. Thank you. Will be a tradition in our house from now on.
I gave these a go and am a huge fan. I will definitely be making these again in the near future. Not only were they easy to assemble but it didn’t take much time or effort! Great flavor and excellent texture.
I love this recipe – it is delicious, but I am also a sucker for any cookie recipe that uses a whole stick of butter so I don’t have to deal with sad little remnant pieces. See also – any recipe that uses an entire can of pumpkin.
I always swap out raisins for chocolate chips, but tonight I also tried replacing 1/4c of the flour with 1/4 cup of powdered peanut butter. I bought the stuff a year ago on a whim at Costco and it has been sitting in my pantry ever since, staring at me forlornly while I figure out what on earth to do with it. The cookies had a hint of peanuty flavor that was extremely tasty with the chocolate, but it seemed to me that the cookies could easily withstand a higher powdered peanut butter:flour ratio. I will play around with it some more, but I was curious if you have toyed with powdered peanut butter yet? It seems like a natural ingredient for you to play with given your other lovely peanut butter & chocolate recipes!
A suggestion for an additional use for the peanut butter powder. I’ve read others and I also use it as an add-on to smoothies to add some additional protein.
Don’t forget to warn people that there’s pnuts in them. Speaking as someone who’s married to someone who can’t eat pnuts. And then there’s those who are allergic, and could have serious reaction.
Just sayin’
Does anyone know – is this the full (or, as she says here, half-sized) version of the recipe from SK’s second book (the scaled-down oatmeal cookie recipe that makes 2 big cookies)? It looks similar to me. This may be a silly question, but I’m wondering how many of the larger-sized cookies would this scale/size recipe make…? I want to make 8-10 or so larger-sized cookies but I can’t tell if this recipe would be sufficient or if I’d need to double it. Thank you.
In the second book, I scaled this down but also tweaked it a bit for the hack in which I just make two big cookies. I wouldn’t, say, scale that recipe up if you want more (why use a bunch of yolks, etc…); I’d simply make this and make them bigger — I think you could get 8, but have been remiss in noting the yield here. Btw, the recipe in the book also makes one very delightful 6-inch cookie we cut into wedges and I wanted to mention this but likely would have been murdered by my editors at that point if I made another change.
Thank you! Making these tonight (again…but bigger!).
I overcooked them! SOB! Not burnt, but too hard and essence of too-cooked when you bit into them. More experienced bakers – when making a larger cookie, should the tops still look wet even though they are done? I feel like it went from wet tops to overcooked in like a minute. Sigh. Any advice re how to appropriately cook larger sized cookies much appreciated. (These were about 3 inches in diameter and fairly thick. I’d rolled a thick stump of a log and cut them into slabs).
So the egg yokes just cut liquid, and do not serve anither purpose like make a more chewy cookies? I was just doing the math to increase it when I saw this
I made the cookies for my husband. Oatmeal raisins is his favorite. I didn’t have any walnuts in the house so I added pecans. Well, the cookies only lasted less than 24 hours. I loved them as well. I need to make more. Thank you for the recipe.
Currently making my second batch of these cookies. They are perfect raw or baked. First batch was with a combo of raisins, chocolate chips and walnuts. However, this second time I’m just sticking to chocolate chips and walnuts sans the raisins just to try it out. Love these cookies, love the proportions and love that it’s less flour for more oats! Thank you so much!
Chiming in to (unnecessarily) add my voice to the chorus. :) These are perfect! Made them as directed except I just had dark brown sugar, which I think just made them chewier and darker (all good things by me). Skipped the walnuts this time because I was baking for people of unknown nut allergy but can tell already that I would LOVE them in next time. Expecting a baby soon and scheming how one could turn them into a lactation cookie?!
… thank you … this is my family’s favorite cookie recipe … i’ve made it so many times that I could make it in my sleep. And thank you for using weights – I can use just one bowl – great for clean-up.
I made these to the recommended color (golden brown outside, slightly undercooked-looking middle) – they were too soft and essentially fell apart when i tried to pick them up. With the second tray, i baked until golden to dark brown with the middle a slight big lighter in color. what a difference!!!! the cookies tasted almost toffee-like, remained chewy after several days, and really made me wish I had more in the freezer right now.
I made these with dark chocolate chips, chopped dried cranberries, and toasted chopped walnuts. Gone in one evening (among a family of four)! I’ll never make a single batch again :)
I made these for the first time today. I made two batches: one with raisins and one with Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Covered Raisins. All tasters agreed the Chocolate Covered Raisins version was pretty terrible. (Maybe it would be better with a chocolate covered raisin meant for baking.) But the ones with regular raisins were delicious, and I’ll definitely make them again.
I have a heart stent and use canola oil instead of butter. What among of oil do you think I should use for the butter?
How big a scoop / spoon for each cookie ?
OMG! Great recipe. Only had quick oats but still tasted fantastic. Made variation with chocolate chips and had no regrets!
Loved these cookies. Easy and not to sweet. Thanks for the tip of refrigerating the dough. I use a small ice cream scoop. They were perfect. I’ll make these chewy cookies again.❤️
Completed delicious. Ticked all the boxes for me- chewy, crispy and with the right notes of sweet. I did use dark brown sugar and added chocolate chips. Scrumptious. Great recipe.
Just made these and this recipe in not very good. No mention of size of scoop or how many it should make – that should have been my first clue ! Impossible to scoop, the dough is so dry and crumbly . And they took 25mins. and are brown,dry and raw in the middle. Very disappointed !
OMG these are SO good! Just made them for the first time with the raisin and chocolate chip combo – delish! I added some fleur de sel on half of them! This will be my new go to for oatmeal cookies!
absolutely the best oatmeal raisin cookies ever. period. arguably more craveable than any choc chip cookie. and yet so easy to make! these are my sisters favourite cookies. theres so much flavour and texture in comparison to choc chip. i did try this recipe with chocolate and didnt like it as much as with raisins. ugh. gonna go make a batch now to freeze for later …. (p.s dont bake all at once you WILL eat them.)
I had been craving a soft, puffy oatmeal cookie. So I made these – without raisins – and they are PERFECT. I froze them for a few hours and they really did stay puffy after baking. I’m so happy!
I’ve made these every other week or so for a while now. Like others, I sometimes sub whole wheat flour; I always add a bit of ground flax meal, chopped up coconut shreds, dried tart cherries, and chocolate chunks or chips. I form it as a thick log, chill the log, then slice them to bake. They do not rise or spread at all; they stay the same size as the sliced raw dough. The 5 minutes in the pan after baking is vital for that crisp-edged, chewy inside perfection. We eat one cookie as a breakfast on the go. Thanks, Deb!
I bake for our company’s kayak tours and this was the oatmeal raisin cookie that passed early taste tests. So over the summer I ended up baking 1050 of these cookies. I use quick oats and triple this recipe with no problem.
I made these last night I included dried cranberries, bittersweet chocolate chips, AND walnuts. I regret nothing. I love that they aren’t tooth-achingly sweet like so many oatmeal cookie recipes!
My cookies spread and I refrigerated the dough for 1 hour. What happened?
Love this recipe!!!! Definitely take them out when they seem under done. They really set up when they cool, and I like them soft—n-chewy.
While these are tasty and delightfully chewy, they are also completely flat: like flatter than a pancake flat. I chilled the dough for an hour before scooping, then for an hour on the pans before baking. Flattest flat cookies I’ve ever made. Maybe I missed something?
I just made these with Earth Balance for a lactose intolerant relative and they came out great but they needed a longer bake time…. More like 16 min. Usually when I make them with butter they take the recommended 10-12 min. I also made sure I refrigerated the dough before scooping because the Earth Balance made it a lot softer than with butter.
I’ve made these many many times and this morning baked up the log of dough I’d had chilling overnight. The dough was especially sticky, and for the first time ever the cookies spread quite a bit and just look odd. Sitting here wondering – was my butter off, did I add too much sugar, what the heck did I do? I realized – I forgot to add the oats! I usually have a bowl of the flour mix and a bowl of my mix-ins on the side, so that I add the egg to the mixer, then take the paddle out and add the flour mixture to stir in, and then the oats, and finally the bowl of mix ins. But last night I accidentally started to add the egg to my bowl of flour/dry ingredients, and I think in trying to correct that I just spaced on the oats. So I’ve basically made chocolate chip cookies with dried cherries, coconut, and a few smashed pretzels mixed in, but without enough major dry ingredients (since the flour is so low with the deficit to be filled by the oatmeal). Hopefully they will stay stuck together enough to eat! Sharing just because I recall reading other comments about wild spreading of these cookies, which have never spread for me before…perhaps others have made the same mistake?
I made chocolate chip oatmeal cookies
but I didn’t have enough oatmeal, so I just substituted flour for the oatmeal, so they would be more like chocolate chip cookies than oatmeal cookies
but
the batter was all crumbly and wasn’t sticking together so I added an extra egg
then I realized I had put in 1/2 tsp of salt instead of 1/4 teaspoon
so I tried to get some of it out
but then I realized I had taken out some of the baking soda
so I added a little baking powder to make up for it
then I spilled the chocolate chips all over the table
and I scooped them back, but picked up a bunch of parsley from the tabbouleh that I had made
so I had to pick out the stems
but
in spite of all that I am eating one of the cookies now and it is fine.
I was looking for a good oatmeal raisin cookie recipe, and this one is really great! Thank you for sharing it. I’ve made it three times, the first time with a combo of raisins, dried cranberries, and chocolate chips bc I didn’t have enough of any of those to fulfill the ingredient requirements. They turned out super yummy! My only critique is that I thought they needed just a little more butter. So I made them again and added 2 Tbs more of butter – TOO MUCH! They spread way too thin, and were just too buttery (if there is such a thing). The third time I made them, I added only 1 Tbs of additional butter (I also had no raisins, so I just used chocolate chips) and it’s PERFECT. I love how these cookies aren’t overly sweet as well. This recipe is going into regular rotation! Thank you!
I made these today and am pleased with the results. I didn’t know which size scoop to use so I sampled a few first. I used a 1 3/4 inch diameter scoop and the finished baked measured 2 1/2 inches after a 13 minute bake time. For the reminder of the batch I will try to make them larger. I would love to know what size scoop you used Deb? Also I used bittersweet chocolate and cranberries, (following your suggestions in note) instead of raisins and I like the combo. My other question is did you chop the raisins? Some recipes called for doing it but I don’t think I will do it next time. I’ve never had an unsuccessful result with your recipes. Thank you for your wonderful website.
Glad you liked them. I do not chop the raisins. I use a medium (#40,1.5T) scoop for these, usually.
Do you have a specific one you would recommend?
I have this one: https://amzn.to/2MycFrU
Made these today and they turned out perfect. I have been waiting for the perfect oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. This was it-a delicious, easy to make dough with some wiggle-room for add-ins/substitutions. I made it with chocolate covered raisins and walnuts. Thank you!
I did the variation with chocolate chips and less sugar. Yum! They came out great! I was able to make two dozen cookies using a heaping tablespoon. I made sure to chill the dough in the fridge first and kept the bowl in the freezer between batches. I didn’t flatten out the dough balls at all. They spread out just enough to stay thick and chewy. One tip I have– if you are only using one baking sheet for multiple batches– is to make the cookie dough balls for the second batch and keep them in the chilled bowl so that they don’t melt on the warm (not hot!) pan. Put them all on quickly right before placing in the oven.
Just got the second batch in the oven. I’ve already eaten one cookie. This is exactly what I was looking for in an oatmeal raisin cookie. Thanks for sharing this back in 2009. LOL. I just used the ingredients listed.
Oatmeal raisin is my overall favorite cookie, and these are the best I’ve ever tasted. The fact that I could achieve this glory in my own kitchen is all thanks to this recipe. My eternal gratitude, Deb!!
I made these exactly as written (the chocolate chip version) and LOVE them! So much more substantial than a chocolate chip cookie but with all the joy!! Thank you!
Hi, Deb:
I just made these with no tweaks. They were easy to mix up and get into the oven, and the texture is GREAT! They are just not sweet enough for me. How much more sugar could I add (for next time) and not mess them up?
PS = I got both of your cookbooks for my b-day and love them! Thanks! :)
You could probably add 2 tablespoons to get it the way you like it.
These are so good. I like to make them small and eat them cold out of the fridge. Once I made them with double the butter by mistake. They got gobbled up of course! Rich but still good.
For their oatmeal raisin cookies why don’t you use any flour in the mix? litabiskr@gmail.com?
These are delicious as is, but are even better if you use brown butter and toast your oats.
Are these good as bars?
So delicious! My husband made these with just chocolate chips, keeping in the cinnamon, and they were so good. he reduced the sugar to 1/2C, but I think 2/3 would have been very decadent. I have never seen cookies stay so thick. Excellent recipe.
Our house is on the market and I’ve heard that I should bake cookies. I made a batch with dried cherries and chocolate chips. They’re in the freezer now. I plan on baking a few for tomorrows showing. We’ll see! I may have to bake a couple of test cookies tonight….
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, Deb!!! Made them with raisins just now! They’re scrumptious and the whole house smells like I could only imagine in my dreams :)))))
Deb Perelman and Smitten Kitchen you are my guilty pleasure. My happy place! I love EVERY SINGLE word and recipe you post. I LOL at your descriptions and self deprecations because you nail it/me/us perfectly, without being mean or embarrassing anyone. You’re an example to me of someone who has found a great niche for your uniquely wonderful set of talents and skills, putting it all together to make life pop and sizzle for the rest of us. I could really gush and gush about you and how much I love you and all you have meant to me, even though I have seen relatively little, due my busy life. I must often restrain myself from pouring over all wonders of your mind & kitchen life.
Oh and today your recipe offered confirmation as I only had brown sugar, and only enough for a “half recipe”. I had been looking for kitchen sink cookies, a concept I’d only heard of way back when. I had about 1/2 cup each of dried cranberries, peanuts, chocolate chips and coconut, so not quite enough to create a full recipe of anything. I dumped all of into your recipe and they are freezing in shaped pods as I write. I can’t thank you enough. But I do pray often that God blesses you as much as you have blessed the untold hoards of us out here. :-)*
Hi Deb, what size scoop would you recommend for the dough?
I use a medium (#40, 1.5T) as a standard cookie scoop, here and elsewhere.
Can these be made as bars, rather than cookies?
I haven’t, but I bet you could.
I only have dark brownsugar…anyone uses that? Did you use less ?
I only have dark brownsugar…anyone uses that? Did you use less ?
I almost panicked today as I scrolled through the many oatmeal cookie recipes on the web trying to remember the name of your site. This has been my go to oatmeal cookie recipe probably since you published it… My beloved oatmeal cookie would have been lost forever!
Ah, found you… Smitten again! 🥰
I doubled this, added a 1/2 cup of millet for crunch since my children are nut averse, and baked in a 9×13 for 25 minutes – the chocolate + raisin combo is inspired!! These are a hit.
Brittany, so you made it in a pan like blondies then cut them into bars?! How was it, and did you cut them while hot or cool?
I have these in the oven right now and they smell incredible! I’m afraid I may have used too large of a scoop. What size do you normally use?
I use a medium (#40, or 1.5 tablespoon) most often for these.
I made these with chopped dried apricots and pecans-yes we are of the raisins do not belong in cookies persuasion. Very good! Everyone liked. I’ll add chocolate come winter when it won’t melt.
This is the oatmeal raisin cookie I have been looking for. Crispy and chewy. I cooked one batch with no refrigeration and one chilled. I like the unchilled best as i found the chilled did not crisp as much and were too thick. Still really good and i ate them all. Next time I will use less sugar as they were too sweet for me. Also I never add choc chips as i find the chocolate overwhelms the oatmeal raisin flavors. I love chocolate but oatmeal raisin cookies I crave.
These came out heavenly! I followed your advice and chilled the cookies after I scooped them onto the cookies sheets. I used craisins and chocolate chips. The cookies are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. Yum!
These are awesome. Even more so if you swap out the raisins for dried tart cherries in the chocolate chip version.
I have made these every year as part of my holiday treats. I’m looking to try to make them ginger-y but can’t decide how, would ground, fresh, or crystallized be best? Thanks!
How long should the dough be chilled? And in the fridge? or freezer? I will likely pre-scoop them, then chill.
These cookies are so good. They didn’t flatten out. They were thick and chewy as promised! I substituted the raisins with chocolate chips and I didn’t cut back the sugar at all. So good.
Deb—thank you for so thoughtfully creating an oatmeal cookie recipe that does NOT make 40 cookies. This is the kind of recipe you can make after a rough week and get in the oven in 10 mins, chill the second batch while it bakes, eat dinner in between.
I did chocolate chips and dried cherries. Bliss! A couple notes…chilling the batter, even just 20 mins resulted in a puffier cookie. When I took them out of the oven, they didn’t look fully baked, but I trusted the process. Magic happens on that cookie sheet in the 5 mins they sit.
I’ve tried all kinds of variations on oatmeal cookies and finally have found a keeper. Enjoy!
I love to cook but baking is not my thing (mainly because I don’t trust myself around cookies, cakes, pies, biscuits etc.) So, as someone who rarely embarks on cookie manufacture, I was stumped when it came to the scooping portion of the recipe. I would have loved a bit of a pointer in terms of volume as I don’t know how much dough turns out a “standard sized” cookie. I got out my trusty digital scale, weighed the bowl, weighed the bowl plus the dough, figured out the dough weight, divided by 24 and found out that it equated to a slightly rounded tablespoon. I’m sure regular bakers are shaking their heads at my ineptitude, but I’m leaving a comment in case anyone else gets stuck when it comes to scoop size.
Hi Mary,
Don’t feel bad about needing more details. In anything that people are familiar with, sometimes details such as these are assumed to be known facts and not thought to mention. I’m glad you tried out the recipe and I hope it was a success for you. And I have to give you huge props for figuring it out the way you did. Very cool. Thanks for sharing this info with the rest of us.
I agree — that’s confusing, sorry. A “standard” cookie is about 1.5 measured tablespoons of raw batter and fits in a cookie scoop like this.
I made these for my group tonight and they received great reviews! I made a double batch with half as oatmeal chocolate chip and half as oatmeal chocolate chip with raisins and walnuts. I did it with straight brown sugar and did refrigerate the dough before baking. Along with the cinnamon I added a touch of nutmeg. They were delicious! This will be a go to recipe for any oatmeal cookies in the future.
Dorrie – was there an option that was NOT straight brown sugar?
Best oatmeal cookie recipe ever!!!
I make these once or twice a month. I’ve never added raisins bc I’m the only one that likes them. I always add nuts,either walnuts or pecans & I make a double batch so I add milk chocolate chips to 1/2 the dough, so I end up with oatmeal/nut cookies & oatmeal,nut,chocolate chip cookies. My sons request these cookies everytime they take a hunting or fishing trip!
Hello Deb – I am a big fan of your cookie recipes. This one is my go-to for oatmeal cookies. The one issue that I have is combining butter, sugar, egg and vanilla and then getting it creamy. I still have small bits of unincorporated butter after over 8 minutes whipping it at increasingly high speed – speed increases as my frustration does. I usually have seen butter and sugar creamed together, with other ingredients going in after and have done that the other times I’ve made these. Today, I decided to follow the recipe as written and am going to have to call it and add the dry ingredients even though the butter is still visible. I hope they’ll come out as well as previous batches. Am I missing something about this process? The butter was room temperature.
Wow — I’ve never seen that before. You could always start with just the butter and sugar, see if it’s smoother. But I bet they’ll bake up fine — did they?
Thanks for responding, Deb. They did come out well even though the batter wasn’t entirely smooth. There is so much other lumpy stuff that I put in (oatmeal, nuts, raisins) that it wasn’t obvious and the batter baked well. In the future, however, I will cream the butter and sugar before adding the egg and vanilla. It will be less dismaying to look at. Stay well. Anna
yes – I experienced this as well! but same its kind of a forgiving cookie and you really couldn’t tell.
Would craisins work? would you soak them first?
Try substituting almond flour for the regular flour. I love oatmeal raison cookies ( no chocolate chips!) but one day I noticed I had some left over almond flour so I decided to substitute that. The taste difference was unbelievable. I and my friends always liked the regular recipe but we all raved over the difference. Try it.
Sadly, I have to eat gluten free. Gluten free anything is so fragile and these fell apart but very delicious and easy to make. So I made them into bite-size balls and it worked! I will be making these bite-size cookie balls very frequently. Oh, I used 1/3 cup of Stevia brown sugar to cut down on sugar because I am also diabetic. Thank you for this recipe.
This is my favorite cookie recipe! I love putting balls of dough in the freezer to bake up at a later time when I just want a few. I always use chocolate and frequently do a bit extra cinnamon. They’re really good with pecans!
We’re home all the time and these cookies turned out to be the Saturday night stars! Thanks for the delicious (and comforting) recipe!
Are you supposed to leave them in a rounded heap on the pan to bake them or after you supposed to flatten then since. Mine came out much more rounded than yours looks like in the picture
I leave them rounded. If yours aren’t spreading at all, you can tap them down a little next time.
The best oatmeal cookies!!
Please tell me the size “scoop” you use. There is a post from Feb 2009 with a link, alas the link is not working.
How do you store your cookies….these went fast; for future larger batches would luv to know.
Be well,
Kim
These are fantastic!! Made them with dried cherries and dark chocolate. Excellent cookie.
These are great! I made these with chocolate chips (hubs voted against raisins), and added the orange zest, nutmeg and cloves from your chocolate/pecan oatmeal cookie recipe. I’m a fan!
In the ingredient list, it says “3/4 cup (120 grams) raisins (see Note)”.
What is the Note about the raisins?
The note is in the headnotes: 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.
So I have to say I think Quaker makes an awesome oatmeal cookie and I rarely deviate. However, yours is my new favorite! Yes… it was hard to let the dough cool in the fridge. My cookies are perfection – gorgeous and taste great. Love the crisp edges with the chewy center. I’m not sure the 19 cookies will last long with my college kids home – I will double the recipe next time. Thank you.
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Can I add brewers yeast to make these into lacatation cookies
I made these swapping in almonds, almond extract and dried cranberries. Also used extra thick rolled oats. I chilled the dough as recommended and used a small scoop so they are bite sized. Perfect sweetness and texture. This will be my ‘go to’ for all oatmeal cookies in the future. I have never been disappointed with your recipes- thanks!!
When you make them “small”, how small is small? I have a number of cookie scoops and want to use the right one for your small size. How many minutes for this small size? Thank you. Love your site and your recipes.
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Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are great! I just finished them, My wife and daughter like them, which is great for me. Thanks for your detailed instructions. have a good day
These were good–and much less sweet than some recipes I’ve tried! You know, the kind that make you want to run to the dentist immediately after consuming?
I prefer mine to be a little flatter, and I learned this from another food blogger (whose name escapes me, sigh): If you like your cookies flatter/crispier, take them out of the oven when they’re about halfway done, rap the cookie sheet on your counter (or something else heat safe) twice, and put them back in the oven to finish. Works like a charm.
I have made these many, many times. Always doubling the recipe, always with 12oz of chocolate chips, no raisins or nuts. Sometimes with white/raw sugar, sometimes with half dark brown sugar and half raw sugar, depending on what I have on hand. I have not had the patience to refrigerate the dough most times, and they always turn out just fine.
These are a HUGE hit among my friends and family, and have become the “house” cookie. Thank you Deb!
I have a recipe from Smitten Kitchen for Oatmeal raisin cookies that is a far cry from what I just read. The one I’m using dosen’t have vanilla, uses ground and whole oatmeal, nutmeg and cinnamon. This recipe is the reason I sibcrive ??
Where is the recipe from? A book?
This is the first recipe I remember “helping” my mother and older sister make when I was small, and so also the first cookie I remember eating. (And by “helping” I mean, of course, licking the bowl.) In those days we used shortening instead of butter. And I’m with you on eating oatmeal raisin cookies for breakfast. It’s all the same ingredients as hot cereal but much tastier!
Carbs on these oatmeal cookies ?
These are our new house favorite! And since they have oatmeal and raisins (and chocolate too lol) I don’t feel bad if my toddler asks for one for breakfast!!
I love my Oatmeal Cookies with or without raisins, but I do love walnuts in them. This first batch, I added about 1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg. I had trouble getting the dough on the cookie sheet because I kept tasting the raw dough. It was delicious. These are delicious and I’m sure I will experiment with other add ins.
Taught my g-daughter this recipe to teach her how to read a recipe and cook it. Came out delicious.
Hi, I’ve made these three times and the first time they came out great. I use chocolate chips and craisins which are delicious. The last two times I used quick cooking oats because that’s what I have. They seem dry and fall apart when I scoop them. After baking, some came out okay but some are flat, and some fell apart in the oven even though I made them into balls. Please let me know what could be happening. Thank you!
Wonderful, quintessential oatmeal raisin cookies! I chilled the dough for about 20 min before scooping and baking, but next time I will make sure I leave time to chill for minimum of an hour as they did spread a bit more than I expected (some more than others, strangely…) That being said, they still came out great, spectacularly chewy and tender. I really appreciate the streamlined recipe and will definitely make again.
I used 1/2 tsp salt (1/4 tsp called for in recipe) and would do so again in the future.
I have made this recipe several times, and it is one of our favorites. Today I experimented successfully by making it as a bar cookie. I doubled the ingredients, spread the batter into a 9×13” metal pan sprayed with Pam, and baked in a 350 F oven for 30 minutes. They came out deliciously with very little time or effort. I followed Deb’s mixing procedure exactly, but I did not chill the dough.
This is one of my favorite oatmeal cookie recipes. After becoming vegan, I have not found a cookie recipe that satisfies like this one ;)
Can’t suggestions on the best egg substitute to get the same nice chewy, crispy texture of this cookie? Thank you!
I made these with coconut oil instead of butter due to a dairy allergy in my house and sub crasins instead of raisins. SUPER delicious. thank you so much for the recipe.
If I may…
We make these as oatmeal-craisin-chocolate chip cookies. We also swap out the cinnamon for nutmeg…
Oh
My
Goodness…
You won’t be disappointed!
Thanks, Deb, as always for another favorite recipe.
I love these cookies and have made them so many times! My favorite versions lately are: dark chocolate and dried cranberries; and walnuts, dried apricot (cut into small pieces), and white chocolate. My kids love them.
Second time we’ve made these and they remain the BEST oatmeal raisin cookie we’ve made. I put chocolate chips in mine and raisins in the hubs :) Thank you for this amazing recipe!
I can’t believe I have been making these cookies for over 10 years! I can’t begin to describe my love for them….actually it might be an addiction. They are amazing fresh but my favourite is when they have been baked and in the fridge overnight. Oh man…heaven! When I was pregnant I was obsessed with oatmeal (did you know B&j make an oatmeal ice cream? Yessir!) And I ate so damn many of these. I tweaked them to add lactation friendly ingredients. Anyone I give these too instantly asks me for the recipe. Thank you for this life changing baked good. My life would be so very much poorer had I never discovered them.
Found these on a day when I’d accidentally bought a spare spare box of oats and Husband requested cookies, and he gave me a look that said please nothing fancy or crunchy. These are perfect. I left out the raisins just for him. A keeper for sure!
I follow you on IG- You remind me of my Mom who was an amazing, incredible baker!!
I have a craving for Oatmeal/Raisin cookies and want them to be super moist and chewy- what is the key. Going to make yours.
Also, prior to the pandemic , I started a company ©Motowngirlgranola, had 2 pop-ups then slowed down, pulled off my website as well. Any suggestions?? It was a huge hit, ‘snack with swagger !!!
Thank you!!!
Hello,
I’m Jackson, I’m a chef who loves food, I’m always interested in new foods. Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies is great! I just finished them tonight, taste is great and i had a great dinner with my little family. Thanks for your sharing.
Sincerely grateful!
Can you freeze the dough?
Yes
Thank you! I am nibbling one right now with my morning coffee and they are by far the best oatmeal cookie ever. And I don’t normally make oatmeal raisin! I love your website. Thank you from a not very gifted baker :)
I love these cookies, i always use them every time i make cookies they are so good!!!
I just love to cook for others and I tried these on my housemates, and it took three batches before I had any leftover to save for later, so I guess the proof is in the pudding, I am so well pleased with the way everyone is sitting around holding their belly’s with a grin on their face ,, thank you for helping me put a smile on their face
MICKEY
I made this and mind were flat.. seems like 3/4 cup flour isn’t much to make a thick cookie..24 of them at that.
Or did I do something wrong….?
I made a double batch with dried cranberries, cocoa nibs and walnuts. They baked up nice and high even though I didn’t refrigerate them beforehand. They were the perfect texture I was looking for!
I don’t know if you still answer questions for this but I’ll ask just in case. I was going to make these with semi sweet chocolate chips along with raisins. Would you still lower the sugar?
I just made these because I was out of chocolate and pecans but added a couple of tablespoons of Nutella. Husband says these have ”a more interesting taste than regular oatmeal cookies.” That’s a rave review in this house.
These are the best! I’ve been making these cookies since 2010 for my son. He has a dairy allergy, so I swap out the butter for stick margarine. They are wonderful! So wonderful, in fact, that unbeknownst to me, his classmates were begging him for cookies at lunch. I couldn’t figure out how he could go through so many cookies every week. That is until I discovered he was selling his cookies for one dollar each at lunch! Ha!
This Recipe is a favorite in my household. We have gone as far as to add dried cranberries, dried blueberries and mini chocolate chips instead of raisins. We call those road trip Breakfast cookies!! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Phenomenal. In my mind, these are a lot more healthy than a normal oatmeal cookie. I used quality ingredients and everyone loved them, I would recommend chilling the dough, but I haven’t made without it. I added toasted pecans but next time I’m changing things up and adding M&M’s.
I did use the less sugar option.
A friend gave me this recipe and I made it tonight. These cookies are perfection and just awesome.
These are delicious !!! Made a batch last week which didn’t last long & will be making some to share for a Canada Day Weekend party!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Making these for post-partum, if they get that far. I might need some emotional support cookies right now.
If your going to breast feed, add some flax seed or brewers yeast. Helps supply. I made and ate these after I had my youngest who is now 4.
I was skeptical of the amount of flour used, but I followed/proceeded as written. The dough seemed a little wet to me after mixing – used a “regular” egg (not XL or jumbo). Overall, they are just too soft for me. They hold together, but they are not really a cookie (IMO). I like a little more “cakey” texture. My go-to Oatmeal Raisin nut cookie has a full cup of flour (120g), and 150g of oats (though I back that off a bit), plus a little more sugar (mostly lt brown) which I also reduce bit. I also used the walnuts. Got 18 cookies with my scoop (~1.5T).
Will stick with my other recipe here. Love everythig else I have made from this site, but this one not a keeper for me.
LOOKING UP OATMEAL COOKIES SAW A COMMENT SAYING YOU WERE LOOKING FOR A GOOD RECIPE. YEARS AGO YOU PUBLISHED OATMEAL COOKING USING GOLDEN RAISINS, CRANBERRIES, AND WALNUTS. I CAN NOT FIND THAT RECIPE HERE.
WHEN I ASK PEOPLE WHAT COOKIES THEY WANT ME TO MAKE IT IS HANDS DOWN THAT RECIPE. I HAVE MADE AT LEAST 10 BATCHES OF THIS RECIPE IN 2022.
CONSIDER POSTING THAT ONE AGAIN. THANKS FOR MAKING PEOPLE THINK I AM A GOOD COOK WHEN I GIVE THEM THESE COOKIES.
Used dark brown sugar and they taste delish, not quite thick, but chilling in the freezer worked best, approx 10 minutes!
Wow! I love your web page, it makes me crave for oatmeal raisin cookies every time.
I’ve had a hankering for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for some time now and these looked very promising! However, both my husband and I agreed that they had entirely too much chocolate but we still enjoyed them. I also kept them in the fridge for too long I think… they did not spread at all. Maybe only 30 minutes next time and walnuts instead of wheat germ.
This is THE ONLY oatmeal cookie recipe I make and it’s perfect every time. I’ve tried it with all the variations mentioned and they’re still perfect. This is the only oatmeal cookie recipe to use. I want to try it without any add ins. I don’t know why I haven’t tried this earlier.
I have made this SO many times over the years now. It is my go to! Thank you!!
These could not be better and is our go-to oatmeal cookie. We dropped to 80g dark brown sugar, half whole wheat flour, usually a bit more cinnamon and loaded them with toasted pecans, dried chopped sour cherries, apricots and raisins all soaked in hot water for a while to plump for our most recent tweek. Melting the butter makes it super fast to throw into the refrigerator before baking and then freeze some for fresh baked delights–yup, always at least a double batch. Thank you immensely, Deb!
Love these – made them before thanksgiving and froze them. Just fabulous so I’m making them again to visit my daughter.
Everyone I make these for loves these! They puff up so nicely after scooping them and putting them in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes. This time, I added about 1/4 c. of cinnamon chips (easy to make from scratch) to the dough along with the oatmeal and raisins, and my kids said they were waaaaaaay better than without! The chips give a lovely crunch to the cookie.
Very, very good. This is going on the “keeper” list. Easy to assemble. I made one adjustment- added a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.
These are the BEST!!!
I don’t even like raisins, and I make these all the time. If you freeze the dough to bake later, it helps to reduce the baking temperature down to 350 and bake it for an extra five minutes because I found that the frozen dough doesn’t quite cook through in the very center with the original baking directions. I usually make a batch and then I freeze a batch to have on hand and it’s so nice just to be able to make a few cookies when you’re craving a snack for your kids!
I started baking these a year ago they came out super great. They were chewy, thick puffy, and wonderful all of a sudden the last several batches which I put in the refrigerator before baking have not changed anything about it come out flat, Mili and tasteless. Any tips I would appreciate.🙏
I just made this and they turned out great!
I only reduced the sugar because well.. I live in Europe:)
Thank you Deb!
Nearly three weeks after that horrible Saturday when we awoke to news of the devastating attacks by terrorists on Jewish settlements down on the border with Gaza, we are still reeling with shock and mourning. But the whole country is galvanizing with efforts to aid everyone they can – the soldiers called in to active duty, the families evacuated, we even pray for our enemies in Gaza, that the innocents there might be spared. This recipe is being made over and over again in my kitchen, the cookies baked and frozen for the moment of opportunity when I might send them to my siblings who are risking their lives on the front, or to anyone displaced by the events of that black Saturday. I don’t know where you stand on these issues, but I hope there is some comfort in knowing your cookies are being made to give comfort to those who are hurting.
I LOVE these cookies. I’ve made them for years. They are my favorite! I even wrote about them on my blog. Cheers!
https://suchmoments.wordpress.com/2023/12/17/pulled-pork-candy-pecans-chai-tea-roasted-rabbit-oatmeal-cookies-and-turkey-gizzards/
Hello,
Big fan…I continue to make these cookies quite often. I use soft butter, brn sugar etc. per your recipe. I have a gas oven and now back them for 15 min. They continue to be flat and mealy. When I first baked them, they were chewy and wonderful ? HELP