Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Apr 1, 2025 
Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe – There’s nothing quite like a classic oatmeal raisin cookie—soft, chewy, and packed with warm spices and sweet raisins. These cookies have the perfect balance of hearty oats, rich butter, and a touch of apple pie spice for extra flavor. Grab a glass of milk and enjoy!
Why We Love This Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe
Oatmeal cookies are one of the simplest cookies to make well. Even grocery stores can do it. If I ever grab a cookie off of a pre-made cookie platter, I always go for the oatmeal raisin cookies because they are the most likely to taste somewhat homemade.
Even so, there are definite standouts in the oatmeal cookie category. Today I’m sharing The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies I’ve ever made or tasted. Although the ingredients are humble pantry staples, the cookies are ridiculously divine. I’ve been tweaking this recipe for a long time, so I’m very excited to share it with you!
Ingredients You Need
- Flour – use all-purpose flour, or you can actually use Gluten Free Baking Mix in this recipe!
- Baking powder – to help the cookies rise
- Salt – enhances and balances all of the flavors mingling together
- Apple pie spice – you can also use a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg to achieve the same taste
- Unsalted butter – softened, and use three sticks (1 1/2 cups) which sounds like a lot, but trust me on this one
- Granulated sugar – to add sweetness
- Brown sugar – to sweeten with a molasses taste, the darker the brown sugar the more molasses flavor
- Eggs – for structure
- Vanilla extract – a simple yet important ingredient to add depth
- Old fashioned oats – these are the flat and flaky oats, also called rolled oats
- Raisins – you can also use other dried fruits here
How To Make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Get the full (printable) Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe and video tutorial in the recipe form at the bottom of the post, with baking tips and tricks to make your baking day successful!
Recipe Variations and Add-Ins
- Chocolate Chip – Swap out the raisins for chocolate chips for a classic, chocolatey twist.
- Nuts – Add chopped walnuts or pecans for extra crunch and flavor.
- Cranberry Orange – Replace the raisins with dried cranberries and add orange zest for a bright, citrusy touch.
- Coconut – Stir in shredded coconut for a chewy, tropical cookie.
- Peanut Butter – Add creamy peanut butter to the dough for a nutty, rich flavor.
- Butterscotch – Swap the raisins for butterscotch chips for a caramel-like variation.
- Spiced – Increase the spice by adding extra cinnamon and a pinch of cloves for a more robust, warm flavor.
- Gluten-Free – Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend in place of all-purpose flour and make sure your oats are certified gluten-free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Oats have a distinct ability to hold in moisture. When combined with just the right amount of sugar and butter, oats keep cookies from drying out.
That means The Best Oatmeal Cookies are crisp when they first come out of the oven, but soften after several hours.
This also makes this Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe a marvelous treat to make-ahead for school or work events and weekend gatherings!
Old-Fashioned Oats are the best choice to create the right flavor and texture in oatmeal cookies. However, in a pinch, you can use Quick Oats.
Yes! Make sure your oats are fully gluten-free, and processed in a gluten-free facility. Then swap the wheat flour for Gluten-Free Baking Flour Mix.
There are three possibilities… There’s a chance you mis-measured the flour, or you did not add enough butter, or you might have baked the cookies too long. Be extra careful when you measure your ingredients to ensure soft cookies.
The two most common causes of flat cookies are A) Skipping the parchment paper and putting the cookies straight on the baking sheet. B) Using an oven with a faulty thermostat. It is common for thermostats to wear out over time. You can check your oven temperature accuracy by hanging a small oven thermometer off the rack.
Yes! Freeze them flat on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Once frozen, move the cookies to an airtight freezer bag or container. You can freeze these cookies for up to 6 months.
More Favorite Cookie Recipes
- Best Ever Sugar Cookies Recipe
- Best Chocolate Sugar Cookies Recipe
- Best Ever Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
- Soft Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies Recipe
- Gluten Free Monster Cookies Recipe
- Chewy Molasses Cookies Recipe
- Italian Wedding Cookies
- Banana Pudding Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Whoopie Pies Recipe
- Caramel Shortbread Recipe
- Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies Recipe
- Chai Latte Cookies Recipe
- Orange Cookies (Sugar Cookies with Orange)
- Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
- White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice or 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 1/2 cups raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and apple pie spice.
- In another bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the butter and both sugars on high until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape the bowl with a spatula, then beat in the vanilla and eggs. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add in the flour mixture. Scrape the bowl again then turn the mixer on low and mix in the oats and raisins.
- Using a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the dough into equal portions and spread the balls out two inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, until slightly golden around the edges. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before moving.
This is hubby’s favorite by far. I hadn’t enough raisins so I improvised by dropping the spices and raisins (I only had 1/2 cup) and substituted with orange rinds and dried cranberries. Both are wonderful so thanks so much for the recipe.
My cookies didn’t really expand very well, considering the butter and everything that I used. I was gonna send these as a gift and I don’t think they look very nice but they’re too hot to taste right now.
Wonderful taste, dangerously delicious.
Made these for the first time. Excellent recipe. I added 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce and a handful of chocolate chips. Have shared them with my neighbours because the recipe makes many, many cookies. A good thing.
This is my go to recipe for oatmeal raisin. For a game changer I will brown the butter the night before and let it sit to solidify. Use the brown butter in the recipe the next day. To me it deepens the flavor profile of an already excellent recipe
I love your recipes! This is a great oatmeal raisin cookie and you peanut butter is one of a kind! Delicious! All your recipes whether sweet or savory are Delicious! Question. The last few times I made the oatmeal raisin the bottom and edge of the cookies were dark brown almost look burnt. What am I doing wrong? They are not overcooked, still wet in middle! Any suggestions?
Pretty flat but a great texture, taste is a little plain not a fan of the cinnamon nutmeg/apple spice
Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. (Yes, I made these, and yes, they are the best I have ever made.). I followed the directions exactly and they came out perfect. Best flavor which I think was partly due to the fresh ground Nutmeg I used.
I am 78 years old, and never liked oatmeal cookies. I baked them for my husband, and this year decided to make this receipe, this is the Best, I have eaten 4 at least. I did put all spice with my cinn. And nutmeg to make the spice. These are easy and most delicious.
Made with no raisins, just 1/2 cup chopped pecans and 1 cup chocolate chips. Not as puffy as yours, but still crispy on the edge and soft in the middle. My husband was over the moon. Tried to send a pic, didn’t work.😊
I’m wish the video played all the way to the end. I made them as a gift for nursing home residents. My husband loved the few leftovers. I plan to make again with pecans and chocolate chips. Thank you for the recipe. As a side your write up says wheat flour.
Grave and peace,
Nita
This will be my 4th time that I have made these cookies, well that will tell u how much I like them,wait for it,the 1st wonderful. The last two time, flat,flat, I will give it 1 more time. But thank u once again lovely recipe, my self & g/children still love them once again thank u.