Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Aug 28, 2025 
The 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!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Oatmeal cookies are one of the simplest cookies to make well. Even grocery stores can do it. If I ever grab a cookie off 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!
Why You’ll Love This Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe
- Simple Ingredients – You most likely have all the ingredients in your fridge and pantry right now.
- No Chill Time – If you measure your ingredients properly, they will spread and puff up to perfection, without having to chill the dough first.
- Textural Bliss – Crispy edges and a soft, chewy interior make these cookies a textural delight!
Ingredients You Need
- Flour – use all-purpose flour, or you can substitute 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
Tips for Success – Two things affect the outcome of your baking more than anything else… Proper measuring, and accurate oven temperature. When measuring dry ingredients, be sure to level your measuring cups. For flour specifically, stir the flour to fluff it up, spoon it into your measuring cups, then level each cup.
As for baking temperature, don’t just trust what your oven says. It’s very common for well-loved ovens to run too hot or too cold over time, regardless of the temperature stated. Place a new hanging oven thermometer in your oven to get an accurate read on your oven. Then find a YouTube video on how to calibrate your oven’s make and model.
Find the full Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe and video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post, with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and baking tips 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 ensure 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 mismeasured the flour, or you didn’t add enough butter, or you might have baked the cookies for 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 the accuracy of your oven temperature by hanging a small oven thermometer from 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.
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.
My 84 yr old father-in -law comes over for dinner every Tuesday. I am always looking for quick, healthier desserts to fix while prepping dinner after work. Thought I’d give these a try. He absolutely loved them. Thank you!
(I did throw in some mini dark chocolate chips…yum!)
Hi Susan,
I so glad he enjoyed them! Chocolate chips are a great add-in. :)
After a ridiculous amount of perusing oatmeal cookie recipes on the internet, I decided to try this one. It is OUTSTANDING! I have finally found my forever recipe for oatmeal cookies!!! Thank you!!!
Hi Wendy,
YAY! You just made my day. I’m so very glad you loved them! :)
Great recipe, best I have ever made! 👍
I made these last night and let me bow down to you! These are BY FAR the best oatmeal raisin cookies I’ve ever made. Perfect when they came out of the oven and equally delicious the next day. Thank you for sharing this! You’ve totally nailed it with this recipe.
3 cubes of butter seems like too much . Every others recipe with same proportions only uses 1 cup( 2 cubes)
Could this be a typo.?
I luv the reviews but feel hesitant
Hi Colleen,
Yes, it is 1.5 cups softened butter. Promise! These cookies turn out so soft and chewy, compared to many oatmeal cookie recipes. :)
All I can say is do not skimp on the butter. That’s what gives them the perfect texture, flavor and tiny bit of crispy, buttery edge.
It is too much butter. They flattened too much and were VERY rich. There are other ways to make a soft chewy cookie w/o so much butter. LOVED the spices however!
Hi Kel,
You cookies flattened out either because you did not use parchment paper, or your oven temperature is running too hot. (This is a REALLY common problem.) It’s honestly, not the amount of butter used in the recipe. To check the accuracy of your thermostat, buy a cheap hanging oven thermometer to place on the oven rack. Hope this helps!
If i don’t hve parchment paper, would it be ok to cook on an ungreased baking sheet?
Hi Michael,
Yes, but depending on your sheets they may stick a little. Baking stones are a great option.
I have not made the recipe yet but wanted to ask a question first. I have tried making oatmeal raisin cookies over the last 15 years because they are my sons favorite cookie. I’ve finally stopped trying. When I’ve made oatmeal raisin cookies before by any recipe the oatmeal taste and feels little pieces of paper in your mouth. I have tried all different types of oatmeal, Old fashion, quick oatmeal types, well every variety out there and it all turns out the same….pieces of paper feeling :o( I’ve always followed recipes exactly with no luck. The oatmeal flakes just don’t soften.
What do you think could be wrong? I used to make the boxed Sunmaid Raisin cookies for my son and he loved them but sadly they don’t make them anymore.
Any suggestions what might be causing this? I would like to try again but don’t want to end up with a trash can full paper filled cookies LOL
Hi Penny,
It sounds to me that you just don’t like oatmeal cookies. LOL! ;)
Try grinding some of the oats in a food processor so the pieces are much smaller (even powdery.) Some people add a little apple sauce to the cookie dough as well for extra moisture. Maybe 1/4 cup per recipe. That might help change your mind about oatmeal cookies!
Thank you for the suggestion of applesauce, maybe that will help soften the oatmeal flakes.
I’m also going to try grinding the oats some.
I like oatmeal raisin cookies but with soften oats. I just can’t figure out how bakeries that make and sell them get their oats to not feel like you have a mouth full of raw oats :o(
Well hopefully your suggestions will help LOL
Thank you so much for the ideas!
Penny
How long would the cookie dough last in the fridge? I have some left over and just wondered…they were delicious
Hi Robyn,
If you use it within 10 days, it should be fine. :)
Crispy around the edges, lightly spiced flavour, chewy goodness inside…what’s not to love?? :P Thanks for sharing!
Your recipe sounds great! I want to make some as a thank you for a friend who did us a favor. In the past I have been using pumpkin pie spice instead of apple pie spice (in various recipes, sprinkled on apple slices, etc), because I really like the addition of ginger in the pps (and am not a fan of the whole “psl” craze)… How do you think that would do here?
The easiest and best oatmeal cookies ever. My family loved them. Took them on vacation. They held up (while they lasted) in a freezer bag inside of a tin can.
Perfect cookies!!! They’re soft and chewy with a little bit of crispy edges. Amazing!