Old Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

My oatmeal raisin cookies are deliciously chewy with crunchy edges, plenty of raisins and chewy oats and a light cinnamon flavour to bring everything together. Perfect on its own, warm or cold, or dunked in a glass of milk! Yum!

What makes these oatmeal raisin cookies the best

• Chewy AND crispy. This easy oatmeal raisin cookies recipe makes the perfect cookies! They have beautiful crisp edges and a wonderfully chewy middle and are packed with flavour, texture and all the comfort of homemade cookies!
• Everyday ingredients. Using easily found ingredients, most of which you probably already have at home, these beauties really can be whipped up in a flash!
• Homely baking. Cookies have always been something that reminds me of home baking, something made by mum or grandma. These old fashioned raisin oatmeal cookies always sit firmly in the “comfort food” category of bakes for me.
• Make ahead for convenience. Because these bakery style oatmeal raisin cookies need to be chilled before baking, they are also perfect to be made way ahead of time and frozen until you are ready to bake them! This means stress free baking and delicious cookies. Win-win!

Ingredients in oatmeal raisin cookies

• Unsalted butter: I like to use unsalted butter so I can control how much salt is in the bake. For best results, use butter at room temperature.
• Brown sugar: for sweetness, but also chewiness, in these easy oatmeal raisin cookies.
• Caster sugar: for sweetness, and a little crisp, in the cookies.
• Vanilla: for delicious flavour in these raisin oatmeal cookies recipe easy!
• Flour: I use plain/all purpose flour to make these soft baked cookies. I prefer adding raising agents separately, as I do with salt, so I can control the rise of each of my bakes.
• Cornflour/cornstarch: gives the cookies that beautiful soft tenderness in texture we all love!
• Baking powder: the leavening agent in this bake, to give the soft chewy oatmeal and raisin cookies enough lightness so they bake into chewy delights!
• Salt: enhances the flavours in the cookie. You will not taste it, I promise!
• Oats: adds beautiful texture and crispness to the best raisin oatmeal cookies you will ever try!
• Raisins: gives delicious chewy pops of flavour throughout the cookies that you will absolutely love!
• Egg: helps with the binding and structure of the oatmeal raisin cookies crispy.

Recommended tools for the best oatmeal raisin cookies

• Baking tray*: to bake the easy chewy oatmeal raisin cookies on. I would recommend at least couple of baking trays so you can bake multiple trays of cookies at a time.
• Digital kitchen scales*: I always recommend using digital kitchen scales to weigh ingredients out over using a volume based measuring system, as cups. Weighing out the ingredients is much more accurate than measuring by volume, and will ensure better results in the cookies, so I would definitely take the plunge if you have not already. 
• Measuring spoons*: for measuring smaller quantities such as tablespoons (tbsp) and teaspoons (tsp), a set of dedicated measuring spoons is a must! These are far more accurate than everyday eating spoons, and are really easy to get hold of too.
• Mixing bowl*: to mix all the ingredients together to make the best oatmeal and raisin cookies.
• Handheld electric mixer*: investing in a good electric mixer is a brilliant help with all baking, and will make baking these old fashioned oatmeal raisin cookies a total breeze!
• Sieve*: to remove lumps from the dry ingredients, ensuring everything gets mixed together evenly.
• Spatula*: to help with mixing ingredients and scraping the mixing bowl down.
• Ice cream scoop*: helps to portion out the cookie dough evenly into cookies so they bake up evenly in the oven. I do a generous scoop, which works out at around 60g per cookie, so either of these methods of measuring out the cookies is good!

How to make oatmeal raisin cookies

Cookies are one of my favourite bakes, because they come together so quickly and easily! And these easy oatmeal and raisin cookies are absolutely perfect to make ahead and chill until you want to bake and enjoy them! Perfection!

Step 1: Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set it aside.

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars until smooth and paler. Add in vanilla and mix through. Sift in the flour, cornflour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Mix until the mixture is evenly combined and is damp but not clumping. Stir in the oats and raisins, then tip in the egg and mix until the mixture is starting to clump together.

Step 3: Divide the mixture into twelve cookie dough balls. Arrange them on the prepared baking tray and press them down to flatten a little. Place the tray in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (I prefer a couple of hours) before baking. You can freeze them at this stage too if you wish, to bake another day.

Step 4: When you are ready to bake, prepare another baking sheet with some parchment paper and preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Place the cookies spaced apart to allow for spreading during baking. I get four to a tray for when I am baking them.

Step 5: Place the tray in the hot oven and bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until the edges are turning golden and crisp. Pull the tray out of the oven and leave the cookies to cool completely on the tray. Once cool, remove from the tray and store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Why should I use cornflour (cornstarch) in my cookies?

Cornflour, or cornstarch, gives the cookies a soft and tender consistency that just flour or a mix of sugars alone cannot achieve. It also helps keep the cookies chunky when baked. You can swap it out for the same amount of flour if you wish, but you will love the result of it in the cookies so I would definitely recommend including it!

How do I make my oatmeal cinnamon raisin cookies chewy?

I have found I prefer a mix of white and brown sugar in my cookies. The white sugar adds to the crispy outside of the cookies. However, it is the brown sugar that is key for a wonderfully chewy cookie. The reason for this is the molasses in brown sugar. Molasses helps retain more moisture in the cookies, making them thicker, softer and deliciously chewier!

Can I use oil instead of butter in my cookies?

Oil and butter are unfortunately not interchangeable particularly in my cookie recipes. This is because oil is liquid at room temperature when compared to butter. The result is they will spread more when baking, even after chilling, so it just is not possible to get the same final results.

What if my cookie dough is too soft?

If your cookie dough feels too soft, chill your dough for 10-15 minutes before separating into balls. Please keep in mind if you did not use block butter when making the cookies, they will remain soft and not firm up. I always use block butter, not oil or the kind that is spreadable from a tub, in my cookies. Using butter should result in the cookies really firming up, especially if chilled or frozen, and holding their shape beautifully when baked.

What can I do to make my oatmeal raisin cookies thick and crispy instead of flat and chewy?

My recipe for these cookies will give you chunky cookies that are more crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle. If you prefer these cookies to be more crispy, simply flatten them a little more before baking. This will allow the outside to crisp up during baking, but leave less chewiness in the middle of the cookies.

How do I know if my oatmeal raisin cookies are done?

You know the cookies are done if their edges are slightly darker and crisper and the little cracks on top have found their way to the middle of the cookie. Remove them from the oven, but keep them on the baking tray! They will continue to bake in the residual heat from within the cookie and the baking tray. Leaving them on the tray to cool and firm up is really important for beautiful chewy cookies.

Why are my cookies cakey?

There are several reasons why these chewy oatmeal raisin cookies recipe bakery style might have turned out cakey. The most likely is that there was too much leavening agent or incorrectly measured flour in the cookie mixture.

How long will this easy cookies recipe keep?

These soft baked cookies never last long when I make them! Having said that, they are at their best if devoured within three days from baking to enjoy them at their best.

How to store oatmeal raisin cookies

These crispy oatmeal raisin cookies keep best when stored in an airtight container away from direct sunlight, ideally in a cool space.

Can you freeze oatmeal raisin cookies

Yes! I would recommend freezing these grandma’s oatmeal raisin cookies once you have made and divided them into balls before baking. Freeze them in balls on a tray until completely firm, then place in a freezer safe container in the freezer until required. They can be baked straight from frozen, simply add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time if this is the case.

Tips for perfect cookies

• Ensure the butter used is at room temperature. For no other reason than it will make it soooo much easier to beat it together with the sugars at the start of this recipe!
• This oatmeal raisin cookies recipe easy can certainly be made by hand too, if you do not have an electric mixer. Just make sure the butter is nice and soft and cream it together with the sugars as best you can.
• The cookie dough for the best ever oatmeal raisin cookies is a little softer and stickier than my usual cookie dough. This is fine, the cookies will be perfect once baked.
• Flatten the cookie dough balls slightly once divided but before chilling. This will make it easier than trying to do it once the chewy oatmeal raisin cookies recipes has been chilled and firmed up.
• For perfectly round baked cookies, do the cookie scoot! Quite simply, as soon as the best raisin oatmeal cookies are out of the oven, use an upturned glass or round cutter to smooth off the edges of each one, making it more rounded again.

Troubleshooting

If you have any other questions about this chewy oatmeal raisin cookies recipes, please leave me a comment below, I will do my best to help you. And if you do make this recipe for the best ever raisin oatmeal cookies, please do leave me a rating and review below. I would so appreciate your feedback and it is incredibly helpful for others looking for a recipe too. Additionally, you could also post a picture on Instagram and tag me when you share it with the world. Please do, you know I would love to see it!

More cookie recipes for you to enjoy

Please do check out these other unmissable recipes on my blog:

Coffee walnut cookies: Calling all coffee fans! These coffee walnut cookies are especially for you! Beautiful chewy coffee infused cookies packed with wonderfully earthy walnuts. If you are a fan of the British classic coffee and walnut cake, this cookie will be right up your street!

Coconut pecan cookies: My soft and chewy coconut pecan cookies are packed with desiccated coconut and chopped pecans. Trust me, one bite and you will agree too: these are the best coconut pecan cookies ever!

The ULTIMATE triple chocolate cookies: The ULTIMATE triple chocolate cookies. Deep rich and chewy chocolate cookies cram-packed full of oodles of white, milk, and dark chocolate chips. Pure, unadulterated, indulgent chocolate heaven.

Thanks for joining me today, my friends. Hope you enjoy these gorgeous oatmeal raisin cookies as much as my family do and happy baking! x

Recommended equipment I used *

Baking tray	Digital kitchen scales
Measuring spoons	Mixing bowl
Handheld electric mixer	Sieve
Spatula	Ice cream scoop