These Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are just like grandma’s, only with butter instead of shortening! They’re made with old-fashioned oats, brown sugar, and lots of raisins.
In this recipe
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Our favorite oats
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Butter vs. Shortening
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Save or Freeze
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Rolled Vs. Oatmeal
My favorite cookies in the whole wide world are these Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. They’re a little chewy in the middle and a little crunchy on the edges. Every bite is loaded with oatmeal and sweet raisins.
My grandmother has always baked oatmeal and raisin cookies with me since I was old enough to stand on a chair and hold a spoon. Making these cookies taught me how to measure, how to scrape the sides of a mixing bowl, and the purest pleasure of all – licking the bowl.
Whoever helped cook got the first dibs on the bowl, so guess who volunteered first?
Our favorite oats
Old-fashioned oatmeal or quick oatmeal works best for oatmeal cookies. We have always used the Quaker brand.
Don’t use oatmeal (they get too hard) or instant oatmeal (they get too mushy).
Butter vs. Shortening
My grandmother used shortening rather than butter when she made her cookies (see her original oatmeal cookie recipe). I almost always use butter these days. Both are possible; The shortening cookies are a little chewy in my opinion.
Saving or freezing these cookies
After baking, store the cookies in a covered container on the counter. They stay fresh for several days.
You can make the dough ahead of time and store it in the fridge (cover tightly with plastic wrap) for up to 2 days before spooning and baking. Or you can lift individual cookies onto a baking sheet, freeze them until set, then transfer to a storage container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Frozen cookie dough balls can be baked from frozen (no thawing required), but may require a few extra minutes of baking time.
More oatmeal cookies to fall in love with
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- cowboy cookies
- Oatmeal Top Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Orange Pecan Cookies
- Oatmeal Almond Butter Breakfast Cookies
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Check out this recipe for soft, chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Rolled Vs. Quick Oats make very different cookies
Although both oatmeal and oatmeal work well in this recipe, they produce different results.
- oatmeal yields chewy, flatter biscuits. We recommend chilling the batter for a few hours (or covered for up to 2 days) before baking to keep the cookies from spreading too much. Avoid organic, rustic brands that produce extra thick oatmeal. We like Quakers.
- oatmeal Produce thicker, taller cookies. The dough does not need to be chilled before baking. If you do this, you may need to add about a minute or so to the baking time.
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
BTW, if you make the cookies extra large they will be chewy, just bake them longer (20 minutes instead of 10).
Don’t overbake these cookies! The edges should be brown, but the rest of the cookie should be a very light color.
If using salted butter, omit the salt called for in this recipe.
You can easily adjust the sweetness by using between 1/2 cup and 2/3 cup white sugar (in addition to the brown sugar).
ingredients
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1 Cup (2 sticks) unsalted buttersoftened OR 1 cup shortening
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1 Cup Brown sugar (light or dark), packed
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1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (10 Tablespoon) granulated sugar
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2 big eggs
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1 tablespoon vanilla extract
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1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
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1/2 teaspoon Salt
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1 teaspoon baking soda
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1 teaspoon Cinammon
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1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
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1 1/2 cups raisins
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1/2 Cup chopped walnuts, optional
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3 cups rolled Oats (old fashioned or fast; DO NOT use immediately)
method
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Preheat the oven and prepare the baking sheets:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or line 2 large baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.
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Mix butter, sugar and eggs:
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter. Add the brown sugar and white sugar and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla extract.
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Add the dry ingredients:
Mix the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture. Stir in the raisins and nuts. Stir in the oats.
Simple tip!
If using oatmeal, we recommend chilling the batter for 2 hours (or up to 2 days) before ladling and baking.
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Scoop out the dough:
Using large tablespoons, scoop the batter onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving at least 2 inches of space between each cookie.
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Bake cookies:
Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. If you are baking 2 baking sheets at once, swap their positions on the racks during baking.
Notice that the cookies appear too faint and slightly colored everywhere except for the edges. That’s okay, they’ll firm up as they cool.
Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
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Refrigerate, transfer and store:
Cool 1 minute on the baking sheets. Then carefully remove them with a metal spatula on a wire grid. Cool down completely. They will be quite soft by the time they cool completely. Store tightly closed at room temperature for up to 5 days.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 96 | calories |
| 4g | Fat |
| 13g | carbohydrates |
| 2g | protein |
