This recipe for Easy and Good Oatmeal Raisin Cookies is one of my oldest oatmeal cookie recipes. They bake up soft and chewy and have a ton of flavor thanks to a good bit of vanilla and cinnamon.
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Ingredient Ratios and Cookie Texture
What I like about this recipe is the easy-to-memorize ratios. There's 1 cup flour, ½ cup each of brown and white sugar, ½ cup butter and ½ teaspoon of salt and leavening agents. Then you've got your 1 egg, of course. The amount of spices, vanilla, raisins and nuts can be changed. You can memorize this recipe and use it as a springboard by changing ingredient amounts slightly.
Thin and Chewy or Thick and Chewy
With all of the leavening agents and sugar, these cookies should bake up chewy. After many years of making them I've found that how much I beat the butter, sugar and egg, the type of sugar, brand of butter and the oven all affect thickness and texture to some extent. For instance, the cookies in the photo below were both made from this recipe, but the ones in the back were made with dark brown sugar while the ones in the front were made with light. The dough had been chilled for a while. The ones baked right away were thinner. But even with little changes, these cookies always turn out good/well.
Chilling and/or Freezing the Dough
You don't have to worry about chilling the dough for these cookies, but if you have time to chill the dough or want to make it ahead of time, I recommend scooping out all of the cookie dough balls, arranging on a plate and chilling, then freezing in a zipper bag.
Recipe
Easy and Good Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour like King Arthur (130 to 140 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter -- cut up, softened but still cool -- don't melt (114 grams)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- ½ cup light brown sugar (but dark okay too) (100 grams)
- 1 large egg
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups oats, old fashioned (but quick okay too!)
- 1 cup raisins (you can use more or less to taste)
- ⅔ cup chopped -- toasted pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Have ready 2 ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheets.
- Stir flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together in a medium bowl; set aside. Be sure the dry ingredients are very evenly blended.
- Beat the butter and both sugars together just until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat just until eggs are blended in. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until mixed. Stir in oats, raisins and pecans (if using)
- Using a tablespoon measure or a small cookie scoop OR a medium cookie scoop,, scoop up dough and arrange scooped dough balls on a plate. Cover and chill for a few hours. Alternatively, scoop and bake immediately.
- Bake 10-12 minutes for small cookies or about 12 minutes for the slightly larger ones, one sheet at a time, on center rack. Remove from oven; let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2-4 minutes. Carefully transfer to a rack to cool.
beth reis says
I have been looking for a crunchy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe for years! Yours is perfect! It's crunchy, delicious and will now be my only Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe! Thanks for being true to the description you gave when I was researching.
Liz says
I had a hankering for some oatmeal raisin cookies and found your recipe. They were delightful!! However I didn't have brown sugar, so I used 3/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of maple syrup. DELICIOUS.
shoyski says
Anna, these turned out great! We used currants...thought I had raisins on hand but the currants plumped up nicely. Thanks for the recipe!
Shelley
Angela says
Thanks for this recipe-- it's really delicious!!
Alicia says
I'm allergic to wheat, but can indulge in other gluten-ful grains, so I made this recipe with barley flour instead of wheat. I also used cranberries and chocolate chips in addition to raisins (about 1/4 cup of each to make up the 3/4 called for). I've found in wheat-free and gluten-free baking that whole oats just won't hold the cookie together, so I've experimented with both quick cook and with chopping up old fashioned oats in a blender. Delicious both ways, but I prefer chopping up the old fashioned oats for a softer, chewier cookie. This is the first wheat-free oatmeal raisin cookie I've succeeded in making that holds together as a cookie and tastes amazing... though I have yet to get a gluten-free one to hold together. Thanks!
Anna says
Sue, thanks for trying those cookies!
Sue says
Today I finally got around to making these cookies. They are great!! Thanks for sharing yet another great recipe!!
Lala says
these are so good and easy to make!
Carol A, says
I made these yesterday, they sure are delicious! Great flavor and texture. Yum, the raw dough is extra scrumptious, too. I did put half a cup of chocolate chips in, instead of raisins - I'm just not that crazy about raisins, and well, chocolate chips go with just about anything. They taste great in these cookies, for sure.
AND I got to try out my brand new air insulated cookie sheet! I don't know if the cookies came out better, but it sure was nice to use a sparkling clean, flat pan that will be dedicated to cookies only!
Anna says
Dani, you could, but the texture would change. I kind of liked the butter here because it gave the cookies crispy edges and a good solid structure.
Dani says
Do you think you could substitute the butter with oil or applesauce to make them even more wholesome?
Anna says
Jill, thanks. This is all good information for me to take to the doctor tomorrow. Thanks for the help.
Tram, yes. I am using it the same as I would regular flour. It weighs the same too. That is, about 4 1/2 oz (give or take a few grams).
Tram says
Do you find that you can use white whole wheat flour cup for cup in place of all-purpose?
Therese says
Anna;
I am sorry to hear you are having eye troubles again!!! When you see the doctor check on the prescription drug Restassis. I know that is specificially for dry eye syndrome. I hope you can get in sooner than later. I remember my hubby having that...it is so irritating!!!
Thank you for posting this recipe..looks so yummy!!
You have evaporated cane sugar...is that the same as evaporated milk? I just need to clarify!
I hope you get it all situated with your eyes!
Emiline says
Sorry about your eyes! Hope you feel better soon.
I think I might make these tonight. I have a bag of those jumbo raisins that I need to use up. The problem is, around here nobody appreciates oatmeal raisin cookies.
Anna says
Evaporated Cane Sugar is like granulated sugar but slightly tan in color. It's supposed to have more nutritional value and it does seem to have a little more natural flavor. More and more stores are selling it, but if you can't find it, just use granulated.
Anna says
Well, I like the icebox idea. Todd's favorite dessert ever is probably that chocolate cookie & Cool Whip icebox cake.
Thanks for the eye sympathy. I've been using something called "Systane" which seems to help a little.
Sue says
I've been hungry for oatmeal cookies lately and was considering making your Big Fat Maple Cranberry, Walnut,Oatmeal cookies. They're sooo good! But, maybe I should give these a go instead.
Maybe in honor of Seward's Day, you could make icebox cookies. Somehow that seems fitting. 🙂