These classic, homemade Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are truly the best! So soft and chewy, these golden buttery cookies with warm cinnamon, tender, plump raisins, and a pop of oats are guaranteed to make everyone a fan. Oatmeal raisin cookies are going to be your most requested cookies from now on!
Not everyone loves raisins. I get it. That used to be me. I ate so many little boxes raisins as a kid, I didn’t think I would ever be able to stomach another… until I had these cookies! Talk about swoon-worthy. This little recipe is truly a game changer!
RELATED RECIPE: Perfect Coconut Cookies with Pecans
Why These Are The Best Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
Soak your raisins, but not in water! If your favorite recipe doesn’t have you soaking your raisins, then you’re missing out! And I am not talking about soaking them in water since water doesn’t add any flavor and then requires the raisins to be laid out and patted dry.
I’m talking about an opportunity to infuse your gorgeous cookies with perfect FLAVOR, as well as creating tender, plump raisins that are absolutely delicious to eat! This recipe creates plump, tender raisins with LOADS of sweet flavor by soaking them overnight in beaten eggs and vanilla extract and then adding the whole mixture to straight to the cookie dough!
Even if you have friends and family who don’t like raisins (like I have), this little trick will make them huge fans of YOUR oatmeal raisin cookies. Guaranteed!
Only Simple Pantry Ingredients Needed
- old fashioned or rolled oats (not instant, quick or steel cut oats)
- raisins
- all purpose flour
- brown sugar (Perfect for soft cookies because it contains lots of moisture. Light or dark brown sugar works. Dark brown sugar creates more of a rich, molasses taste.)
- white granulated sugar
- real butter (Margarine is not a good substitute. Butter and margarine are made from different ingredients. Butter is a fat and margarine is made from oil.)
- large eggs
- pure vanilla extract
- ground cinnamon
- baking soda
- salt
- chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
How to Make Homemade Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Soak the raisins. Toss the raisins in the beaten eggs and vanilla extract. Cover and refrigerate to soak overnight.
Make the Cookie Dough. Blend the sugars and butter. Whisk together and add the dry ingredients. Add the raisin mixture. Fold in the oats. The dough will be STIFF! Chill for 20-30 minutes.
Bake the Cookies. Roll the dough into 2 inch balls and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cookies will continue to set in the middle as they cool.
Why Are My Raisin Oatmeal Cookies Flat?
Most often, I find that my cookies turn out flat if I overwork the butter when mixing (too high of a speed or too long will begin to break the fats down) or begin my recipe with butter that is too warm.
Room temperature butter is cooler than you think. Room temp butter is only about 68 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s cooler than most of our kitchens! If your butter has sat out and become shiny or greasy looking, it is too warm for these oatmeal raisin cookies.
Room temperature butter is still cool to the touch. And if you poke it with your finger, your finger should only create an indentation, not smush into the butter.
Best Oats To Use
This recipe works best with old fashioned oats or rolled oats. These oats have been rolled flat to form a flake that has plenty of moisture, is easy to bake and creates a nice chewy texture. Instant oats, quick oats or steel cut oats do NOT work with this recipe for cinnamon oatmeal cookies.
Making Ahead, Storing & Freezing
Because Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Cookies stay soft, they are perfect for making ahead! And that also makes them ideal for the holidays, cookie swaps, to give as gifts or just pack in your Tuesday lunch.
Store them in an airtight container for about a week. To freeze, layer completely cooled cookies between sheets of parchment paper in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for 2-3 months. Let thaw overnight before serving.
You can even freeze the cookie dough if you like! Cover tightly, freeze for 2-3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator and bake as directed.
More Cookie Recipes To Love
- Perfect Bakery Coconut Cookies with Pecans
- Famous Neiman Marcus Cookies (Chunky Chocolate Chip Oatmeal)
- Classic Lemon Drop Crinkle Cookies
- Fudgy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Hello Dolly Magic Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup raisins
- 2 sticks real butter, room temperature -see notes about flat cookies
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 2.5 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups old fashioned oats, or rolled oats
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- In a large measuring cup, beat eggs and vanilla well. Stir in raisins, coating each raisin well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line baking, or cookie, sheets with a silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Remove raisin & egg mixture from the refridgerator to come close to room temperature while prepping the other ingredients.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer or with a stand mixer, mix butter and sugars on medium speed, just until creamy, careful not to over beat the butter.
- Sift flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together. Gradually add flour mixture to the butter and sugars. Use a rubber spatula to clean the sides and make sure all of the ingredients are mixed.
- Blend in egg & raisin mixture. Fold in oatmeal (and nuts, if desired). DOUGH WILL BE VERY STIFF. Cover and chill for 20-30 minutes.
- Scoop cookie dough into 2 inch balls (about 1.5-2 tablespoons, or use a cookie scoop) and place onto a lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10- 12 minutes or until golden brown. Centers will continue to cook and set while cooling. Don't overbake.
- Remove from oven. Let cool about 5 minutes. Move cookies to wire cooling racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
WOW!! This is a really, really good oatmeal raisin cookie. I’ve been looking for and testing recipes for quite some time because my husband LOVES this cookie flavor. Well, I’ve found it! I tried a half recipe a couple days ago and he loved them. I followed the recipe exactly (even the egg, vanilla and raisin mix overnight in the fridge, which I’ve never done before). That tip, the ingredients and the mixing method makes this cookie a winner. Oh, almost forgot…I added a jiggle of nutmeg and ginger to pump up the flavor a little.
Thanks for the recipe Stacey!
Oh my gosh, Quincella! This is awesome! Thanks so much! I am so tickled that you loved these cookies. Isn’t wild how much soaking those raisins makes a crazy good difference? I had a friend share that tip with me years ago, and it has made all the difference. I so appreciate your making this recipe and letting me know how it went! Yay!
I did everything as in the recipe. Didn’t have plain cinnamon on hand so I used pumpkin pie spice. I found the mixture to be way too stiff and the oats, flour, etc, wouldn’t hold together so I had to put some milk in it to hold it together, maybe half a cup or so. Turned out fine after that. The soaked raisins make a big and very good difference and personal preference that I would double the amount. My cookies were probably bigger than the 2-inch size recommended, so you just bake another minute or two, watching and check so the bottoms don’t get burned. Well worth it!