Thick, chewy, and loaded with oats and raisins, these Thick and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies will be on repeat in your cookie jar.
As a child, while my classmates preferred munching on cookies akin to my chewy chocolate chunk cookies, I was the kid who consistently asked for oatmeal raisin cookies.
While I love the slight crunch and textures that my Chewy Oatmeal, Raisin, and Walnut Cookies offer, it’s time I share a classic oatmeal raisin cookie recipe – one with the same qualities and flavors that made me fall in love with them as a kid.
As the name suggests, these cookies are thick, chewy, loaded with oats and raisins, and a generous amount of cinnamon. One cookie is enough to satisfy your craving, unless you’re a fanatic like me, then it’s two cookies J
How to Make Thick and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
These cookies begin by whisking together the dry ingredients with 2 cups of old-fashioned oats.
Then, brown sugar and butter are creamed together and eggs and vanilla are added. Once the dry ingredients are added in, an entire cup of sweet and chewy raisins are mixed in by hand.
Chill the Dough
Once the dough is made, cover it with plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least an hour. The reason for this is two-fold: We are using old-fashioned oats in the recipe as opposed to quick oats. The chill time gives the old-fashioned oats an opportunity to hydrate and soften a bit before baking. The second reason is that warmer dough spreads more. Chilling the dough slows down the rate of spreading, yielding a thicker cookie.
While working with the dough in the next step, don’t be afraid to stop and pop the dough into the refrigerator again if it gets too soft. Sometimes I’ll even chill the formed dough balls again, right before baking, if they become too soft.
Scoop, Roll, and Bake!
After the dough has been chilled, scoop out ¼ cup of dough and roll it into a ball before placing it on the cookie sheet. Using that large amount of dough contributes to the thickness of the cookie.
Make sure to also place each dough ball about 4-inches apart from each other. Although we control the spread by chilling ahead of time, it’s good practice to give each cookie plenty of room to make sure they don’t run into each other.
Bake just until the edges are set and golden brown and the center of the cookie looks slightly undercooked. Let the cookies cool completely on the cookie sheet. The residual heat from the cookie sheet will continue cooking the center of the cookies, yielding a soft and chewy center.
If you were the kid who preferred oatmeal raisin cookies, I hope this recipe brings you a bit of nostalgia.
Thick and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar*
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and oats.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and slowly add in the flour mixture, mixing on low speed, just until combined.
- Stir in the raisins by hand using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.
- Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and let sit on the counter for about 20 minutes so the dough can soften slightly. While the dough is losing it's chill, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with a silpat or parchment paper.
- Roll 1/4 cup of dough into a ball and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing each ball 4-inches apart. You should be able to fit 4 balls on an 18" x 13" baking sheet. If the dough and/or balls become too soft, place back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before baking. The dough should still be slightly chilled when placed in the oven.
- Bake for 15 to 16 minutes, until the edges are set and golden brown and the centers look slightly undercooked.
- Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet.
These were AMAZING! I was going to freeze some to have around, but they never made it to the freezer!
So glad you enjoyed them! :D
This is such a great recipe. Heading into the fall these are one of my FAVORITE cookies! Yum!
Thank you! We love having them around all season long!
Literally drooling at my screen, these look to die for!
I love chewy oatmeal cookies so much better than crispy ones… and these are the perfect size too! :-)
Me too! :)
Great recipe! It is been way too long since I made an oatmeal cookie…and the season is here…yay! Just pinned this beauty!
Enjoy making these!
These are probably the prettiest cookies I’ve ever seen! Love how chewy and delicious looking the are!
Thank you! I hope you enjoy :)
I always think what I top my cookie jar with. I love to have something on the repeat but I haven’t come across anything decent… until now. I think I found what I need :)
This is a great take on a great classic! Going to definitely have to make a ton of them this fall!
I love oatmeal raisin cookies! Looks so delicious and that chewy texture is the best!
Mine didn’t turn out quite as perfectly beautiful and uniform as yours, but they tasted great! Love how thick they are.
The taste is what counts! :)
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I am an avid Baker and often get requests for Oatmeal Raisin cookies. I usually use the old recipe on the Quaker oatmeal…dont like the newer version as well. Anyway, they tasted great but were flat. Your recipe has been mind blowing and life changing! They came out perfectly! Thank you for sharing what is now my go-to oatmeal raisin recipe.
Wow! What a wonderful compliment. I’m so glad they’ve been added to your box of go-to recipes :D Thank you for your sweet comment and your readership!
This recipe was perfect! I’ve never such delicious raisin cookies.
Thank you so much for your sweet comment :D I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
This recipe is literally the best oatmeal cookie I’ve EVER made! You will never need another. Absolutely incredible. Made it exactly, only difference is that I only refrigerated for about 20 minutes.
Your comment made my day, Michelle :) I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and that it has become your go-to oatmeal raisin cookie recipe!
I only have quick oats. Can I substitute? Will I need to adjust anything in the recipe if quick oats are used?
Quick oats will work just fine with the recipe as-is. For this recipe, I use them interchangeably :)
These cookies taste amazing but mine didn’t turn out thick at all, they were super thin even though I chilled the dough for two hours. That’s the only disappointment. I’m leaving the other half of the dough in the fridge overnight to see if more chilling makes a difference. Even if they don’t come out as pictured the taste is incredible enough that I may make them again.
I’m so glad you like how they taste! As for the spreading, I guess it could depend on how cold your refrigerator is. Mine is set to 36F. If it still doesn’t work, try freezing it before baking.
Mine result was also a thin cookie. They tasted good, but so disappointed. I chilled the dough for an hour!
Thank you for trying the cookies. I hope you give them a try again (they really are fabulous). I find that using 1/4 cup dough balls really helps in adding thickness.
Could one add chocolate chips instead of raisins ?
One sure can!
Made so many big cookies, very yummy though I did half raisin and half white chocolate chip. I would definitly make these again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them and will turn to this recipe again. Your tweak sounds divine!
Followed the recipe exactly. Chilled in the fridge exactly as in recipe. They were in the oven for 12 minutes and smelled something burnt. The cookies were flat and crisp. Put the dough back in the fridge for another hour. Baked for 9 minutes, brown on edges and loose in the middle, still flat. Let sit on the baking sheet until cool and they were still so soft they fell apart when you tried to pick them up. Never going to try again!!
Thanks for your feedback, Deb. I re-tested the recipe twice to try to recreate the problem you’re experiencing. I wasn’t able to. Make sure you’re using enough dough for each cookie (1/4 cup) and that the dough balls are still chilled by the time you place them in the oven (sometimes they can warm up while you’re rolling them between your hands). If the dough balls have softened, put them back into the refrigerator to chill for another 30 minutes. I’d love to know if this helps!
I like to use an ice cream scoop and I also scoop them before refrigerating them. I once left cookies chilling overnight in the bowl and the next day it was murder to get the dough softened to the right consistency, it was a big hard lump, then it was too soft 😊. Now I scoop first and then refrigerate. Seems easier this way. Thanks for the recipe.
What does the asterisk next to the sugar mean? Just made the cookies and I’m getting ready to bake them. The dough looks yummy!
Sorry, Sue. That was a typo. I’ll fix it now. Enjoy!
Thank you somuch for posting this recipe. It came out great! It is the best homemade oatmeal cookie recipe I have ever made. I the only thing I changed was I added walnuts.I can’t wait to try your other recipe
S
I’m so glad you enjoyed it and thank you for your sweet comment! Love the modification you made :)
Can these cookies be reduced in size & still come out ok ? I personally would rather have a smaller cookie ( just eat more of them ) They sound wonderful … Thanks for the great recipes .
Yes, they can! I just tested it using a 1oz. cookie scoop. Roll each scoop into an oblong/cylindrical shape (as opposed to spherical) and place them so that it stands up tall, spacing them 2.5-3 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes. If the dough softens or becomes really sticky once you shape them, pop them into the freezer to firm up a bit before baking them. A firmer dough will help them keep their characteristic thickness.
Any idea if I could use quick oats? I out of rolled oats. :(
Yes, quick oats will work!
Just an FYI, soaking the raisins in warm water for a while plumps the up and adds extra yummyness. I made 2 batches a couple days ago, rolled it up in freezer paper for cut and bake cookies. Works GREAT!!
Thank you for the tip on plumping up raisins! I’ll have to give it a try on my next batch :) And, thank you for reporting back on your results after freezing them. I did not know that they can be cut-and-bake cookies!
These oatmeal raisin cookies were a dream. I live at a high altitude and have been having trouble finding cookies that come out chewy. I tried these cookies and they are so good and chewy. These are going to be my go-to cookies. Thank You Patty!!!
Thank you for leaving such a sweet comment. I’m thrilled you found a new go-to recipe :)
These cookies look great, and I cant wait to try them. I always convert to weight, but find sometimes, in a cookie recipe the cookies will be thinner, just because a lot of times people “over” measure there flour in comparison to weight. If using weight should I add a little bit more flour to make up for this?
While I haven’t tested the recipe with measurements in weight, I would start with 248.5 grams of all-purpose flour.
Thank you for the recipe.
Is it possible to substitute butter for margarine?
I haven’t tried it, but my guess would be yes :)
What oven temperature should be used? Recie does not state.
Please see step 6.
Hi! I am so excited to do this recipe. But I am looking into making them larger. Maybe 2× their size. Any suggestions?
At about the size of my palm, they’re already quite large. I haven’t tested them using twice the scoop size. I would imagine they would need more bake time and more space in between in each scoop.
Hi! I am so excited to do this recipe. But I am looking into making them larger. Maybe 2× their size. Any suggestions?
The BEST oatmeal raisin cookies you will make!
My husband is particular on the desserts he eats and he raved about these!
I made a double batch for a group getaway with 4 families and they LOVED them. So thick, chewy and BIG. It was very hard to stop eating at only one cookie too. :) Perfect dessert.
I will definitely keep this recipe for future use!
Thank you so much for your sweet comment. I’m more than thrilled that you and your family love them!
Love love love this recipe getting rid of all the other oatmeal cookies recipe I have ever made in the past
This is the best by far! Thanks for sharing
New to your site. Made these for the family and they were a hit. Great taste and texture. Will be making them again! Thanks for a great recipe.
If you add walnuts, would you reduce the raisins or just add in addition to? Thanks
I would just add to it :)
I’ve tried various recipes and want to give yours a try. What is the serving size for this recipe, 2 dozen cookies?
It’s all noted in the recipe card for you – the recipe yields 1 dozen cookies. Serving size is for 1 cookie. Enjoy!
Has anyone ever made these as cookie bars? If so, what adjustments did you make? Thanks in advance; these are honestly THE best oatmeal cookies I have had!