Big, delicious, bakery-style Oatmeal Raisin Cookies that are soft yet chewy, loaded with plump raisins, warm spices & a touch of molasses. I promise you, someday these will be world-famous.
This post was originally published on November 14, 2016 and updated with new photos in January 3, 2020.
I understand oatmeal cookies may not sound that exciting but I’m gonna to need you to trust me on this one because these truly are the Best Ever Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.
Think big, delicious, bakery-style Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.
They’re soft yet chewy, loaded with plump raisins, warm spices and a touch of molasses. They’re like a warm hug from your Mom after a bad day at school. They’re like being wrapped in a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer. They’re like sitting in front of a fireplace on a cold winter night.
They are comfort food.
They are Oatmeal Raisin Cookie perfection.
Before diving in to create the Best Ever Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, I did a lot of research. The thing with oatmeal raisin cookies is that they can often lean closer to the muffin-top side of the spectrum rather than the cookie side.
I’ve eaten way too many oatmeal raisin cookies that are too fluffy and too moist. I knew my oatmeal raisin cookies had to be tender yet chewy. To achieve this, I made sure to load it will rolled oats rather than quick oats. Using rolled oats ensured that even when the oats soaked up some of the wet ingredients, they still maintained a small bite, giving the cookies added texture and chew once baked.
Hydrate Your Raisins
Oatmeal raisin cookies also tend to have hard little raisins spotted throughout them that have dried out during the baking process. And sometimes, you might only get ONE raisin in an oatmeal raisin cookie which is simply unforgivable.
To avoid this, I used one and a half cups of raisins and made sure to plump up my raisins before adding them to the cookie dough. To plump up the raisins, I rehydrated them by letting them soak in a hot water bath while the rest of the ingredients were prepped. This ensured the raisins were plump and chewy and didn’t shrink up into hard little dots while baking.
Molasses & Warm Spices
I also wanted an oatmeal raisin cookie that was rich in flavor while being warm and toasty. I achieved this by adding a greater portion of brown sugar than white, granulated sugar and upping the toasty notes with a tad of molasses.
This also increased the chewiness of the cookie when combined with the rolled oats. Lastly, to bring it on home, rather than simply adding cinnamon to the dough, I used cinnamon along with a hint of nutmeg and clove to round out the warming spices and add depth to the overall flavor.
Bakery Style Means Extra Large
For maximum cookie enjoyment, I also made sure to weigh out the cookie dough into 2-ounce portions prior to baking. These resulted in cookies that were about palm-size once finished, just like you’d find at a local bakery.
Once baked, these oatmeal raisin cookies turn golden brown from the molasses, the oats become slightly chewy and the raisins stay soft and plump. They’re perfect for dunking!
In my opinion, these are the Best Ever Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. And, although you may think 1 is enough, I won’t judge you for sneaking a 2nd or 3rd, I know I did!
Looking for more bakery-style cookies? Check out my favorite Monster Cookie recipe.
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon molasses*
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups rolled oats**
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups raisins
- 2 cups boiling water
- Preheat oven to 350* and line cookie sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, set aside
- Place the raisins in a small bowl and pour boiling water on top. Immediately cover with plastic wrap to keep in the heat and set aside while you assemble the dough
- In a mediums size bowl, mix together flour, oats, spices, baking soda, and salt, set aside
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy
- Add in the vanilla extract and 1 egg at a time until fully combined with the mixer on medium-low
- With the mixer on medium-low, drizzle in the molasses until fully combined.
- Scrape down the sides and prepare to add the dry ingredients
- Add in the dry ingredients (the oat-flour mixture) in three separate additions, ensuring each is fully combined before adding the next
- Strain the raisins to remove the water and using the back of a wooden spoon, lightly press down on the raisins to squeeze out as much of the water as you can***
- Add the raisins to the cookie dough and gently combine with the mixer on low or by hand using a wooden spoon.
- Using a 2-ounce scoop, place mounds of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, allowing about 2 inches between each dough placement
- Using the palm of your hand or the flat bottom of a glass, press down on the cookie dough mounds until they are about half their original size
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes until golden brown
- Once baked, let the cookies cool for an additional 1-2 minutes on the tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely
- Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months
** Ensure the oats are Rolled Oats. These are not the same as Quick Oats and they are not Steel Cut Oats.
*** You don't want to add water to your cookies so removing as much excess water from the raisins prior to adding them to the cookie dough is extremely important
What an interesting technique with using the boiling water with the raisins – I’ve never heard of that before. Oatmeal cookies are one of my favorites and their the only type of cookie my fiance will eat.
I actually made these after a request from my husband. Usually, I bake things for the blog and it’s whatever I feel like baking but one day I asked him what HE wanted and he said ‘Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.’ I looked at him and said, ‘You don’t eat raisins and you hate oatmeal, are you sure?’ and he told me they were his favorite cookie ever. We’ve been together 7 years and I didn’t even know!
Yum! They look so chewy and perfect!
Yummy oatmeal cookies! This reminds me of my Mom – she would make oatmeal cookies all the time when I was young. One of my favs.
Great looking oatmeal cookies that you have there. I have a BIL who would love them- they’re his favorite.
oh these look so chewy and moist, they are calling my name. I love a good oatmeal cookie
I ran across this recipe on Pinterest a while back, but when a friend sent me the same recipe, I knew I had to try it. Neither my friend nor I had molasses, so she used honey, and I used dark Karo syrup, and both batches turned out incredible. This recipe is going in our permanent family recipe book. Thank you so much!
I’m so glad you decided to try it and enjoyed it! This recipe is super special to me so I’m glad it made your family recipe book as well, it’s definitely a regular in our household!