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Chewy, lightly spiced, and studded with Raisinets, this incredible recipe will change the way you view oatmeal raisin cookies.
I love baking with oats. Whether it’s whipping up no bake cookies, making a pan of raspberry bars, or sandwiching together homemade oatmeal cream pies, so many desserts are better with oats in them.
Which means I also love classic oatmeal cookies.
But not just any oatmeal cookie – I like them nice and chewy, full of flavor, and packed full of chocolate-covered raisins.
That’s right: We’re taking oatmeal raisin cookies to a whole new level today.
OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES WITH RAISINETS
I know not everyone is a fan of oatmeal raisin cookies. They are usually the last cookies left on a cookie tray and are the butt of so many jokes.
I love oatmeal raisin cookies, but I also understand why some people don’t like them. I mean, I’ve had a lot of flavorless oatmeal cookies, and I know that a lot of people have weird feelings about raisins.
So several years ago when I was struck with the idea to add chocolate-covered raisins (aka Raisinets) to my oatmeal cookies, I had to give it a try immediately.
I think I’d like to petition for this to be the only way to make oatmeal cookies from now on. I know some of you like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and that’s great – but using Raisinets makes for the perfect combo of the two cookies.
These are perfectly chewy, lightly spiced, and absolutely amazing with tons of chocolate-covered raisins in them.
This is a recipe that will make anyone a fan of oatmeal raisin cookies, ok?
HOW TO MAKE THESE OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
This oatmeal raisin cookie recipe is pretty straightforward, making it an easy recipe to throw together anytime or a good recipe for beginning bakers.
Ingredients you’ll need
Here’s what you’ll need to make these cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons homemade pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 ½ cups Raisinets
Your butter does need to be room temperature and it’s best if your eggs are as well. Learn how to bring butter and eggs to room temperature quickly.
Brown sugar really helps make these cookies nice and chewy. If you ran out of brown sugar, you can use a simple brown sugar substitute in this recipe.
If your brown sugar has hardened, learn how to soften brown sugar with a few different methods so you can still make these oatmeal raisin cookies.
I like to use a bit of pumpkin pie spice in this recipe to add some great, lightly spiced flavor to the cookies. You could also substitute with apple pie spice if it’s what you have on hand.
Other mix-in ideas
So we know that Raisinets are my preferred mix-in for oatmeal raisin cookies, but you don’t have to use them!
You can swap out the chocolate-covered raisins for regular raisins (I think white raisins are best), chocolate chips, or dried cranberries.
You could even use chocolate-covered dried cranberries! Those would be delicious.
Making this recipe
Like most cookie recipes, you can make the dough for this one by hand but it’ll be much easier with a stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment) or with an electric hand mixer.
Cream together the butter and both of the sugars for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs and the vanilla and mix until well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Slowly add this to the wet ingredients, just until combined. Make sure not to over-mix.
Stir in the oats and the Raisinets until incorporated throughout the dough.
Drop the dough onto lined baking sheets using a medium cookie scoop and bake for about 12-14 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before you move them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Store these oatmeal raisin cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
FREEZING SUGGESTIONS
With a few exceptions, cookies almost universally freeze pretty well. You can put them in an airtight container or a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for about a month.
Since cookies are pretty small, they thaw quickly at room temperature.
My best tip, though, is to freeze the cookie dough. That way, you can bake as many cookies as you like whenever you get a craving for a fresh-from-the-oven oatmeal raisin cookie.
Follow my instructions for how to freeze cookie dough and you’ll have a supply of ready-to-bake cookies for up to 3 months – if they last that long!
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons homemade pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 ½ cups Raisinets
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Stir in oats and Raisinets and mix until incorporated.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) to drop dough onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Allow cookies to sit on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- Forgot to set out your butter to soften? Learn how to soften butter quickly.
- Learn how to make a brown sugar substitute and how to soften brown sugar.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Would it be possible to substitute the flour for gluten-free or other alternative
Thank you
Hi Liz – I have not attempted this recipe with a gluten-free flour so I am not sure what adjustments might need to be made. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it turns out for you. Happy baking!
Jamie
could ya use quick oats instead of old fashion oats cuz that’s all I have since I don’t buy that kind.
Hi there – I have not tried this recipe with quick oats so I can’t speak to the results, although they don’t typically swap well in recipes like this. If you give it a try, I’d love to know how they turn out for you. Happy baking!
Jamie
For as long as I can remember, I’ve used raisinets … totally alters the flavor!!!
It really does! Once you give it a try, you just can’t go back. Thanks for sharing! Happy baking –
Jamie
Hi, what ingredients are in pumpkin pie spice? I’m a Brit and not sure I can find the made up spice here in UK. X
Hi Trish – I have a recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice here on the site. I just updated this recipe card to include a link to that – had meant to do so before and forgot, so thank you for the reminder! Hope this helps. Happy baking!
Jamie
OMG-I just read this -“There’s something about baking that calms me. The measuring, pouring, and stirring calm my frayed nerves better than any mood-altering drug can”
LMAO and I couldn’t agree more. I will be quoting this.
Ha! It’s therapy for me! :)
7 years later and I’m still making these cookies. Tried others and also return to these. Make them Raisinets-it’s a game-changer!
So glad to hear you still love this recipe, Elisa!
Dear Jamie, thank you for this recipe. Just wondering if these cookies are supposed to be soft and cake-like? Or are they supposed to be crunchy type?
I followed your recipe, except I reduced some of the sugars amount, and the cookies turned out soft and cake-like after cooled. Baked them 10-11 mins each batch. Could over mixing of the flour near the end cause this?
Diana-
These cookies are pretty chewy – definitely not crisp. I hope that helps.
-Jamie