Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

These soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies are easy to make with simple baking ingredients. They’re packed with rolled oats, juicy raisins and a little cinnamon for extra flavour.

The cookies have lightly golden edges and lovely soft centres, with just the right amount of chewiness. They’re perfect for enjoying with a cup of tea, adding to lunchboxes or keeping in the biscuit tin for when you fancy something sweet.

What You Need to Make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

You only need a few basic baking ingredients to make these oatmeal raisin cookies.

Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredient quantities and full detailed method.

Butter

I used salted butter, softened to room temperature. Softened butter is easier to cream together with the sugars and helps give the cookies their soft texture. Try not to use melted butter, as this can make the cookies spread more during baking.

Sugar

I used a combination of light brown soft sugar and caster sugar. The brown sugar adds a lovely caramel-like flavour and helps keep the cookies soft and chewy, while the caster sugar helps give them a little structure around the edges.

Egg

You’ll need one egg to help bind everything together.

Vanilla Extract

A teaspoon of vanilla extract adds a little extra sweetness and flavour to the cookies.

Plain Flour

Regular plain flour is all you need for these cookies. There’s no need to use self-raising flour, as we’re adding a little bicarbonate of soda separately.

Bicarbonate of Soda

This helps the cookies rise slightly and gives them a softer texture.

Ground Cinnamon

Cinnamon works really well with the oats and raisins, adding a lovely warming flavour without being overpowering. You can leave it out if you prefer, but I think it makes a nice addition.

Rolled Porridge Oats

I used regular rolled porridge oats, the kind you would use to make a bowl of porridge. These give the cookies their characteristic chewy texture. Jumbo oats will give a chunkier result, while instant oats tend to produce a more uniform texture. For this recipe, I’d recommend sticking with ordinary rolled oats.

Raisins

If your raisins feel quite dry, you can soak them in warm water for about 10 minutes before using them. Just make sure you drain and pat them dry thoroughly before adding them to the cookie dough.

Equipment

You don’t need any special equipment to make these cookies, just a few basic baking essentials:

• Large mixing bowl
• Electric hand mixer or wooden spoon
• Baking trays
• Baking paper
• Wire cooling rack

An electric hand mixer makes creaming the butter and sugar quicker, but you can easily mix everything by hand.

Making Them

These cookies are really straightforward to make, and the dough only needs 30 minutes in the fridge before baking.

Start by beating the softened butter with the brown sugar and caster sugar until the mixture looks smooth and creamy. You can use an electric hand mixer for this, or a wooden spoon if you prefer.

Next, beat in the egg and vanilla extract until everything is combined.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt. Add these to the butter mixture and stir until you can no longer see any dry flour.

Now it’s time to add the oats and raisins. Stir them through until they’re evenly distributed throughout the dough. The mixture should be quite thick and slightly sticky.

Cover the bowl and pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes. This helps firm up the dough, making it easier to shape and reducing how much the cookies spread in the oven.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and line two baking trays with baking paper.

Divide the dough into approximately 18 portions, depending on how large you want your cookies. Roll them loosely into balls and place them on the trays, leaving enough room for them to spread.

Gently press each ball down into a thick disc, around 1.5cm thick.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden but the centres still look soft.

Don’t be tempted to leave them in the oven until they’re golden all over. They’ll continue to firm up as they cool, and taking them out while the centres are still soft is one of the keys to getting that lovely chewy texture.

Leave the cookies on the baking tray for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. They’ll be quite delicate when they first come out of the oven, so give them time to firm up before moving them.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Variations

There are a few easy ways you can change these cookies to suit your tastes.

• Add chocolate chips: Swap some or all of the raisins for chocolate chips if you fancy a chocolate version.
• Add chopped nuts: A handful of chopped walnuts or pecans would add a little crunch and work well with the cinnamon and raisins.
• Try different dried fruit: You could swap the raisins for sultanas or dried cranberries.
• Add more spice: For a slightly warmer flavour, try adding a pinch of ground nutmeg alongside the cinnamon.

How to Store Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Once the cookies have cooled completely, transfer them to an airtight container. They should keep well at room temperature for around 4 to 5 days. There’s no need to refrigerate them, and keeping them in an airtight container will help stop them from drying out.

More Baking Recipes

If you are looking for more baking ideas, check out these for some more inspiration;

• 

  No Knead Bread Recipe

• 

  Baked Oats Recipe

• 

  Peanut Butter Cookies