The Perfect Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Meet The Perfect Oatmeal Raisin Cookies—sweet, soft, chewy, and brimming with nostalgia. It's that timeless treat that brings back childhood memories that not only warms your heart, but satisfies your sweet tooth without baking all day in the kitchen.
Equipment
- 1 Cookie Scoop, optional. Medium or Large
- 1-2 Large Half Sheet Baking Trays
- Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper
- 1 Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- 1 Cooling Rack
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1-1/4 cup DARK brown sugar, store-bought or homemade. SEE ARTICLE ABOVE.
- 1 large eggs room temperature
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
- 1-2 tablespoons molasses, add according to your preference. SEE NOTES.
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, SEE NOTES BELOW.
- 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon*, use less or none if you prefer.
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves*, OPTIONAL
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup quick oats, you can use all old-fashioned or all quick.
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts*, toasted (optional), SEE NOTES
- 1-1/2 cups raisins*, SEE NOTES
Instructions
- *Start by measuring your raisins into a medium heat-proof bowl. Boil enough water to cover them and pour the water over the raisins, let soak for 5 minutes. Set a timer.
- While the raisins are soaking, toast your walnuts if you like. Let cool.
- DRAIN the raisins and chop the walnuts, set aside.
- Prepare your baking trays with parchment or silicone baking mats. One for freezing and one for baking. You can freeze them all at once OR bake them all at once too. Do what works best for you here.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
- Beat the softened butter on setting 2 or 4 (low-medium speed) of your stand mixer for about two minutes, until it has lightened in color and is very creamy. (If using a hand mixer, place butter in a large mixing bowl)
- Add the brown sugar to the butter and beat for another minute, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Next, add the egg and yolk, vanilla, and molasses (see notes, I recommend adding 2 tablespoons if you don't have dark brown sugar). Mix at level 1 or 2 (low speed) for about 1 minute until well combined. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Measure in the flour on top of the wet mixture. Place the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon on top of the flour, making sure there are no clumps in your baking soda. With a large spatula, mix in the dry ingredients, scraping down the sides and paying careful attention not to overmix.
- Fold in the oats, raisins and walnuts. Scoop the cookies you are baking now about 2 inches apart. Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes for a MEDIUM/2 tablespoon cookie OR 13-15 minutes for the LARGE/3 tablespoon cookie.If they look wet, they are not cooked. In that case, just add a minute at a time until they are done. They will be very lightly browned. Be careful not to overbake or they will not be chewy.
- While the cookies are baking, scoop the rest onto the other prepared baking sheet. There is no need to space them far apart because these are going into the FREEZER. I prefer this method so I can have freshly baked cookies as I need them. Freeze them for 1-2 hours, then place in a labeled freezer Ziploc bag (including baking directions) and store in the freezer for 3-6 months. Bake as needed from frozen for about 14-15 minutes for the medium and 15-16 minutes for the large in a pre-heated oven. NO need to defrost before baking.
- NOTE: You can also chill these in the fridge, tightly covered in plastic wrap for up to 24 hours before baking to intensify the flavors. This also a great way to achieve that perfect oatmeal cookie!
- Cool the baked cookies on the tray for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. Store in an air-tight container on your counter for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutritional values and servings are estimates only.
*How to measure dry ingredients: Metric measurements are provided above. If measuring by volume, scoop the dry ingredients into the cup and level off.
* Salted or Unsalted Butter: You can reduce the amount of salt added if using salted butter.
*Molasses: If you don't have dark brown sugar or cannot make my Blackstrap Molasses Brown Sugar, I highly recommend adding the second tablespoon of molasses to your cookie batter. It is a big part of what makes these cookies chewy, warm, and extra special.
*VARIATIONS: Use toasted or regular walnuts. Pecans also work well. Have something else in mind? Any chopped nuts will do. You can use golden raisins if you like or a combination of. Want to get creative? Swap out some raisins for chocolate chips. Go for semi-sweet, milk chocolate, or white chocolate. Take your pick! Don't like cinnamon? Skip it, make them your way.
Nutrition
Calories: 97kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 93mgPotassium: 43mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 129IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 11mgIron: 0.4mg
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