Oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies are soft, cinnamon-spiced oatmeal treats studded with plump raisins and melty chocolate chips. These cozy, easy-to-make cookies have chewy centers and slightly crisp, buttery edges—perfect for a snack, dessert, or holiday cookie exchange.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
Oatmeal cookies are comforting, quick to prepare, and reliably delicious. These oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies combine hearty oats, warm cinnamon, rich brown sugar and molasses, plus juicy raisins and chocolate chips for a cookie with layered flavor and great texture.
- Layers of flavor and texture. Soft, chewy dough with oats, brown sugar and molasses is studded with plump raisins and chocolate chips for contrast and depth.
- Great for gifting and gatherings. These cookies hold their shape and flavor well, making them an excellent choice for holiday cookie swaps or to bring to a party.
Ingredients
This recipe uses pantry staples and a few fresh ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make about 32 cookies.
- Dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt.
- Wet ingredients: unsalted butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, a large egg and an egg yolk, vanilla extract, molasses (optional), old-fashioned oats, raisins and chocolate chips.
Substitutions
If you need to adapt the recipe, these substitutions maintain texture and flavor while accommodating dietary preferences.
- Gluten-free: Use a reliable 1:1 gluten-free flour blend measured by weight (about 210 g) instead of all-purpose flour.
- Baking soda: Necessary for spread and chew; this recipe has not been tested with only baking powder.
- Spices: Ground cinnamon is recommended; you can swap or omit it or try nutmeg or allspice for a different profile.
- Butter: Vegan or plant-based butter can be used in place of unsalted butter.
- Sugars: To reduce refined sugar, try maple sugar in place of granulated sugar, keeping in mind texture may vary.
- Eggs: This recipe was developed with eggs and hasn’t been tested without them.
- Molasses: Adds chew and depth—use unsulphured molasses. If necessary, a dark honey can be substituted.
- Oats: Use old-fashioned rolled oats; quick oats won’t give the same texture.
- Raisins: Use fresh, plump raisins. If they’re dry, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes, drain and blot dry.
- Chocolate: Semi-sweet and mini chips work well; dark or milk chocolate are fine too.
Variations
- Brown butter version: Brown 1 cup (226 g) butter over low heat until fragrant and browned. Cool, then chill until nearly solid before creaming with the sugars. This adds a nutty, caramel note.
- Mix-ins: Add up to 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts along with the raisins and chocolate chips.
How To Make
Follow these clear steps to make chewy oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- Soften tablespoon slices of butter briefly in the microwave (about 30 seconds) so edges are soft but not melted. Transfer to a mixing bowl, add the light brown and granulated sugars, and cream on medium speed 2–3 minutes until combined. On low speed, mix in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and molasses until smooth. Add the dry ingredients gradually on low speed and mix until just combined. Fold in the old-fashioned oats, raisins, chocolate chips and mini chips until evenly distributed.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) about 30 minutes before baking. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons / 30 ml), portion the dough into balls and place them about 3 inches (8 cm) apart on the prepared sheets. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 11–13 minutes, until edges are set and lightly golden while the centers remain slightly puffed. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
How To Make Ahead, Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Make ahead: Prepare the dough up to the chilling step and keep it covered in the fridge for 2–3 days. For longer storage, freeze the dough.
- Store: Keep baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week; they are best within 2–3 days.
- Freeze baked cookies: Cool completely, wrap individually in plastic or parchment, and freeze in an airtight bag for up to 2 months.
- Freeze dough: Scoop dough balls, flash-freeze on a lined sheet for 20 minutes, then transfer to a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or bake from frozen (add a few extra minutes to the bake time).
- Thaw: Let frozen cookies come to room temperature, or warm for 15–20 seconds in the microwave for a fresh-from-the-oven texture.
M’s Expert Tips
- Use old-fashioned rolled oats. They give the best texture; quick oats are not recommended.
- Measure flour by weight. A food scale ensures consistent results—aim for 210 g for this recipe.
- Don’t overmix. Mix dry ingredients in at low speed or fold by hand until just combined to avoid tough cookies.
- Chill the dough. Even 30 minutes helps hydrate the flour and re-solidify the butter, reducing spread and improving chew.
- Shape after baking: Within the first minute out of the oven, use a biscuit cutter slightly larger than the cookie to nudge edges back into a round shape if needed.
Do I need to soak raisins before baking with them?
Soaking is optional. If your raisins are dry or older, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes, drain and blot dry for plumper raisins in the cookies.
What does molasses do in cookies?
Molasses adds depth, warmth and chewiness, helping cookies stay soft longer.
Do I really need to chill the oatmeal cookie dough?
Chilling improves texture and reduces spread. Even a short chill yields a chewier cookie.
Can I make these cookies larger or smaller?
Yes. A medium scoop (2 tablespoons) is ideal. For 1-tablespoon cookies, bake 9–11 minutes. For larger (3 tablespoon) cookies, bake 14–16 minutes.
Other Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes to Try
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
If you make these Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies, please rate the recipe and leave a comment. Tag @olivesnthyme on Instagram so the author can see your creations. – M
Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Megan
Oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies are soft, cinnamon-spiced oatmeal cookies filled with raisins and chocolate chips. These cozy cookies have chewy centers and crisp, buttery edges.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 11 minutes
Chilling Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 26 minutes
Course Dessert, Holiday
Cuisine American
Servings 32 cookies
Equipment
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Stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer
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Mixing bowl
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2 baking sheets
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Parchment paper
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Medium cookie scoop (2 tbsp) — optional
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups (210 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226 g) cold unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) molasses optional
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 2½ cups (225 g) old fashioned oats
- 1 cup (160 g) raisins
- 1 cup (170 g) chocolate chips, plus more for topping
- ¼ cup (42 g) mini chocolate chips optional
Instructions
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Whisk the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon and salt together in a bowl until combined. Set aside.
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Place butter slices in a microwave-safe bowl and heat about 30 seconds so the edges soften but butter is not melted. Transfer to a mixer bowl, add the light brown and granulated sugars, and cream on medium speed 2–3 minutes until combined.
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On low speed, mix in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and molasses until smooth. Add the dry ingredients gradually on low speed and mix until just combined. Fold in the oats, raisins and chocolate chips until evenly mixed.
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Wrap the dough and chill 30 minutes to 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Scoop dough with a medium cookie scoop (2 tbsp) and space cookies 3 inches apart. Bake 11–13 minutes until edges are lightly golden and centers remain slightly puffed. Cool on the sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
Store: Place baked cookies in an airtight container and keep at room temperature up to one week; best within 2–3 days.
Tip: See the Variations section to try the brown butter version or add nuts.
Keyword Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Raisin Cookies, Oatmeal Cookies with Raisins and Chocolate Chips, Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
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