This oatmeal raisin cookie recipe tastes just like grandma made them. They’re the perfect blend of tangy raisins, spicy cinnamon, and hearty oats!

Nothing compares to the smells that will waft through your home as these cookies bake. Consider this recipe a candle and a plate of cookies all wrapped in one! As an avid baker and lover of all desserts with dried fruits and oats, I knew I had to figure out how to make the best oatmeal raisin cookies on the planet. It just had to be done. You’re going to love just how moist and full of texture they are!
Using Applesauce vs. Butter
Before you get to baking, it’s important to note that there are two different ways to approach this recipe: 1) using applesauce and 2) using butter. Both are equally delicious but using applesauce results in an overall healthier cookie. If you use butter, be mindful that if you over bake the cookies they will turn out especially crispy.
Choose the Right Kind of Oats
The key to making amazing oatmeal raisin cookies is choosing the right kind of oats. For the best texture, always opt old-fashioned oats or rolled oats. They hold up much better in the oven and yield a much nicer bite. A common mistake is using quick oats, which turn the texture of the cookies mushy due to their speedy cooking time.

Making this Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe
This 10-ingredient oatmeal cookie recipe comes together in a pinch. Below, find a simplified overview of the recipe before you dive in.
- Get the Oven Ready: First things first, preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients: Using an electric mixer, beat the butter or applesauce with the brown sugar in a large bowl, followed by the eggs, vanilla extract, and honey.
- Sift in the Dry Ingredients: Using a fine-mesh sieve or flour sifter, sift the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon into the wet ingredients, mixing the flour mixture in with a spatula as you go. Lastly, stir in the rolled oats and raisins.
- Portion out the Cookie Dough: Using a cookie scoop or spoon, portion out even-sized cookie dough balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!
Did you know? Most people don’t know how to measure flour correctly. Instead of packing it tightly, fill the measuring cup with loose spoonfuls to prevent yourself from using too much.




3 Tips for Nailing this Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe
- Sift the dry ingredients for better texture. Dry ingredients are prone to having lumps. To prevent dry pockets from forming in your cookies, sift the dry ingredients before incorporating them into the cookie dough.
- Use brown sugar over granulated white sugar. Brown sugar is hands down one of the most key ingredients for any great oatmeal cookie recipe. Using it over white granulated sugar adds such a depth of flavor.
- Experiment with different ingredients. If you want to add a bit more texture to your cookies, add in some chopped walnuts or pecans, or chocolate chips.

How to Store or Freeze Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Whether you need to store a couple of leftover cookies or would like to freeze some for a rainy day, find all the top storage tips you need here.
- Room Temperature: To keep cookies fresh for up to 5 days, store them in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag on the counter. This will keep them from turning stale and help them to retain their moisture.
- Refrigerator (Raw): If you want to make the cookie dough a day or two in advance before baking, store it in a large bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap.
- Freezer (Raw or Baked): To keep cookies on hand for up to 3 months, freeze the raw dough balls or baked cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once completely frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag and label it with the day’s date.
FAQ
Are oatmeal cookies healthy for you?
While oatmeal cookies do contain more fiber and less cholesterol and calories than most other cookies, they are still sweets at the end of the day and shouldn’t be considered a health food.
Why did my oatmeal raisin cookies turn out so hard?
Overmixing the flour is a prime reason why your oatmeal cookies turned out hard. To prevent this from happening, fold the flour in with a spatula only until it’s well incorporated into the wet ingredients.
Why did my oatmeal raisin cookies turn out so cakey?
A common mistake that results in cakey cookies is using too much flour or using a different flour than all-purpose (such as cake flour).
How do you know when oatmeal raisin cookies are done baking?
You’ll know that the cookies are fully baked when they turn a shade of golden brown.
What gives cookies a chewy texture?
To get a perfectly chewy texture, avoid over baking the cookies. When prepared properly, they should have slightly crispy edges and a chewy center.
More Tasty Cookies to Bake
- Angel Wings Cookies (Polish Chrusciki) – Delicate polish cookies with powdered sugar
- Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies – Sandwich cookies with dulce de leche filling
- The PERFECT Sugar Cookies – Buttery and sweet sugar cookies
- The Best Shortbread Cookies – Perfectly buttery shortbread biscuits
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter or apple sauce
- 1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 3 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter or applesauce together with brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract, and honey.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon into the wet ingredients, using a spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients as you go. Finally, stir in the rolled oats and the raisins.
- Using a spoon or cookie scoop, assemble similar-sized round portions of dough about 1-inch apart on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake them for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cookies turn golden brown. Remove cookies from baking sheets and allow them to cool on wire rack. Enjoy!
Made these cookies and they are great cause I'm trying to get fiber into my snacks. Although I didn't add cinnamon they were fragrant and just the right chewiness. Convenient to freeze and bake them when needed.
Hi Cherry- Oh I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you for giving my recipe a try. 🙂
How do do I freeze and how long?
Hi Donald, here are the freezing instructions for raw or baked cookies. To keep cookies on hand for up to 3 months, freeze the raw dough balls or baked cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once completely frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag and label it with the day's date.
They might be good. But nutrition information is so inaccurate. Only the amount of sugar in 1 1/4 cups of brown sugar divided by 12 will be 22 grams of sugar. Plus, if you add raising it adds more sugar . No way one cookie has only 8 grams of sugar, as noted in in your recipe.
Hey Natalia- thanks for commenting; nutritional info can be tricky to calculate sometimes, we'll look into this!
These oatmeal raisin cookies are so GOOD! They turn out soft, chewy and packed with flavors,
Thank you Valentina! Glad you love 'em!
Easy & delicious!! These are my dads favorite, so thank you for the inspiration to get baking! He will be so excited to have a treat all to himself!
That's so sweet, making his favorite treat for him! Enjoy!
These oatmeal cookies are the best! My family loved them.
Thanks for the feedback, Andrea!! Cookies are always a hit right?!
Thank you so much. When kids comes from school, we are gonna make it.
Sounds like a perfect way to spend afternoon! My boys also love cookies, we don't make them too often because they will not healthy food 🙂