The only Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe you’ll ever need. Just like the kind your grandma used to make.
When I say that these cookies are just like the kind your grandma used to make, I mean YOUR grandma–not mine–and definitely not my kids’ grandma (i.e. my mom).
I only remember eating store-bought cookies at my grandma’s house. My mom did actually make cookies from scratch when I was a kid, but she made them with half the sugar. And she burned them. She will tell you all day long that she did not burn the cookies, but the bottoms were always REALLY brown. And the cookies were always small little mounds. I swear I was in college before I knew what a real cookie looked like. “Wait! They’re supposed to be flat and circular?” I suppose my mom was ahead of her time. Nowadays what she made would probably be considered “breakfast cookies,” or “vegan cookie bites” or something like that.
But as for me and my house–we eat real cookies.
Real cookies like these Oatmeal Raisin Cookies that are soft and chewy and have ALL the sugar. But don’t feel too bad, because they do also have oatmeal, which everybody knows is super healthy.
To make these Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, you will need your standard cookie ingredients. There’s no need to go get anything special here. I’m sure you already have everything you need in your kitchen.
First, you beat the butter by itself until it gets a little fluffy. This will take about two minutes, unless you use your arms. Then it will take about ten minutes and your arms will feel like limp noodles afterward. (Just kidding. But not really.) Then add granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat some more until everything is light and fluffy. Then add two eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and beat again. (There is a lot of beating going on here!)
At this point, most recipes say to mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then add them to the wet ingredients. I never do this. Why? Is it because I’m lazy? Well, yes. But it’s also because there’s another method that works equally well and doesn’t dirty another bowl.
All you do is add 1/2 of the total flour to the butter/sugar mixture, and then dump all the other dry ingredients on top of it (like the salt and baking soda). Mix this all in, and then add the remaining flour and mix. This method has never failed me.
Then you just stir in your oats and raisins, and you are ready to bake!
I like to use a large cookie scoop so I can get cookies of uniform size. I also highly recommend silicone baking mats for these (and all) cookies. If you use baking stones, keep in mind that baking time will be longer with stoneware, and the cookies may look different. Sometimes I will make a batch on both silicone mats on a cookie sheet, and another batch on stoneware, and see which cookies turn out the prettiest.
Once all your cookies are scooped and placed, it’s time to bake in a 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes. Just watch for the edges to barely get brown, and then remove the cookies. The centers will not look baked, but that’s o.k. We want the cookies to be chewy, and underbaking the centers gives us that lovely texture that we adore in cookies. Plus, once removed from the oven, you let them sit on the pan for about another 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool. This gives them a little bit of extra time to firm up. Taking them out a little early also guarantees that you won’t burn your cookies and then have to vehemently deny the dark brown (a.k.a. “black”) color on the bottom.
As a final note, if you don’t happen to like raisins, you can use chocolate chips instead. I won’t tell anyone 😉
TODAY’S FREEBIE!
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups raisins
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter until soft and creamy (about two minutes).
- Add the sugars and continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. (May take several minutes).
- Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.
- Add 1 cup of the flour, along with 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Mix together until everything is incorporated.
- Add the other cup of flour and mix until well incorporated.
- Add the oats and stir well.
- Add the raisins and stir well.
- Using a large cookie scoop, place cookies about 2 inches apart on a large baking sheet that has been lined with a silicone baking mat.
- Bake cookies for about 12 minutes, until edges just barely start to brown.
- Remove from oven and let rest on pans for about 10 minutes. Then transfer to wire racks to cool.
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