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Best Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe – delicious chewy oatmeal raisin cookies for a classic delicious cookie everyone loves!
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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe – my goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
I want each reader to walk away with a solid knowledge of each recipe, with all of the tips I’ve gathered from extensive testing of each recipe. I also answer questions my friends and family have asked about my recipes, to help everyone better understand the processes we use – and why!
Table of contents
How To Get Perfect Chewy Cookies
Sometimes even the best chewy cookie recipe turns out less than perfect – I’m adding my favorite tips for easy, deliciously chewy cookies that are great every time you make them!
High moisture content does; so the recipe, baking time, and temperature must be adjusted to retain moisture. Binding the water in butter, eggs, and brown sugar (it contains molasses, which is 10 percent water) with flour slows its evaporation. The dough needs a little extra flour, which makes it stiffer. The stiff dough spreads less, less liquid evaporates, and the cookies are thicker.
Mass also helps cookies stay moist–big dollops of dough make softer and chewier cookies than tiny spoonfuls of dough. Bake these thick cookies for a shorter time at a high temperature to firm them quickly and minimize spreading. Most important, don’t bake them too long–remove from the oven when the cookie rim is brown and at least 1/3 of the center top remains pale. The cooked centers will be soft.
Can Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Be Frozen
If you’ve ever wondered can oatmeal raisin cookies be frozen, you’re not alone! I am often asked what foods can be frozen – and these Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies can be frozen both as dough (separated as formed cookies or as a ball), and after they have been baked.
How to Freeze Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
To freeze these oatmeal raisin cookies, you need to first decide if you’re freezing the cookies, or the cookie dough.
Next, if you’re freezing the dough, you’ll need to decide if you’re freezing cookies that have been shaped (so you can pull out a couple at a time you need a sweet treat); or if you’re saving an entire batch of cookies to make later.
How to Freeze Pre-Shaped Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
My favorite way to freeze cookie dough is in pre-portioned cookie balls – so I can take out a couple if I want just a few cookies and not a whole batch.
To freeze pre-shaped cookie dough:
Lay cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Arrange shaped cookies on parchment paper so they aren’t touching (so they don’t stick together).
Freeze until solid – about 5 hours.
Remove from baking sheet and place in large ziploc bag, preferably with any extra air squeezed out.
For extra frostbite protection, place the ziploc inside a second large ziploc when placing back in freezer.
Store for up to 3 months.
Let cookies defrost to soft when ready to bake – then continue with baking directions in recipe below.
How to Freeze Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough
If you’re making big batches of goodies ahead of an event, it might be easier to just freeze the dough in one big chunk. To freeze dough that hasn’t been formed into cookies, I’m listing my best tips below:
Add dough to a large ziploc bag.
Squish dough down so it lays flat in the bag – it should look like a thick rectangle instead of a thick blob.
Freeze, laying flat, for about 4-5 hours until the shape is firm. At this point you can move it around in your freezer to go wherever if storing this recipe flat isn’t convenient.
When going to bake, let dough fully defrost by storing in refrigerator overnight.
Store up to 3 months.
When baking frozen cookie dough, let it fully defrost, and then continue with baking instructions.
How to Freeze Baked Oatmeal Cookies
If you’ve baked a huge batch of oatmeal cookies and can’t eat them all, you can totally freeze them for later!
How to Freeze Baked Cookies
After baking, allow cookies to cool completely.
Place them in a freezer-safe zip-top storage bag labeled with the name and date.
Some cookies can be frozen as-is, while others may need to be individually wrapped or separated with waxed paper or parchment.
When you want to eat one, take it out and let it sit at room temperature or warm it in the oven for a few minutes.
If you are in a hurry, you can microwave it in 10 second intervals.
Other Easy Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
If you love these cookies you will definitely love Gooey Butter Red Velvet Cake Cookies, Candy Cane Cake Batter Microwave Fudge, Smores Rice Krispie Treats, Hot Cocoa Ice Cream, Danish Dream Cake – Easy Coconut Caramel Cake, and German Chocolate Cake Batter Fudge.
Click here to see all our dessert recipes!
Best Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe
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Best Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup 230g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup 200g packed light or dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup 50g granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon molasses
- 1 and 1/2 cups, 190g all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups 240g old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 cup 140g raisins2
Instructions
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Add eggs and mix on high until combined well.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and molasses and mix on high until combined.
- Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, toss the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together.
- Add to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Beat in the oats, raisins, and walnuts (if using) on low speed.
- Dough will be very sticky and thick.
- Chill the dough for 30-60 minutes in the refrigerator – if freezing dough, go ahead and use my tips above for perfectly frozen cookie dough.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Roll balls of dough (about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie) and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes until slightly browned on the sides.
- The centers will look very soft and undone. Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Cookies will continue to set on wire rack – for best results, let them cool completely.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m not a fan of molasses. Is there something else I might use in its place?
You can use maple syrup or honey as a substitute, I prefer maple syrup but its up to you 🙂