Dessert • Holiday

Oatmeal Cookies

Name: Oatmeal Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 30 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter, softened; 1 cup packed brown sugar; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 2 large eggs, room temperature; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 1.5 cups all-purpose flour; 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp salt, combined; 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats; 1 cup raisins

Chewy oatmeal raisin cookies with cinnamon and brown sugar, baked golden for holiday trays and lunchboxes.

Updated: Oct 6, 2026

⏱ 35 mintotal

30servings

120 kcalper serving

Easylevel

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Why you'll like it

Ready in about 35 min.
Serves 30 — easy to halve or double.
Easy level — everyday equipment only.
Storage, freezing and reheating covered below.

Oatmeal Cookies takes about 35 min and serves 30. Oatmeal Cookies are a holiday cookie-tray staple across the USA, chewy and cinnamon-scented with hearty oat texture and sweet raisins.

Helpful guides

Instructions

Step 1

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment. Measure the oats and flour accurately, since extra oats stiffen dough and extra flour dulls chew. Soften butter until it dents easily but still holds shape; melted butter causes flat greasy cookies.

Step 2

Beat the butter with both sugars on medium speed two to three minutes until pale and fluffy. Proper creaming traps air that keeps centers tender while edges crisp. Add the eggs one at a time with the vanilla, beating well after each until the mixture looks smooth and light.

Step 3

Stir the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together, then add to the creamed mixture on low speed just until no streaks remain. Overmixing at this stage develops gluten and makes cookies hard instead of chewy. The dough will look thick and slightly sticky, which is correct.

Step 4

Fold in the oats and raisins with a sturdy spatula until evenly distributed throughout the dough. Every scoop should contain oats and several raisins for consistent texture. If the dough feels warm and slack, chill the bowl fifteen minutes so scoops hold their shape on the sheet.

Step 5

Scoop two-tablespoon mounds two inches apart on the prepared sheets. Flatten each mound slightly with damp fingers so centers bake through evenly. Bake one sheet at a time eight to twelve minutes, until edges look golden and centers appear just set but still soft.

Step 6

Cool the cookies on the baking sheet five minutes so centers finish setting from residual heat. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before stacking, since warm cookies crush and stick. Repeat with remaining dough, letting sheets cool between batches for even spreading.

Troubleshooting — fixes, not repeats

If cookies spread flat and thin, the butter melted or the sheets were hot. Use softened, not melted, butter, chill warm dough fifteen minutes, and cool sheets between batches. Check that baking soda is fresh, since dead leavening also flattens spread unevenly.
If cookies bake hard and crunchy, they overbaked or flour ran heavy. Pull them when centers still look soft, spoon flour into cups without packing, and cool on the sheet only five minutes before moving to a rack to stop carryover heat.
If raisins taste burnt or bitter, they sat exposed on dough surfaces at high heat. Fold fruit fully into the dough so oats shield most pieces, and soak very dry raisins in hot water ten minutes, then pat dry before mixing.
If batches bake unevenly, the oven has hot spots or sheets are overcrowded. Bake one sheet on the middle rack at a time, rotate halfway through, and keep mounds evenly sized with a two-tablespoon scoop for matched timing.

Make it your way

Spicier version: Add one half cup of chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch, or one half teaspoon of nutmeg alongside cinnamon for deeper spice.
For chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, swap the raisins for one cup of semisweet chips with the same method.
Press a few extra raisins onto each mound before baking for bakery-style tops.
For bars, press dough into a nine-by-thirteen-inch pan and bake twenty to twenty-five minutes.

Storage & reheating

Cool leftovers within 2 hours, then refrigerate in a covered container and use within 3 to 4 days. Reheat only the portion you will eat until steaming hot throughout — poultry and reheated rice should reach 165°F (74°C).

Freeze baked cookies in freezer bags up to three months; thaw at room temperature one hour.

Freeze scooped dough balls up to three months and bake from frozen, adding two minutes.

FAQ

Should I use quick oats or old-fashioned oats?
Old-fashioned rolled oats give the classic chewy texture with visible flakes in this recipe. Quick oats absorb faster and make softer, cakier cookies that spread less. Do not use steel-cut oats, which stay hard and never soften properly during a short bake.

Do I need to chill the dough?
Chilling is optional unless your kitchen is warm or the dough feels slack. Fifteen to thirty minutes firms the butter for thicker cookies with less spread. If you chill longer than one hour, let scoops warm ten minutes so centers bake through evenly.

Can I freeze oatmeal cookie dough?
Yes. Scoop mounds onto a tray, freeze solid, then bag them for up to three months. Bake from frozen at 350 degrees, adding about two minutes to the usual time. This method lets you bake fresh small batches whenever company arrives.