Cookies, Gemma's Best Recipes

Gemma’s Best-Ever Oatmeal Cookies

4.51 from 1653 votes
The chewiest, tastiest, and easiest oatmeal cookies recipe ever! They're the "Best-Ever" for a reason.
A stack of oatmeal cookies, ready to eat.

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHAT YOU GET: You get, simple, the Best Oatmeal Cookies recipe you’ve ever had. Oats, raisins, brown sugar, and cinnamon give these iconic cookies the chew and spice you know and love. I’ve perfected this recipe so you won’t have to — and it’s made in minutes and entirely by hand.

No cookie you can buy at the store compares to the flavor and chewy texture of a warm homemade Oatmeal cookie. My Best-Ever Oatmeal Cookies recipe makes the tastiest oatmeal cookies, featuring toasty rolled oats, chewy plump raisins, and a sweet cinnamony center. If you’ve ever tried my other Best-Ever recipes, like my Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies, my Best-Ever Brownies, or my Best-Ever Vanilla Mug Cake — you know that I don’t take the title of “Best-Ever” lightly.

Can also even be made in one bowl (if you wish!) by hand and baked in only 10 minutes, these cookies aren’t just my Best-Ever Oatmeal Cookies because of the flavor, but also because of the ease. I don’t know of a better, or more satisfying, cookie!

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The Best Oats

I don’t know about you, but oats are a staple in my cupboard — I use them for everything from homemade oatmeal to my Best-Ever Banana Bread. Don’t use steel-cut, though, stick with rolled oats, and you’ll get the right texture you’re looking for.

How To Make Oatmeal Cookies

Some people like chocolate chips in their oatmeal cookies and some like raisins — this recipe is for the latter, but you can easily swap one for the other if you want! Also, maybe give dried cranberries a shot for an extra punch of tartness.

To make these cookies I combine flour and cinnamon, which give the cookie a lovely hint of warmth and spice. Then, I cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. I add the flour and cinnamon mixture to the fluffy butter and sugar then fold in the oats and raisins.

This one-bowl-wonder perfectly balances flavor and texture, which is really what makes it the Best-Ever Oatmeal Cookies. The oats and raisins are crunchy and chewy while the brown and white sugar adds depth of flavor. All of these components create irresistibly chewy oatmeal raisin cookies.

Are Oatmeal Cookies Good For You?

These cookies have an added bonus: My Best-Ever Oatmeal Cookies are packed with a cup and a half of oats and only 3/4 cup of flour.

Oats are one of my favorite ways of getting in some stick-to-your-ribs nutrition. Oats are full of healthy fiber and keep you fuller longer. Sweet raisins, instead of chocolate chips, means no extra added sugar or fats. The combination of these two ingredients not only gives these chewy cookies their signature flavor but bumps these oatmeal raisin cookies into healthier territory.

Still, everything in moderation!

[ Healthy recipes can be fun, easy, and delicious! Try my Healthy Chocolate Banana Bread too! ]

What Makes A Chewy Cookie

What gives these cookies their extra chew, besides the obvious rolled oats and raisins, is the combination of white and brown sugar. You can find this technique in play in my Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies, too.

When creamed with the butter the white sugar adds crunch to the outside of the cookie as it caramelizes super fast. The brown sugar has more moisture, and that molasses flavor, which when combined with white sugar creates the chewiest bite at the cookie’s center.

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Don’t Miss More Cookie Recipes

And don’t forget to buy my new cookbook, Bigger Bolder Baking Every Dayfor even more cookie recipes!

Watch The Recipe Video!

Best-Ever Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

4.51 from 1653 votes
Chewy, tasty, and healthier than a lot of other options, my Best-Ever Oatmeal Cookies will knock your socks off!
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 16
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Chewy, tasty, and healthier than a lot of other options, my Best-Ever Oatmeal Cookies will knock your socks off!
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 16

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup (3 ¾ oz/105 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (3 oz/85 g) light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups (4 ½ oz/128 g) rolled oats
  • cup (3 ⅓oz/94 g) raisins

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Then line to large cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 
  • In a medium bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl cream together the butter, white and brown sugar. Once light and fluffy add the egg and the vanilla and whip until combined
  • Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix with a spatula until the flour has just absorbed, do not over mix.
  • Lastly, fold in the oats and the raisins. 
  • using a tablespoon measure scoop heaped tablespoons of the cookie dough onto your lined cookie sheet, leaving about 2 inches between the cookies.
  • Bake for about 9-10 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown and slightly risen. Don't be tempted to bake for longer or you will lose the gooey center. 
  • Allow the cookies to cool slightly before transferring onto a wire rack to cool fully. Enjoy!
  • Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. 

Recipe Notes

This dough also freezes really well for up to 3 months. Scoop it and freeze in balls so you can just take them out, defrost, and bake! 🙂
*Don't eat eggs? Use my egg substitute chart for cookies!
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KatBianx
4 years ago

This is one of my fave and go-to recipe. But my son and bestfriend doesn’t like raisins so, I converted it to a Choco-chip Oatmeal Cookies 🙂

The 1st time I used the recipe I followed the ingredients to the tee but found that the 1cup (in total) sugar made it too sweet so, I slashed the white sugar to just 1/4 cup and other times will just use all brown sugar. Now, its perfect either eay 🙂

violet calvert
violet calvert
3 years ago

Genna,
My maiden name was STAFFORD. I live in Lexington, KY. And am 81 yrs old. I love your recipes.

Violet Calvert

Jan Dees
Jan Dees
4 years ago

Best oatmeal cookie recipe that I have ever found. Warning to those who have not made them yet, you can’t stop eating them. Do not overbake. Love your videos. Already bought your book. Your tips let’s me cook like a veteran. Thanks!

Luckygal1
Luckygal1
5 years ago

Wonderful recipe! I threw in some fresh nutmeg and rehydrated my raisins in rum because….well why not, it’s rum! Turned out toothsome oatmeal deliciousness! Thanks!!

Kristine LC
Kristine LC
3 years ago

Thank you Gemma, I have been following your videos for a while but never attempted any baking. Was never bold enough to try. Now during this lockdown, I knew it’s the right time to get bold and try tis irresistible recipe …. so I went out to get the ingredients and raisin oatmeal is one of my favorite. I used mainly brown sugar as we have good brown sugar produced in our country. My family loved it. I am attempting the no yeast bread soon as we can’t find yeast here at this time. Thank you for being an inspiration.… Read more »

Seasonedsusan
Seasonedsusan
4 years ago

I have been using this recipe for years and it is my favourite cookie although I prefer mine crunchy crisp and I always use half dried cranberries and half raisins. Also I double this recipe and almost always reduce the amount of sugar by 25% in just about all recipes and never miss the extra sugar!

Mie
Mie
4 years ago

Hi Gemma,
Can I use whole wheat flour or self raising flour instead of all purpose flour?
I just don’t want to go out and that’s all I have at home right now.
Thank you.

Ania Cuevas
Ania Cuevas
3 years ago

This are really good! Just as she described the y are clearly crispy from the outside and soft form the inside!! 100% recommended! Note: if you don’t like much sugar put less they are quite sugary!

Ika Alifa Suryabrata
Ika Alifa Suryabrata
4 years ago

Hi gemma,
If I want to try just half of this recipe, is it okay to use a half of beaten egg?

Helen
Helen
3 years ago

Fantastic recipe thanks, the cookies turned out beautifully and are a big hit here. We are currently in lockdown here in New Zealand and it was great to have such a successful bake.

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About Us

Meet Gemma

About Us

Meet Gemma

Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, a cookbook author, and the creator of Bigger Bolder Baking. I want to help you bake with confidence anytime, anywhere with my trusted and tested recipes and baking tips. You may have seen one of my 500+ videos on YouTube & TikTok or as a guest judge on Nailed It! on Netflix or the Best Baker in America on Food Network. No matter your skills, my Bold Baking Team & I want to be your #1 go-to baking authority.

 

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