Soft, chewy, and perfectly moist. That's the definition of a perfect cookie. And would you look at that! You just happened to stumble across the best chewy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe.
Let's get bakin' baby!
Table of Contents
📖 About
Why do chocolate chip cookies get all the glory while everyone else looks down on the oatmeal raisin variety?
Always the bridesmaid and never the bride. But, that's all about to change.
We have decided to put one of our favorite cookie recipes in the spotlight to show you how amazing this combo really is.
The trick? Loading them with raisins and using top-secret spices. Plus, timing it just right so they come out extra chewy. After you try this recipe, we promise you'll never think of oatmeal raisin the same again.
These cookies are fit for any occasion, but we especially love the warm, cozy feeling all the spices give. As we're gearing up for autumn and winter, you'll want to have this recipe on the docket. Oh boy, where has the time gone...
🍲 Key ingredients
- Rolled oats: one of the co-stars in this cookie recipe is none other than rolled oats! This grain is not only full of sweet, nutty flavor, but it's also packed with fiber. In a ½ cup, there is a whopping 4 grams of fiber, most of which is soluble. Eating this type of fiber has been shown to help prevent blood sugar spikes, which means fewer post-meal crashes.
- Raisins: you know what they say, "big things come in small packages." Raisins are a prime example of this. They're sweet, chewy, and fruity-licious. And even though they might look like someone who's spent much too much time in the sun without sunscreen, they actually help keep your skin youthful from the polyphenols they contain.
- Vegan butter: even though this isn't exactly the healthiest ingredient, it's necessary. If you want the chewiest of chewy oatmeal raisin cookie, vegan butter is a must. We prefer the brand Melt Organic over other brands like Earth Balance because it has a way better flavor, especially in baking.
- Spices: the top-secret (okay, not so top-secret) spices we use in this recipe are cinnamon, all-spice, and cloves. Oh man, you have not had oatmeal raisin cookies until you try them with this flavor combo. If you need something to warm you up on a cool autumn day, these spices are just what the doctor ordered.
🔪 Instructions
To begin, you'll soak your raisins in some hot water while you gather the other ingredients. Then, start creaming the softened vegan butter and both sugars together using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on. Mix in some vanilla, then grab your dry ingredients.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, all-spice, and salt together in a separate bowl. Once combined, slowly add this mixture to your bowl of wet ingredients (make sure you stay on a low setting to prevent over mixing).
Then, you'll fold in the rolled oats and raisins (remember to drain them) as well. At this point, your dough will be quite sticky, so let it Netflix & chill for 20-30 minutes in your fridge. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and get out two large baking sheets (we never find it necessary to line them for this recipe).
Then, you'll form approximately 1 ½ tablespoon balls with the dough and place a few inches apart on the baking sheets. If you have a cookie scoop, it comes in handy for this part. Once on the baking sheet, slightly flatten each ball of cookie dough, then get them in the oven!
For all the impatient people out there, you only have to wait about 12 minutes for these bad boys to bake (or even less if you like par-baked cookie dough).
Before removing them from the oven, we bang the pan down on the oven rack to flatten the cookies out. While this step is totally optional, it's highly encouraged. After some pan-banging, take the cookies out of your oven and leave them on the baking sheet for 5 more minutes.
While we can understand the difficulty of this last step, it allows the cookies to finish baking. After 5 minutes, taste test a few (for research purposes of course) and transfer the rest to a wire rack to cool completely.
🌡️ Storage
These cookies will keep on the counter in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. They also freeze well and can be stored for up to 3-4 months in a deep freeze.
Just place completely cooled cookies into a freezer-safe bag and squeeze out any excess air. When you're ready to enjoy some more, thaw the cookies at room temperature overnight.
💭 Budget tips
We think everyone should be able to eat better for less, so here are a few tricks to make this recipe even more affordable:
- Use half the amount of raisins
- Use a cheap vanilla extract or if you have to, use artificial
- Skip the vegan butter and use coconut oil or just half and half
- Use all brown sugar instead of coconut sugar
🍴 Tasting notes
Oatmeal raisin cookies never last very long in our house. We have a feeling they'll quickly vanish in your house too. They're:
- Soft
- Tender
- Chewy
- Perfectly spiced
If you try these cookies, please rate them and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!
📋 Recipe
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Equipment
- Hand or stand mixer
- Whisk
- Large and medium mixing bowl
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan butter ($2.32)
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar ($0.48)
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar ($0.21)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract ($0.42)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.16)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ($0.04)
- 1 teaspoon cloves ($0.04)
- 1 teaspoon all-spice ($0.04)
- ½ teaspoon salt ($0.02)
Mix-Ins
- 2 cups rolled oats ($0.38)
- 1 ½ cups raisins ($0.96)
Instructions
- Begin by soaking your raisins in a bowl of hot water for about 10-15 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients. While this step is optional, it will give you the most tender cookies.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on, cream the softened vegan butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Next, mix in the vanilla, then set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, all-spice, and salt together. Slowly add to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Then, fold in the rolled oats and raisins. At this point, your dough will be quite sticky.
- Let your cookie dough chill for 20-30 minutes in the fridge. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350°F and get out two large baking sheets (it's not necessary to line them).
- Roll balls of dough (about 1 ½ tablespoons of dough per cookie) and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. If you have a cookie scoop, it comes in handy for this part. Once on the baking sheet, slightly flatten each ball of cookie dough.
- Bake cookies for 12 minutes at 350°F, or until lightly browned on the edges. Before removing from the oven, lightly bang the pan down on the oven rack to flatten the cookies. Then remove the cookies and leave them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- To achieve the chewiest results, try soaking your raisins in hot water for 10-15 minutes before draining them and folding them into the batter.
- Prep time includes 30 minutes of refrigeration. By chilling the cookie dough, it allows the flavors to set in and helps prevent over-spreading.
- We usually turn the baking sheets at the halfway point to promote even baking of all cookies.
- Don't worry if the cookies look slightly underdone when removing from the oven. They will continue to “set” on the baking sheet as they cool.
Nutrition
♻️ Similar recipes
For more tasty treats, check out our:
- Soft and chewy tahini cookies if you're ready to try an adult kind of nut butter treat
- 5-ingredient cookie dough bites because you can finally eat it raw without the risk of salmonella (thank the lord)
- Homemade snickers bars if you're feeling a little like a chocolate bar but unwrapping plastic is too hard
- Healthy no-bake granola bars for a chewy and nutritious treat designed for people on the go
💬 FAQ
If you don't have access to vegan butter, you can try making these with coconut oil. However, the fat content does vary between sources, which will affect the outcome.
Although we haven't tried making them gluten-free, we're sure they would taste just as great! Just replace the all-purpose flour with your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour.
If your raisins are looking more pellet-like than plump, soak them in a bowl of hot water for about 10-15 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
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