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For a generation of children the Monday morning lunchbox had a cookie wrapped in wax paper at the bottom, and more often than not it was this one. Thick, chewy, a little cinnamon, full of old-fashioned oats and raisins. The raisins got traded away at the lunch table for years. Then those children grew up and found they could not make the cookie without them.
Two things separate a good oatmeal cookie from a flat, crisp disc. The first is old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick oats; they keep their shape and give the chew. The second is a 30-minute chill before baking. Cold dough spreads slowly in the oven, so the cookies stay thick with a soft center and crisp edge. Take them out when the middles still look a little underdone. They finish on the hot pan.
Why this oatmeal raisin cookies works
- Old-fashioned oats. Rolled oats stay distinct and chewy. Quick oats turn to paste and the cookie goes flat and dry.
- A short chill. Thirty minutes in the refrigerator firms the butter, so the cookies rise before they spread.
- Mostly brown sugar. Two parts brown to one part white gives moisture and chew; all white sugar makes them crisp.
- Pulled early. The centers should look slightly raw when they come out. Five minutes on the hot pan sets them without drying them.
Ingredients
Makes about 24 large cookies. US cups with grams in brackets.
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, 226g), softened
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar (200g)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (190g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (270g)
- 1 cup raisins (150g)
For plump raisins instead of hard little ones, cover them with hot water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry before they go into the dough.
How to make oatmeal raisin cookies
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together in a separate bowl, then stir into the butter mixture just until combined.
- Stir in the oats and the raisins. The dough will be thick and sticky.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes (up to 24 hours). Meanwhile heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Scoop the dough in generous 2-tablespoon mounds (a large cookie scoop is ideal) and place them 2 inches apart on the sheets. Do not flatten.
- Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, one sheet at a time, until the edges are golden and set and the centers still look soft and slightly underdone.
- Leave the cookies on the hot pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack to cool completely.
Tips that make the difference
- Weigh the flour if you can. Too much flour is the most common cause of dry, cakey oatmeal cookies.
- For bakery-style cookies, press a few extra raisins or oats onto the tops before baking.
- Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven. Two sheets at once bake unevenly.
- If the first batch spreads too much, the dough has warmed up. Put the bowl back in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Variations
- Half and half. Use 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup chocolate chips, and everyone at the table is right.
- Oatmeal cranberry. Swap the raisins for dried cranberries and add the zest of an orange.
- Nutty. Add 3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts with the oats.
- Cookie bars. Press the dough into a greased 9x13 pan and bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cut into squares when cool.
Storage and make-ahead
Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. A slice of bread in the container keeps them soft.
The dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen in scooped mounds for 3 months. Bake frozen dough straight from the freezer, adding 2 minutes.
Baked cookies freeze well for 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use quick oats?
You can, but the cookies will be flatter and less chewy. Old-fashioned rolled oats are what give the classic texture. Do not use steel-cut oats; they stay hard.
Why did my oatmeal cookies come out flat?
Usually butter that was too soft or dough that was not chilled. Thirty minutes in the refrigerator solves it. Over-measured sugar or an oven that runs cool can also cause spreading.
Can I make them without raisins?
Of course. Leave them out for plain oatmeal cookies, or replace them with chocolate chips, dried cranberries, chopped dates or nuts, cup for cup.
How do I keep them soft?
Pull them from the oven while the centers still look underdone, and store them airtight with a slice of sandwich bread. The cookies draw moisture from the bread and stay chewy for days.
Wrap one in wax paper and put it at the bottom of a lunchbox. Whoever finds it will know exactly what it means.
Thick and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (The Lunchbox Ones)
Thick, chewy old-fashioned oatmeal raisin cookies with a soft middle and crisp edges, the kind that went into the lunchbox wrapped in wax paper. Old-fashioned oats, a 30-minute chill so they stay thick, and the plumped-raisin trick.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, 226g), softened
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together in a separate bowl, then stir into the butter mixture just until combined.
- Stir in the oats and the raisins. The dough will be thick and sticky.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes (up to 24 hours). Meanwhile heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Scoop the dough in generous 2-tablespoon mounds (a large cookie scoop is ideal) and place them 2 inches apart on the sheets. Do not flatten.
- Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, one sheet at a time, until the edges are golden and set and the centers still look soft and slightly underdone.
- Leave the cookies on the hot pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack to cool completely.
