Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
These thick and chewy Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies have buttery caramelized edges and a balance of sweet raisins and bittersweet chocolate in every bite. You’ll want to pack them in your kid’s lunches, enjoy them with a glass of milk for an afternoon snack, or take them to your next bake sale!
Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
My favorite dessert will always be a big chocolate chunk cookie, but these oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies have recently made a compelling case for the top spot.
I like to think of these as a more grown-up take on classic chocolate chip cookies. The flavor is unexpectedly complex, deeper and more nuanced than the typically straightforward oatmeal raisin cookie. Coffee soaked raisins and a hit of espresso powder give these a depth that leaves everyone (especially me!) coming back for more.
The play of sweet juicy raisins and semisweet chocolate is the best part about the recipe, and it was also the trickiest part to get right in testing. The chocolate can easily overpower the raisins, so I scaled it back and used semi-sweet instead of dark chocolate so both flavors could shine.
The result is a surprisingly sophisticated cookie, that belongs everywhere from a lunchbox to a holiday cookie tray.
Courtney
Key Ingredients
- Old fashioned rolled oats: Stick with old fashioned oats rather than quick oats. The thicker flake holds its shape and gives the cookies the best chewy texture.
- Raisins- Use fresh, plump raisins; both regular and golden raisins work really well here.
- Coffee: A quick soak in hot coffee plumps the raisins and keeps them soft and juicy once baked. I often use whatever coffee is left from the morning’s pot. If you don’t feel like making coffee just for this recipe, swap it for hot water, orange juice, or even bourbon!
- Espresso powder: Just a teaspoon deepens the flavor of the brown sugar and chocolate without making the cookies taste like coffee. It is optional, but I highly recommend it.
- Brown sugar: Using more brown sugar than white keeps these cookies soft and chewy with a rich, caramelized flavor.
- Semi sweet chocolate chips: My go to for a balanced sweetness that plays well with the raisins. Feel free to swap in dark or milk chocolate chips depending on your preference.
- Cinnamon: A half teaspoon adds warmth and rounds out the flavor of the oats and brown sugar.
How to Make Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 1: Soak the raisins. In a bowl, soak the raisins in hot coffee for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, then blot dry with a paper towel.
Step 2: Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, espresso powder, and cinnamon.
Step 3: Combine wet ingredients. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until creamy and a bit lighter in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
Step 4: Add dry ingredients and chill. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and beat on low speed until combined. Add the drained raisins along with the chocolate chips and beat on low until well distributed. Cover the dough and place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Step 6: Bake the cookies. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Scoop 2 tablespoon portions of dough onto the prepared pans and bake for 10 to 13 minutes, rotating the pans and shuffling top to bottom midway through. Pull them out when the outside is browned but the inside still looks light, puffed, and soft. Top with additional chocolate chips, if desired. Allow the cookies to set up on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
PRO TIP: This 2 tablespoon cookie scoop is the exact size I use for this recipe. Go slightly smaller for a dainty cookie, or size up if you want a big bakery style cookie, just remember to adjust your bake time accordingly.
Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions
- Make ahead: The cookie dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored, covered, in the fridge. You can also portion the dough into balls and freeze on a sheet pan, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 extra minutes to the bake time. Read all about freezing cookies here.
- Leftovers: Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely, then store in a freezer safe bag or container. Place parchment between layers if stacking. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Tips for the Best Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Do: Chill the dough. This is the step people are most tempted to skip, but the chilling time develops flavor and ensures the cookies don’t spread too thin.
- Do: Use old fashioned oats. Quick oats will give you a softer, flatter cookie with less of that toothsome texture that makes oatmeal cookies so irresistible!
- Don’t: Overbake. Pull the cookies out when the centers still look a little underdone. They will finish setting up as they cool on the pan.
- Do: Use the glass trick to get perfectly round cookies. Right after the cookies come out of the oven, place a large upside down glass or round cookie cutter over each one and gently spin it a few times to give you uniform, thick cookies.
- Do: Swap the mix-ins. Dried cranberries or cherries work beautifully in place of raisins, and chopped walnuts or pecans add a nice crunch alongside the chocolate chips.
- Do: Skip the coffee soak if you are short on time. The raisins will not be quite as plump, but the cookies will still taste great. Just leave out the espresso powder too if you want a more traditional oatmeal raisin flavor.
FAQs
Chilling the dough solidifies the butter, which slows down spreading in the oven and helps the cookies bake up thick and chewy instead of thin and crispy. It also gives the oats time to hydrate and deepens the overall flavor.
Old fashioned rolled oats are recommended for the best chewy texture. Quick oats are cut smaller and will absorb liquid faster, resulting in a softer, flatter cookie with less texture.
Soaking the raisins in hot coffee plumps them up and keeps them soft after baking, plus it adds a subtle depth of flavor. If you are short on time, you can skip this step.
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. The cookie dough can also be frozen in portioned balls and baked straight from frozen.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
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- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup hot coffee
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (plus more for topping)
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In a bowl, soak the raisins in hot coffee for 10-15 minutes. Drain, then blot dry with a paper towel.
1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup hot coffee
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Meanwhile, in another medium mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, all purpose flour, baking soda, salt, espresso powder, and cinnamon.
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats, 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon espresso powder, ½ teaspoon cinnamon
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In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy and a bit lighter in color, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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Add the flour mixture to the bowl and beat on low speed until combined. Add the drained raisins along with the chocolate chips. Beat on low speed until well distributed.
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
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Cover the dough with saran wrap, then place in fridge to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two sheet pans with silicone mats or parchment paper. Scoop 2 Tablespoon portions of dough onto the prepared sheet pans, then bake for 10-13 minutes, rotating the pans and shuffling top to bottom midway through. Remove the cookies from the oven when the outside is browned but the inside still looks light in color, puffed, and soft. Top with a few additional chocolate chips, if desired.
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If desired, use a large upside down glass or round cookie cutter to shape the cookies. Place the cutter on top of the cookies and spin it around a few times for a perfect round shape. Dot the warm cookie with extra chocolate chips, if desired. Allow to set up on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- The espresso powder is optional, but we do love the darker, bittersweet flavor it adds. If you want it stronger, feel free to increase up to 2 teaspoons.
- Make ahead: The cookie dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored, covered, in the fridge. You can also portion the dough into balls and freeze on a sheet pan, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 extra minutes to the bake time. Read all about freezing cookies here.
- Leftovers: Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely, then store in a freezer safe bag or container. Place parchment between layers if stacking. Thaw at room temperature before serving
Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 221IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg
