BEST OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies that truly are the BEST EVER! Oatmeal, raisins, pudding mix & spices combine in most delicious, soft & chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies you’ve ever tasted.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are one of those classic cookies that everyone enjoys. I have to admit, I’ve always liked them, but never loved them until I tried this recipe. Seriously! If you doubt me, you just have to make them because I’ve won many, many individuals over with these.

These Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are not hard and crumbly- they’re soft & chewy with the most amazing flavor from the pudding mix and spices. I bake a batch and watch them disappear– they’re that good.

How to make the BEST Oatmeal Raisin Cookies ever:

• Make sure you start with plump, juicy raisins. I like to add 1/4 cup of water to mine, cover and microwave for 1 minute. Drain the water and proceed with the recipe.
• I’m telling you, the spices in this recipe are incredible! If you are concerned, then halve them, but please don’t leave them out. Also, if you don’t have Allspice, you can increase the cinnamon to 1 3/4 tsp and then add 1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves.
• Don’t leave out the pudding mix either. It helps the cookies have a lovely soft, chewy texture and adds nice flavor.
• Quick cooking or Old Fashioned Oats? I’m a big fan of using whatever you have on hand. I’ve used both and I prefer quick cooking since they yield a softer cookie, but both truly are wonderful.
• Have an aversion to raisins? Weird. You’re welcome to use 1.5 cups of chocolate chips instead. If you still want to use raisins but aren’t thrilled about them, try chopping them up beforehand so that you have smaller pieces in the recipe. They still add flavor and moistness, but aren’t as obvious.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Ingredients

— FATS: We use both 1/2 cup butter (that’s been softened) and 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening for these cookies. The two combined lend for great flavor, light cookies with crisp edges.

— SUGAR: You’ll need 1 cup packed light brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar to add the perfect sweetness to the dough.

— EGGS: Adding 2 eggs to the dough helps bind the ingredients together.

— VANILLA: Adding just 1 teaspoon vanilla extract helps enhance the sweet flavors in the cookie dough.

— PUDDING MIX: Adding 1 small box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix helps keep the cookies soft and chewy while adding in extra flavor.

— DRY INGREDIENTS: We add 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the cookie dough.

— SPICES: Adding 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon allspice add delicious flavor to the cookies.

— OATS: You’ll need 3 cups rolled oats for these cookies. You can use either old fashioned or quick cook oats; however using quick cook oats lends to a softer cookie.

— RAISINS: We add 1 cup raisins to the cookies. I like to soak my raisins in some hot water to plump them up a bit before adding to the cookie dough.

How do you make homemade oatmeal raisin cookies?

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Add in pudding mix and stir again. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt; stir into the sugar mixture.

Stir in the oats and raisins just until incorporated.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake 9-11 minutes until light and golden. Do not over bake! Enjoy!

How long should I let these cookies cool?

Cookies are best left to cool on the baking sheet they’re cooked on for 3-4 minutes, then you can transfer them to a cooling rack to cool further. This way, they don’t fall apart as cookies are pretty soft still when they’re pulled out of the oven. After a couple minutes on a cooling rack, cooking are usually cool enough to eat! Warm cookies are the best!

Why do I need quick oats?

As you may have already noticed or guessed, there is a big difference between quick-cooking oats and regular oats. Quick-cooking oats will produce a softer texture while still giving you a chewy cookie while whole oats like steel cut will produce a very chewy cookie with a firmer texture. This is because the quick cook oats have been processed more so they can absorb more liquids and act as a binder too.

What is the scoop and level method?

The scoop and level method is also sometimes referred to as the “spoon and level method” because you are scooping flour from the container or bag, usually with a spoon, and then placing it into the dry measuring cup. After the cup has been filled a straight edge (like a butter knife) is then run over the top of the cup to make sure that the flour is level with the top of the cup.

Why did my cookies spread?

If your cookies spread too much while baking, it was most likely a direct result of the dough being too warm. If it’s hot in the kitchen or your butter is too soft, your dough will become warm fairly quickly. You can fix this easily by just popping the dough into the freezer for about 30 minutes to an hour or so before you continue to bake the cookies as directed.

I tried to get A to eat some peas. It didn’t work. {Sigh} Apparently smashing them is super fun though!

Enjoy more of our favorite Oatmeal cookies:

• MICROWAVE OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
• CHOCOLATE OATMEAL CREAM PIES
• GLAZED POMEGRANATE OATMEAL COOKIES
• BANANA OATMEAL NO BAKE COOKIES
• OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP BARS
• OATMEAL BUTTERSCOTCH COOKIES
• APPLE CINNAMON OATMEAL COOKIES
• OATMEAL CRAISIN COOKIES
• OATMEAL BANANA BREAKFAST COOKIES
• LEMON OATMEAL NO BAKE COOKIES
• PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL M&M COOKIES
• COCONUT OATMEAL COOKIES
• CHOCOLATE CHIP COCONUT OATMEAL COOKIES