Bakery Style Bakery Style Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (No Chill Cookie Recipe)

Name: Bakery Style Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (285 g) (spooned and leveled); 2 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats (200 g) (spooned and leveled); 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp salt (decrease to 1/2 tsp if using salted butter); 1 tsp cinnamon; 1 cup unsalted butter (softened); 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar; 4 tsp molasses; 2 large eggs; 2 tbsp whole milk; 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste; 2.5 cups raisins

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These bakery style oatmeal raisin cookies are crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Plus, they’re super easy and quick to make since you don’t need to chill the dough. Just mix and bake, that’s it!

three stacked oatmeal raisin cookies on parchment.

Oatmeal raisin cookies are such a classic cookie-and for good reason! These bakery-style oatmeal cookies are packed with raisins and a hint of cinnamon.

Best of all, they’re unlike these bakery-style chocolate chip cookies, this recipe is ready in about 30 minutes, making them perfect for a quick treat or a last-minute bake sale contribution.

Why You’ll Love Them:

Delicious : We skip the brown sugar for all granulated sugar and molasses, creating a unique sweetness that highlights the natural flavors of the oats and raisins. The result? Thick, chewy cookies with crispy edges that rival any bakery cookie.
Quick and easy: No chilling means you can go from thinking about these cookies to eating these cookies in under an hour! Perfect for last-minute cravings or whipping up a batch for unexpected guests.
Versatile: You can easily substitute part of the raisins for nuts, or use dried cranberries or cherries for a fun variation.

Ingredients

Old-Fashioned Oats: I recommend using old-fashioned oats as they give the cookie a great chewy texture. But, you can definitely use quick oats if that is what you have and/or prefer.
Butter: This recipe uses unsalted butter. You can use salted, just decrease the salt in the recipe by ¼ tsp.
Molasses: This is the secret ingredient! Rather than using brown sugar, this recipe calls for using all granulated sugar and molasses, essentially making our own brown sugar.
Raisins: I prefer to use a mix of golden raisins and traditional raisins, but you can use whatever you like. Or try substituting dried cherries or cranberries for a fun variation.

Rolled Oats versus quick oats

For oatmeal cookies, I seriously believe this is 100% a matter of preference! Some people swear by rolled oats and others say quick oats.

The difference between quick oats and rolled outs is that quick oats are rolled out that have been rolled thinner and chopped into finer pieces. That’s it. You can actually make your own quick oats by using a food process to chop them up a bit.

If you’re looking for that traditional oatmeal cookie texture, rolled oats are the way to go. and what I personally prefer. But, if you’re looking for that oatmeal flavor with a more subtle cookie texture, you can use quick oats or a mix of quick and rolled oats. No matter which you use, they’ll still be delicious – promise!

baked oatmeal raisin cookies on parchment.

How to Make

Just like these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, these are a super simple and straightforward cookie recipe that can be prepped in less than 15 minutes!

Step 1: Prep

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Preheat oven to 350℉.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Whisk Together the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Step 2: Make Cookie Dough

Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a standing mixer or a hand-held mixer with a large bowl, beat the butter on medium to medium high, about 2-3 minutes. You want it to be a pale yellow and very creamy. Add sugar and beat another 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Add Wet Ingredients One at a Time: Add the molasses and mix until fully incorporated, again scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, allowing each egg to incorporate before adding the next. Add the vanilla extract and milk and mix until incorporated. At this point the dough might look a bit watery and curdled. That’s totally fine it will firm up once you add the flour mixture.

Add Oat/Flour Mixture: Add the flour/oat mixture and mix on low until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure the dough is fully mixed and all the flour and oats have been incorporated.

Add Raisins: Using a spatula, gently fold in the raisins.

Step 3: Bake

Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, add balls of 2-3 tablespoons of dough to the prepared baking sheet, leaving around 2 inches between each cookie.

Place the baking tray in the preheated oven and bake 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden brown.

When the cookies are done, remove from oven, let cool, and enjoy!

holding a oatmeal raisin cookie over a baking sheet.

Tips and tricks

Make sure all your ingredients, particularly your butter and eggs, are at room temperature.
Measure out the flour using the spoon and swipe method of spooning the flour into the measure cups and swiping the excess off the top with a knife. This ensures you do not overfill the measuring cups with flour. If you dip the measuring cup directly into the flour, it packs down and you will add too much flour to your recipe.
If you want a thinner cookie, you can press the cookies down with the bottom of a glass before baking.
A small ice cream scoop makes scooping the cookie dough on pan super easy and creates even sized cookies!

Fun Variations

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies With Nuts: Substitute half of the raisins for your favorite nuts, such as chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans.
Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies: Use dried cranberries in place of the raisins. You an also use dried cherries, or a mix of both or all three!
Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies: Replace half of the raisins with your favorite chocolate chips.

FAQ

Can I substitute brown sugar for the granulated sugar and molasses?

Yes, you can! Substitute 1 cup of the granulated sugar, with packed light brown sugar. However, the flavor profile will be slightly different, with a more pronounced caramel taste.

My cookies spread too much! What went wrong?

Several factors could contribute to spreading cookies. Ensure your butter is softened but not melted, and avoid over-mixing the dough. Chilling the dough for 30 minutes before baking can also help prevent spreading.

How do I get perfectly round cookies?

My favorite way to get perfectly round, picture perfect cookies is the cookie cutter hack of turning cookies to perfect circles. You can also use a heat safe bowl or large cup.

Can I freeze these cookies/cookie dough?

Yes, the baked and cooled cookies can be frozen up to a month and the unbaked cookie dough can be frozen in balls up to a month. Just bake a few minutes longer until done.

Storing and freezing OATMEAL Raisin COOKIES

These will last up to a week in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also freeze the cookies for up to a month.

To freeze dough or baked cookies – place baked cookies or the ball of dough (leaving room around each cookie so they don’t stick together) on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze until hard, about an hour. Then, add to a freezer ziplock bag to store until ready to bake or eat.

For dough, you can bake the cookie dough frozen. Just bake an extra 2-5 minutes until done. For baked cookies, let defrost at room temperature before serving.