Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Why These Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Work

Quick oats are the right oats. They are thinner and cut smaller than old-fashioned oats, so they absorb the moisture in the dough and bake up soft and chewy. Old-fashioned oats leave you with a coarser, drier cookie. Steel cut oats are a no. They never soften enough and the cookies turn hard.

Molasses is the secret ingredient. Just one tablespoon. It deepens the flavor and works with the brown sugar to keep the cookies chewy. It is the difference between a plain oatmeal cookie and one that tastes like something.

Room temperature butter matters. If the butter is melted, the dough spreads and the cookies come out flat and greasy. Room temperature butter creams into the sugars and holds air, which gives the cookies lift. If your butter is warmer than room temperature, chill the dough for 30 minutes. Do not chill longer. The oats will soak up too much and the cookies turn dry.

A two-step bake makes the texture. Bake for ten minutes, then gently press the centers down with the back of a wooden spoon, and bake three more minutes. That press flattens the middle so the center bakes through at the same time as the edges. You get a cookie that is set but still soft in the middle with crisp edges.

Soak the raisins for plump pockets. Ten minutes in warm water or juice plumps them up so they stay soft and juicy inside the cookie instead of shriveling. Drain them well before stirring in.

How to Make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
2. Beat the room temperature butter with the granulated sugar and light brown sugar until creamy.
3. Add the egg, vanilla, and molasses. Beat until combined.
4. Sprinkle in the baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Spoon in the flour and beat on low until combined.
5. Add the quick oats and beat until well combined. Stir in the raisins.
6. Use a cookie scoop or roll one and a half tablespoons of dough into a ball. Place the dough balls two inches apart on the prepared sheets.
7. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and use the back of a wooden spoon to gently press down on the centers. Bake for 3 more minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Quick Tips

• Use room temperature butter. Melted butter makes flat cookies.
• Do not chill longer than 30 minutes or the oats turn the cookies dry.
• Soak the raisins for 10 minutes to plump them up.
• Press the centers after 10 minutes. This is what makes the center soft.
• Spoon and level the flour. Packed flour makes dense cookies.
• If you only have melted butter, chill the dough for 30 minutes first.

Make Ahead and Storage

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They stay soft thanks to the molasses.

The dough freezes for up to 3 months. Pre-scoop and roll the dough into balls, chill them, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen and add a few minutes to the baking time.