Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (whole wheat!)

I love babies, and I love bringing a meal to new moms and dads. Along with that meal, I always bring cookies, but I do it with a twist. I bring some cookies that are baked and ready to eat, and I also bring frozen cookie dough balls (with baking instructions).

The fantastic thing about frozen cookie dough balls is that new moms can pop them in the oven when they get unexpected visitors. The visitors arrive, a half dozen cookie dough balls are popped into the oven (or toaster oven!), the house smells like freshly baked cookies, and everyone can enjoy a warm cookie fresh out of the oven.

Do you like to spread love through special care packages like homemade oatmeal raisin cookies? Psychologists have found that baking for others makes the baker feel as good, if not better, than the recipient. Sounds like a win-win to me!

The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

A satisfying cookie. These oatmeal raisin cookies are quite hearty. They have lots of good-for-you rolled oats (3 cups!) and are made with whole wheat flour. Chewy raisins add sweetness and flavor, along with fiber, iron, and antioxidants.

Warm spices. To make these cookies stand out a bit, I add a few extra spices. You’ll enjoy plenty of cinnamon in these cookies; nutmeg, ginger, and cloves enhance the flavor even more. The cookies smell just incredible when they are baking.

No chilling necessary. It’s really your choice whether to chill the dough before baking the cookies. I’ve tried this recipe both ways and I’d say that there’s no discernible difference. If it’s more convenient for you to make the dough ahead of time and chill it, go for it.

Ingredient Notes

The list of ingredients may look a little long but most of them are pantry items that are easy to measure and add.

• Rolled Oats: The star of these oatmeal cookies is rolled oats! You’ll need three cups of oats, either old-fashioned rolled oats or thick-cut rolled oats. You can use quick oats but the cookies won’t be quite as chewy. Do not use instant oats or steel cut oats.
• Whole Wheat Flour: Made from the whole grain, whole wheat flour has more flavor and texture than white flour. It also has more fiber and nutrition. I almost always use at least half whole wheat flour in my cookies. My family is used to it and they don’t notice the difference. All-purpose flour can certainly be substituted if you prefer.
• Raisins: Although raisins are high in sugar, they have lots of nutrition, too. These cookies just wouldn’t be the same without them. Use regular or golden raisins.
• Butter: Use unsalted butter for baking and make sure it’s at room temperature (softened) before making your cookie dough.
• Brown Sugar/White Sugar: Use a combination of these two sugars for the best tasting cookies. Brown sugar adds a caramel-like flavor.
• Eggs: Eggs are a pretty common ingredient in cookies, except for shortbread cookies.
• Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, Ginger: You’ll love the flavor these warm spices bestow to the cookies. I like to use freshly grated nutmeg for the best flavor.
• Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt: These common cookie ingredients provide leavening and seasoning.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Again, an ingredient often found in cookies, pure vanilla extract gives the cookies another layer of deliciousness.

How To Make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

You’ll need a large mixing bowl to make these cookies. This is a one bowl recipe so cleanup is minimal.

Cream butter and sugar. Start by creaming the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together. Use a stand mixer, hand mixer, or do it by hand. The mixture should be smooth and creamy, totally blended together. It’s important to soften your butter first; chilled butter is nearly impossible to work with.

Blend in the eggs and vanilla extract.

Add dry ingredients to the bowl. Next, measure out the flour. Spoon it lightly into the measuring cup. If you scoop the flour with the measuring cup, the flour will be too compacted and you’ll end up with hard cookies. Don’t shake the flour down to level it either; it’s best to level it with a straight edge such as a table knife.

Add the flour on top of the butter mixture; don’t mix it in yet. Measure out the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the ground spices, putting them on top of the flour. Once all the dry ingredients are in the bowl, lightly blend them together using your fingertips or a spoon.

Blend together. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture just until they are blended together. I usually do this by hand because overmixing the dough may cause the cookies to become tough.

Add oats and raisin. Measure out the rolled oats and raisins, add them to the dough and fold them in until they are distributed evenly throughout the dough.

Shape cookies. Use a cookie scoop (size 40) to make uniformly sized balls, about one and a half tablespoons. A spoon is fine, too, but you may have to shape the cookies a bit.

Arrange the dough balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake. Bake the cookies until they are just golden brown around the edges. The longer you bake them, the crisper they will be.

Cool. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet a couple of minutes; then use a large spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

You’ll probably want to try a warm cookie! They are hard to resist. Pour a glass of cold milk or make a cup of coffee or tea to go along with your warm oatmeal raisin cookie. Enjoy!

Recipe Variations

• Use a different dried fruit. Try jumbo raisins, dried cherries, or dried cranberries.
• Add a hint of citrus. Change the flavor of the cookies by substituting 1 tablespoon of finely grated orange peel for the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
• Add nuts. Add ⅓ cup (or more if you like) chopped pecans or walnuts to the dough.
• Use regular flour, not whole wheat. Substitute all-purpose flour for the whole wheat flour, if you prefer.
• More oatmeal cookie recipes: Try coconut oatmeal cookies or old fashioned iced oatmeal cookies.

Make-Ahead Ideas

If you don’t have time to bake the cookies right away, the dough can be covered tightly and refrigerated up to a day ahead or frozen up for up to three months.

To freeze cookie dough, scoop it out onto a tray (find one that fits in your freezer) lined with parchment paper, wax paper, foil, or plastic wrap. Freezing the dough on a tray first prevents the dough balls from squishing or sticking together.

Place the tray in the freezer, uncovered, until the dough hardens, about an hour. Transfer the dough balls into a zip-top bag or other freezer safe container. Label it with the name of the recipe and baking directions, if it’s a gift.

Storage Tips

Cool the baked cookies completely before storing in an airtight container. Cookies will keep on the counter for up to a week, in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, or in the freezer for at least a month.