Soft and delicious Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. I grew up eating these and still love them to this day.
To Make These Oatmeal Raisin Cookies You Will Need:
- raisins
- water
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- salt
- cinnamon
- baking powder
- ground cloves
- shortening
- granulated sugar
- brown sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- rolled oats
- chopped pecans
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups & spoons
- mixer
- cookie dough scoop
- baking sheet or baking stone
- parchment paper
I grew up eating these cookies. My mom made these all through my childhood and I made them for my kids as they grew up. They’ve always been a favorite and don’t last long in the kitchen.
Watch Me Make These Cookies:
In the video, I mentioned a store in Alaska that I used to shop at that carries ulu knives (and many other great things.) It is the Great Alaskan Bowl Company.
These oatmeal raisin cookies are nice and soft. I bake them on a baking stone that is lined with parchment paper.
Using the parchment paper, allows me to have a sheet of cookies ready for the oven, while the other sheet is baking. Then, when the first is done, I can slide the sheet and cookies onto a rack, and slide the next one right in.
If you bake these directly on a cookie sheet, you’ll need to lightly grease the pan. You will also need to let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes on the pan, before you can remove them to a cooling rack.
The parchment paper method makes baking any cookies quick and easy. There’s almost no down time in between the sheets of cookies and all of them get baked in a timely manner. And of course, that means your oven doesn’t have to be on as long and less time in the kitchen for you.
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Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 c raisins
- 1 c water
- 2 ½ c flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3/4 c shortening
- 1 c granulated sugar
- 1/2 c brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 c rolled oats
- 2/3 c chopped pecans
Instructions
- To begin, combine the raisins and water in a small saucepan. Simmer them over very low heat for 20 minutes, then remove from heat and let them cool.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves in a small bowl.
- In your mixing bowl, combine the sugars, eggs, vanilla, and shortening. Beat those together until creamy and airy.
- Drain the raisins and reserve the liquid in a measuring cup. Add water, if needed, to make 1/2 cup of liquid. Add the liquid to the sugar mixture.
- Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the raisins, oats, and pecans.
- Scoop by rounded tablespoons onto a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper, or lightly spritzed with cooking spray. Give them plenty of room (I only bake 9 at a time.)
- Bake 9-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
- If you are baking the cookies directly on the baking sheet, cool the cookies for 5 minutes, then remove them to a baking rack to finish cooling.
- If you are baking the cookies on parchment paper, you can slide the paper and cookies right onto a cooling rack without having to wait for the cookies cool. Use a second sheet of paper to bake the next pan of cookies right away.
- Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
- Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
If nutritional values are provided for this recipe, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands of ingredients you use. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste or for serving. If nutritional values are very important to you, I suggest using your favorite nutritional calculating tool with the brands you use.
Love the way the raisins were prepped. Same way my Grammy made hers.
Would butter work as well as shortening??
Using butter instead of shortening is an option, however the cookies will spread out and become thinner.
Looks delicious and simple. Im going to blame you if I finish the whole box after I make it :)
Can't go wrong with traditional oatmeal raisin cookies!
These looks sooo good. I love Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with a good cup of coffee… just heaven.
Great photos Constance! These are a favorite in our house! I'll try your version next!
I love everything about it, especially since you reconstitute the raisins!
Yum x 1000. My problem with oatmeal cookies is that I eat them all day. Your's look amazing!
I love good ol fashion oatmeal cookies! I want some now!
My husband doesn't think it's Christmas unless he gets his oatmeal raisin cookies. Your version looks yummy!
Yum! I love oatmeal raisin! And your pictures are fabulous.
You absolutely cannot go wrong with a classic like this!!! They look SCRUMPTIOUS!
Brings back great memories of home ec!
I cannot wait to try this recipe! I LOVE the idea of boiling the raisins.
Your oatmeal cookies look wonderful. I have made a million kinds of cookies, and yet my oatmeal cookies never turn out quite right.
Nothing like a good old fashioned oatmeal cookie! Love how you plump up those raisins first!
I'll admit that I'm a sucker for oatmeal cookies. And they seem almost healthy, right?
There's just something so comforting about a good ol' fashioned oatmeal cookie. I could eat that whole tray!
I love a good Oatmeal Cookie! Smart minds think a like!
Very tasty! I love a good oatmeal raisin.
I was SO going to say I would want to soak the raisins in rum… or perhaps apple juice :-) You know…for the kids. I'm adding this to my cookie collection :-) Lovely Photos, Constancee!
Beautiful cookies, Constance! I love healthy Oatmeal cookies (lol – I always claim that they're healthy because of the oatmeal, nuts and fruit. I won't have anyone convince me otherwise!).
These sound amazing, and they are dairyfree :) – Could you soak the raisins in rum instead of water? ~ Bea @ Galactosemia in Portland
Bea, yes – you absolutely can soak them in rum instead of water! But you do need the water for the cookie dough.
Great recipe and pictures!! Love what you do with the raisins and then use the water. Clever for more flavor!!
Oh, how I love oatmeal cookies…and the dough (blush)! Yours look divine! Happy #SundaySupper!
Liz, I am VERY guilty of indulging in the dough :D
So chunky – yum! Great cookies
Mmm, these look so good. I love that you plumped the raisins up and used the raisin liquid in the batter. Yum!
Classic oatmeal cookie is ALWAYS the first to go off the cookie plate!
Mmmmm, I adore oatmeal cookies. I haven't had them in forever! I need to change that!
Oatmeal Raisin cookies just smell like Christmas. I like how you soak the raisins before adding them-great idea!
First time I've seen a cookie recipe where you soak the raisins. I am so intrigued and imagining how the raisin water adds another level of flavor to the cookies. I gotta try this one.
My mom used to make oatmeal raisin cookies! I haven't had them in years. Your cookies look soft and chewy just like I like them!
Arlene, this is the recipe that I grew up with my mom making. I made a couple slight alterations – but they remain one of my all-time favorite cookies!
I have a similar recipe but instead of soaking the rasins in water I soak them in rum. :)
I love oats and soaking the raisins is the best way to plump them up. Great recipe!
You can almost taste the wholesome goodness in your amazing photos, Constance. Looking forward to baking up a batch.
Thank you! Yes, they are very wholesome and yummy – I am guilty of eating them for breakfast with my coffee sometimes :)