Sandra Ina Garten Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe is an American sweet treat packed with old-fashioned rolled oats and chewy raisins. These golden-brown biscuits feature warm cinnamon and a soft, buttery crumb.
If you do nothing else, let the dough rest in the fridge for at least thirty minutes before baking. That’s the difference between a thick, chewy cookie and a thin, greasy disc that spreads across the entire tray. The oats need that time to soak up the moisture from the eggs and butter so they don’t stay dry and gritty.
The brown sugar is doing more work than you’d think in this batter. Without it, you lose that deep molasses flavour and the soft, bendy texture that makes these better than standard biscuits. I’ve tried a few versions of oatmeal cookies and this one from Ina Garten is the one I keep going back to because it doesn’t skimp on the salt.
Ina Garten Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe Ingredients
- 225g (8oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 200g (7oz) light brown sugar, packed
- 100g (3.5oz) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 225g (8oz) plain flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 270g (9.5oz) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 150g (5oz) raisins
- 60g (2oz) chopped walnuts (optional)
How To Make Ina Garten Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Preheat the oven: Set the rack to the middle position and heat your oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4). Line two large baking tins with greaseproof paper so the biscuits don’t stick.
- Mix dry ingredients: Whisk the plain flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl until the cinnamon is spread evenly. Make sure there are no large clumps of soda left in the mix.
- Cream butter and sugars: Beat the softened butter with both sugars in a large bowl for about three minutes until the mixture looks pale and feels airy. Add the eggs one at a time and then stir in the vanilla extract.
- Combine wet and dry: Tip the flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture and stir gently until you can no longer see white streaks. Do not overmix the batter once the flour is added.
- Add mix-ins: Use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir in the rolled oats, raisins, and walnuts. Stop as soon as the oats are coated in the dough.
- Shape and bake: Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the tins, leaving 5cm (2 inches) of space between each one. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges turn golden brown but the centre still looks slightly wet.
- Cool and serve: Leave the cookies on the hot tin for five minutes to firm up. Move them to a wire rack to cool completely so the bottoms stay crisp.
Recipe Tips
Check your oat type. Use only old-fashioned rolled oats rather than jumbo oats or instant porridge oats to get the specific chewy texture this recipe needs.
Soak the raisins. If your raisins feel hard or dry, let them sit in a bowl of warm water for ten minutes and pat them dry with kitchen roll before adding to the dough.
Room temperature ingredients matter. Take the eggs and butter out of the fridge an hour before you start so the fat emulsifies properly with the liquids.
Watch the timer. Pull the cookies out when they still look underdone in the middle as they will finish cooking from the leftover heat on the baking tin.
Store dough balls. Roll the leftover dough into balls and freeze them on a tray so you can bake a fresh batch whenever you want a hot biscuit.
Use a kitchen scale. Measuring the flour and oats by weight rather than cups prevents the cookies from becoming dry or crumbly.
What To Serve With Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
These biscuits are best served warm with a tall glass of cold full-fat milk or a hot espresso. The cinnamon notes pair especially well with spiced chai tea or a rich hot chocolate.
If you want a more substantial dessert, use two cookies to sandwich a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The salty oats provide a great contrast to the sweet cream.
How To Store Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Fridge
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. Do not keep them in the fridge as the cold air will turn the soft centres hard and stale.
Reheat
Place a cookie in a 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4) oven for three minutes to bring back the buttery aroma. Use a microwave for ten seconds as a quick fix, though the edges might lose their crunch.
Freeze
Freeze unbaked dough balls in a zip-lock bag for up to three months. You can bake them straight from the freezer by adding two extra minutes to the standard cooking time.
Ina Garten Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 140 kcal
- Protein: 2g
- Fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 85mg
Estimated. May vary based on ingredients and cooking methods.
FAQs
No, quick oats will absorb too much moisture and make the cookies dense and dry instead of chewy.
This usually happens if the butter was too oily or if the dough wasn’t chilled before it went into the oven.
Yes, you can replace the raisins with an equal weight of dark chocolate chips or dried cranberries.
Ina Garten Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe
Description
Thick and chewy cookies featuring toasted oats, sweet raisins, and a hint of warm cinnamon.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4) and line your baking tins.
- Whisk the flour, soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Cream the butter and sugars until fluffy before adding eggs and vanilla.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined.
- Fold in the oats, raisins, and walnuts with a spatula.
- Drop tablespoons of dough onto the tins and bake for 10 minutes.
- Let the cookies firm up on the tin before moving to a wire rack.
