This oatmeal raisin cookies recipes is perfectly spiced. There are a lot of flavors, but they blend together perfectly. They're wonderfully chewy and stay that way for days. I love the way they make my house smell while they're baking as much (well, almost) as eating them.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice and salt then set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add the eggs, beating well after each addition, then mix in the vanilla.
On low speed, mix in the flour mixture, then use a wooden spoon to stir in the oats and raisins.
Drop by tablespoons full onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets, flatten slightly on top and bake for 10 - 12 minutes, until golden brown - be careful to not over bake.
Remove cookies from the oven and immediately transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool before serving.
Recipe Notes
Follow my top tips for the best oatmeal raisin cookies. I actually started making these with my grandma when I was 7 years old.
To avoid overcooking, remove your cookies from the baking sheet immediately after removing them from the oven.
Make sure that all your ingredients are thawed to room temperature before use. This is especially important when dealing with butter, and this is done to make everything more workable. Hard butter especially can work against the proper combination of ingredients. At the very least, having room-temperature ingredients saves you some effort and a bit of time.
The oatmeal raisin cookie dough will be sticky; expect it. This isn't a bad thing, but if you want to make it easier to work with, a short half-hour stint in the fridge is all you need to make it a bit easier to work with.
The colder the oatmeal raisin cookie dough is, the less it will spread out in the oven. This is important to note if you want your cookies to spread properly.
Soaking the raisins and then drying them with paper towels can help you get them plump and ready. Use warm water and leave them in for about a full minute.
For all the raisin haters, you can substitute almost anything you want into the recipe. If you prefer chocolate chip cookies over oats and raisins, you might substitute chocolate chips in your cookie dough. I can also recommend white chocolate as a wonderful alternative.
Remember, the recipe as a whole is just a guide. Don't be afraid to try new things and make substitutions. If you don't have 1 teaspoon of baking soda, use 3 teaspoons of baking powder. Don't like vanilla extract? Use the real thing.