I love making big thick oatmeal raisin cookies with chewy centers and crisp edges, and this is a recipe I keep coming back to. These are not average oatmeal cookies. They're oversized, bakery-style cookies made with bread flour and European-style butter, which gives them a completely different texture. They are thicker, rounder, and more structured with a soft center.
What Makes These Different
Most oatmeal raisin cookies spread and flatten, but these are big and fat. Bread flour adds extra structure, helping the cookies stay thick. European-style butter (like Plugra) has a lower water content, which limits spread. And a long chill time allows the dough to hydrate and firm up. Lastly, raisins and walnuts reinforce the structure. Speaking of which, I feel like these are best suited for lots of chewy, sweet and crunchy add-ins. The texture is buttery but not overly sweet, so raisins, maybe dates and nuts are perfect.
So I do like these, especially as big cookies. For small cookies, I'd probably go with a different recipe, but these are good large, firm, cookies. I've made them over and over again, with small variations focusing on three details: the flour, the butter, and the chill time.
Bread Flour vs. All-Purpose Flour
This is one of the biggest differences in this recipe. Bread flour gives you thicker, chewier, more structured cookies while all-purpose flour makes softer, slightly flatter cookies. Both work, but if your goal is thick oatmeal raisin cookies, stick with bread flour.
European Style Butter Such as Plugra
European-style butter like Plugra has less water and more fat than standard American butter. This means less spreading, richer flavor and overall better for large, thick cookies like these. If you don't have Plugra, Land o' Lakes also works well.
Big Fat Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Tips
- For best results, weighing ingredients keeps everything consistent, especially the flour.
- Chill the dough for at least a few hours, but overnight is even better.
- Instead of scooping balls of dough, divide into portions and press tightly together. Once pressed tightly, you can bake as balls. For a rougher, scragglier look, pull them apart and push back together with the pulled side out.
- Don't overbake. These cookies should look slightly underdone in the center when you pull them out. They finish setting as they cool and develop that chewy middle.
Baking Giant Oatmeal Cookies
Because these are large cookies, baking time can vary slightly depending on your oven. 350°F convection for 15-17 minutes or 375°F conventional for about 18 minutes. You can test 1-2 cookies first to dial in your timing. The edges should be set, but the centers should still look a little soft.
Optional But Worth It
This might sound extra, but it works. Once cooled, freeze the cookies, then let them come back to room temperature. The texture becomes even better -- chewier and more cohesive. This works especially well if you intentionally (or unintentionally) underbake.
Recipe
Big Fat Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, European style Plugra works best (230 grams)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed (160 grams)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 2 large eggs, cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons bread flour or AP flour** (250 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt or fine Kosher salt or salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon use more if desired
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup walnuts
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the cold butter until creamy. Add the sugar and continue to beat until it is mixed in.
- Add each egg one by one using a lower speed of the mixer, then add vanilla and increase mixer speed. Beat for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape the side of the bowl. Note: The coolness from the eggs may make little bits of butter firm up again so the creamy mixture may appear lumpy.
- Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. With the mixer on medium-low, gradually add the flour mixture stirring just until mixed. Stir in the oatmeal, then stir in the raisins and nuts.
- Empty the dough onto a large flat surface and make sure all the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Divide into 10 or 12 raggedy pieces. Arrange the pieces on a foil lined baking sheets or a couple of plates and chill dough until it's firm enough to handle. Shape into tight balls, then continue to chill for several more hours or overnight if you have time.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. If you are using convection, preheat to 350 F convection.
- Arrange cookies (I recommend baking 1 or 2 first to nail down your time) on a heavy duty cookie sheet. Bake on center rack for 18 minutes at 375 or 16 minutes at 350F convection. Let cool for about 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then remove and finish cooling on a rack. When cool, you can eat OR you can freeze the cookie and thaw them for a better texture.
Notes
- For best results, use a really good brand of butter such as Plugra or another European style. These higher end butters seem to have less water in their formulation, so cookies spread less. Land o' Lakes will also work. If you only have grocery store brand butter, you can use 1 stick of butter and ½ cup shortening.
- Bread flour helps the cookie spread more uniformly and gives them a thicker shell and soft center. As for bake time, it will vary depending on your oven. I like to use the convection setting and bake at 350, but I've also been successful baking at 375.
- The cookies always seem to come out thicker and more uniformly textured when made with chilled dough, but if you are in a hurry you can use cool ingredients and bake the dough after a quick 30 minute chill. The cookies will just be thinner
- You can cut the brown sugar significantly and add more raisins and dried fruit if you want. If you do cut the sugar, be sure to add plenty of dried fruit or raisins.
Anna says
Diane, thanks for the update! I hope all your other baking is doing well.
Diane Perris says
This is Diane updating my review from about a week ago. After I posted my original review, I had a wonderful and fun email exchange with Anna about what could have happened with my cookies. She went above and beyond, baking additional test batches based on some of my comments, and I also baked another couple test batches to see if things improved.
They did. The cookies, even without the nuts and raisins (which probably would have made them denser and spread a bit less), were delicious and moist. The only thing I can figure is that my original batch had a big mistake on my part-- most likely I used too much of an ingredient like flour or baking powder. This wouldn't be the first time I've done that when making a test 1/2 batch.
In any event please ignore my first review. The cookies are terrific and so is Anna.
Diane
Anna says
Diane, I have responded to you via email to see if we can figure out why your cookies were so awful and tasteless.
Diane Perris says
I'm wondering if I did something wrong, though I'm an accomplished baker and followed the recipe exactly. These cookies came out dry (350 convection) and tasteless. However, I've been searching for the magical key to keep oatmeal cookies from spreading and they sure didn't spread (dough was very stiff especially after chilling) so there's a bright side. Just don't know why they tasted so awful.
Anna says
This comment is for Dave, who suggested that the photo is not of the actual recipe. It definitely is. Dave, you mentioned your cookies were 1 inch thick. Mine are usually close to 1 inch in the very center, but sometimes they spread a little more than others depending on how long I've chilled the dough or what brand of butter I've used.
Anna says
Johnny, thanks for the review! I'm fixing the star thing for you and re-posting your comment.
"5 stars! But page wouldn't let me choose more than 2 for some reason. Made them with dried cherries and toasted almonds. The dough has a delicious buttery flavor and fantastic texture -- stays thick and puffs up, does not get dried out inside even if you let them bake until nicely toasted on the outside"
Sue says
I made these and they're wonderful. I used 1 bag of chocolate chips instead of raisins and nuts, omitted the cinnamon and sprinkled with a little fleur de sel. I think they'd be better with raisins but that was a no go for today. Tall big cookies with a good texture.
Therese B. says
I think I am onto something with this bread enhancer. I read that it is like a preservative...it adds texture. These cookies are amazing!! And yes...after cooling they are a just a little doughy in the center.
Anna says
They're supposed to be kind of dense -- almost doughy in the center.
Therese B. says
King Arthur makes it. You are to use it with bread flour...and I was like..heh, let's try it with the bread flour in the cookies. They are almost a little cakelike...is that how they are supposed to be??
Therese B. says
Well, I got the first batch out of the oven. They held there height and taste GREAT!! I added some dark chocolate chips and some tart dried cherries too. Awesome!
Therese B. says
HELP!
I used 1 1/2 cups bread flour and 1/2 cup bread enhancer. I just read the bread enhancer pkg..and you are only supposed to add 1 to 2 Tablespoons. Should I nix this flour batch or start over??? Thanks for you help.
Adam says
I don't know who, what or where a Levain is, but these cookies look fantastic. I gotta go buy some raisins :).
Mackenzie@The Caramel Cookie says
Ohhh I love oatmeal raisin! Interesting that is uses chilled flour.
Janice says
Anna,
Sometimes I swear you channel my baking thoughts!
Darlene says
Thanks for the weight of the brown sugar, otherwise I'd obsess over how light is lightly packed. I'd love to make these for my sister-in-law, she loves oatmeal raisin cookies and your cookies look divine.
Chewthefat says
I just made your peanut butter oatmeal and oil cookies, and they were great! It's funny, but I've been wanting a clone of the Levain oatmeal, because they always sounded so intriguing...I can't wait to try these! I've never made oatmeal cookies with bread flour!
Katrina says
Guess what I made yesterday--big ol' oatmeal cookies! I have a tub of Sprectrum shortening I need to use, so they were shortening based cookies. These look great!
Anna says
Jennie, I know what you mean about Carol's! I have a clone I'm working on and would love for you to try it.
Jennie says
These look great. Thank you for sharing them. My absolute favorite cookies are the cinnamon swirl ones from Carol's Cookies in Chicago. If you are ever up for it, I would love to have your more experienced perspective on how to make that cookie! Thanks for all of your recipes. I is nice to go to a site where you know the recipes are consistently great.
Leung says
I can very much appreciate a doughy soft center in a tall fat oatmeal cookie especially with a cold glass of milk! These sound amazingly yum!
Sue says
I cannot wait to try these!!