Soft-Baked Oatmeal Raisin (Printable)

Chewy, soft oatmeal cookies filled with raisins and cinnamon for a wholesome grab-and-go snack.

# What you need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
02 - 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
05 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

06 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
07 - 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
08 - 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
09 - 1 large egg
10 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Add-Ins

11 - 2/3 cup raisins
12 - 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

# How to make it:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Whisk together the oats, whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl until evenly distributed.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, applesauce, and brown sugar until fully combined. Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth.
04 - Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring gently until just combined to avoid overmixing.
05 - Fold the raisins and optional walnuts into the batter until evenly distributed.
06 - Scoop approximately 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart.
07 - Lightly flatten each dough ball with fingers or the back of a spoon to ensure even baking.
08 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are set and centers are slightly underbaked for a soft interior.
09 - Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Helpful Hints:

01 -
  • They're soft and chewy straight from the oven, not the hard, dense hockey pucks most breakfast cookies become.
  • The applesauce keeps them moist without being overly sweet, so you can actually eat two without feeling guilty.
  • They live in your freezer and come back to life perfectly, turning a pantry staple into an instant breakfast when mornings get chaotic.
02 -
  • The moment the edges look set is when you pull them out—centers that look slightly wet will firm up as they cool, but overbaked cookies stay hard forever and no amount of storing them in a jar brings them back.
  • Applesauce is a game-changer, but it means the dough is softer than butter-only recipes, so don't feel like you're doing something wrong when it's not stiff.
03 -
  • Cool your melted butter slightly before mixing it with the other wet ingredients—if it's too hot, it can scramble the egg and throw off the texture of the dough.
  • If your raisins feel hard or dried out, plump them up in warm water for five minutes before folding them in; they'll add more moisture and make each bite taste better.
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