Our Grandpa’s Oatmeal Cookies will take you straight back to the cookie memories of your childhood! They are sweet, soft and chewy perfection, loaded with flavor and texture from oats, chocolate chips, raisins, and nuts.
Our Grandpa was not really a baker. That was our Grandma, who made the most wonderful desserts, cookies, and pies. But when Grandma began to struggle with her hands and the slow progression of rheumatoid arthritis, Grandpa stepped in to help, including taking over some of the cooking and baking.
These were his favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. When he took over the baking, he made them his own by adding raisins and walnuts. My Grandma is gone now, but even after her passing, Grandpa continued to bake these cookies to have on hand whenever anyone would visit. As you can imagine, this was a huge hit with the grandkids! And many fond memories in the making.
Our version is the one Grandpa always made. Feel free to do what he did and make it your own by subbing in other nuts, different chips, or omitting all the mix-ins. You can’t go wrong here!
A Note About Raisins
Grandpa always used “baking” raisins in his cookies. We have never heard of such a product! But they used to be sold in the baking section of the grocery store and were apparently more plump and juicy (not as dry) as regular raisins, so that they didn’t dry out so much in the oven. Kind of brilliant!
Have you heard of these? Apparently, they are still sold. If you can find baking raisins, use them. If not, regular raisins work just fine.
Or, plump your raisins by soaking them in hot water, then draining and cooling before adding them to your cookies. This will rehydrate them a bit so that they are more plump and juicy even after baking.
Making Grandpa’s Oatmeal Cookies
This recipe uses the traditional creaming method. Cream together the butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla, then add the dry ingredients. Add your mix-ins (the raisins, chocolate chips, and nuts) at the end, being careful not to overmix your dough. It’s simple!
Use a cookie scoop so that your cookies are all the same size, which will help them bake up evenly. Plus, it’s faster and easier to portion out the cookies using a scoop! To use the scoop like we do, fill it with dough then press it against the side of the bowl as you lift it out. Then, using the palm of your hand, press the dough firmly down into the scoop before swiping to the side to remove any excess with your palm. After emptying your scoop onto your baking sheet, scrape that excess off from your palm to start the next scoop. We use a medium (#50) scoop for these cookies.
Grandpa’s Oatmeal Cookies are easy to overbake – you want to pull them out of the oven while they still look a bit wet in the middle. They will look underbaked when you take them out, but will continue to cook as they begin to cool. You will end up with a perfectly baked, soft and chewy cookie!
More Cookie Recipes to Enjoy
We can never get enough cookies! Check out these delectable options:
- Strawberry Marshmallow Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Pecan Cookies
- Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft Cinnamon Almond Cookies
- Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- Gluten Free Almond Caramel Cookies
Enjoy!
Grandpa’s Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 8-3/4 ounces (1-1/4 cups) packed brown sugar
- 3-1/2 ounces (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 8-3/4 ounces (2-1/2 cups) old-fashioned oats
- 7-3/4 ounces (1-3/4 cup)s all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 4 ounces (1 cup) chopped walnuts (or other nuts)
- 5 ounces (1 cup) raisins
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare one or more baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper, a silicone baking mat, or nonstick baking spray.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until light in color and very fluffy, 4-6 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, then continue to mix until smooth.
- Mix and Add Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, and salt.Add these dry ingredients to your batter and mix on low speed until the flour mixture is just incorporated. This should take about a minute. Be careful not to overmix! Gently stir in chocolate chips, walnuts, and raisins.
- Form Cookies and Bake: Scoop balls of dough, roughly 2-tablespoons each, and place them 2 inches apart on your baking sheets. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned on the edges. They will still seem a bit underbaked in the middle, but will continue to firm up while they cool.
- Cool: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Be careful not to overbake these cookies. Remove them from the oven when they still look a bit wet in the middle. They will finish baking on the cookie sheet while they cool.
- Feel free to substitute your favorite nut for the walnuts (we like pecans in these cookies, too) or omit the nuts altogether.
