Plate of soft spiced oatmeal drop cookies studded with plump raisins beside a cup of coffee.

Spiced Oatmeal Drop Cookies

Plumped raisins and a spoonful of their cooking liquid keep these cinnamon-nutmeg oatmeal cookies soft and chewy. They are the sort of old-fashioned drop cookie that belongs in a well-used cookie jar.

These old-fashioned drop cookies get their soft texture from raisins simmered until plump and a small measure of the cooled cooking liquid stirred into the dough. Cinnamon and nutmeg make them cozy enough for holiday trays, but they’re just as welcome in an everyday cookie jar with coffee or tea.

Betty Lou Gardner in a family archival photograph

Granny’s Kitchen Notes

From Betty Lou Gardner

The raisin water is the little trick that keeps these cookies soft. I let the raisins and the liquid cool before mixing, and sometimes I add chopped walnuts for a little extra crunch.

How to Make Spiced Oatmeal Drop Cookies

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Raisins simmering in a saucepan beside drained raisins and a measuring cup of reserved raisin water.
01

Cook and Cool the Raisins

Simmer the raisins until plump, reserve part of the cooking water, and let both cool to room temperature.

Softened butter and granulated sugar being creamed in a vintage mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer.
02

Cream the Butter and Sugar

Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until creamy and slightly lightened, not overly fluffy.

Thick oatmeal raisin cookie dough in a vintage mixing bowl with dry ingredients and reserved raisin water nearby.
03

Mix the Dough

Blend in the eggs and vanilla, then add the dry ingredients and cooled raisin water in stages before folding in the raisins.

Rounded scoops of oatmeal raisin cookie dough spaced on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
04

Scoop the Cookies

Portion the dough evenly onto parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving enough room for the cookies to spread.

Spiced oatmeal drop cookies baking on a parchment-lined sheet in a warmly lit oven.
05

Bake Until Just Set

Bake until the edges are lightly golden and the centers look soft but no longer wet.

06

Cool Before Serving

Let the cookies set on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Plate of soft spiced oatmeal drop cookies studded with plump raisins beside a cup of coffee.

Spiced Oatmeal Drop Cookies

Plumped raisins and a spoonful of their cooking liquid keep these cinnamon-nutmeg oatmeal cookies soft and chewy. They are the sort of old-fashioned drop cookie that belongs in a well-used cookie jar.

By Betty Lou Gardner

Prep20 minCook45 minTotalAbout 1 hour 35 minutesDifficultyEasy
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Ingredients

Scale

Scaling note: Scaling is withheld until recipe-specific quantities, method safety, and instruction synchronization are verified.

Spiced Oatmeal Cookie Dough

Instructions

  1. 1 cup raisins, 1 cup water
  2. 1 cup butter, 1 cup granulated sugar
  3. 2 large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract
  4. 2 cups flour, 2 cups oats, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp salt
  5. 5 tbsp cooled raisin water, cooked raisins

Nutrition (Approximate Per Serving)

Yield

About 36 cookies — Serving size: 1 cookie

Some ingredients could not be modeled and may meaningfully change the totals. Treat these values as a rough estimate.

Calories
130
Carbohydrates
17.5 g
Protein
2 g
Fat
6 g
Saturated Fat
3.5 g
Cholesterol
20 mg
Sodium
80 mg
Fiber
0.9 g
Total Sugars
8.5 g

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