Sourdough Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe (Extra Soft Raisins)
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It’s no secret that I love sourdough discard cookies and these sourdough oatmeal raisin cookies have quickly become a favorite!
They’re thick, chewy, and full of plump raisins and crunchy walnuts. The browned butter gives them a nutty flavor that makes them taste even better than regular oatmeal cookies. I love that the dough can chill in the fridge for a couple of hours or even overnight, so you can bake fresh cookies whenever you want.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
You can bake a few at a time
Once you shape the dough, it can hang out in your fridge for days or your freezer for months. You’re not stuck baking two dozen cookies at once and then eating stale ones later in the week. Just bake six cookies on a Tuesday night or whenever you feel like eating fresh warm homemade cookies. If you love being able to bake cookies on demand like this, my Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies (you’ll love these melty chocolate chips!) and Sourdough Discard Snickerdoodles also keep well in the fridge or freezer.
Homemade cookies that aren’t too sweet
The sourdough adds a subtle tang that keeps these cookies from being too sweet. The starter brings out the warm cinnamon and makes the raisins taste even better instead of competing with them. Plus, the recipe is a delicious way to use that excess sourdough discard starter.
They’re chewy cookies, not cakey ones
The combination of browned butter and old-fashioned oats gives you that thick, chewy texture instead of the dry, cakey oatmeal cookies some recipes turn out. The edges of these chewy sourdough oatmeal cookies get slightly crisp while the centers stay soft, just the way I like my cookies.
I’ve got a bunch of other sourdough cookie recipes if you’re interested, and you can also check out my other sourdough discard recipes for more baking ideas.
Ingredients & Substitutions
* To find precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card*
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour.
- Oats: For a more chewy and nuttier cookie, I use old-fashioned rolled oats. Instant oats are much thinner and won’t hold up their shape as well in this cookie recipe.
- Butter: Browned butter helps to remove some of the water content that’s added by the sourdough discard. It also gives the cookies a better texture and adds a delicious nutty flavor. You can use salted or unsalted butter. Adjust the salt a bit if using salted.
- Sourdough Discard: For sweet treats like these cookies, I prefer to use fresh sourdough discard, no older than 1-2 days. You can also use an active sourdough starter. Make sure to use the same amount in grams.
- Raisins: I soak my raisins in boiling water prior to adding them to the cookie dough. This allows them to plump up and be extra soft, rather than dry and hard. For extra flavor, add 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract into the boiling water while the raisins soak.
- Sugar: A mix of white sugar and brown sugar adds sweetness, helps the cookies spread, and keeps them soft and slightly chewy.
- Cinnamon: Adds a gentle hint of warmth and spice.
- Walnuts (optional): Folded in with the raisins for a little crunch and mild nutty flavor.
How to Make Sourdough Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Prepare the brown butter. Once the butter has completely melted and turned an auburn color, pour into a bowl and allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes.
- White you wait, prepare the raisin. Pour the raisins into a bowl with boiling water. Let them sit for 10-15 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and rolled oats. Whisk until combined and set aside.
- Once the butter has come to room temperature, add the browned butter and sugars to a bowl of stand mixer. Mix on low until all of the lumps are gone.
- Next, add the eggs, one at a time, while mixing on low. Scrape the sides of the bowl when necessary.
- Pour in the vanilla extract and sourdough discard and continue to mix on low until combined.
- Still mixing on low, slowly pour the dry ingredients and continue to mix on low until the flour mixture is just combined.
- With a rubber spatula, fold the raisins and walnuts into the cookie dough.
- Using a cookie scoop, measure 75 gram cookie dough balls and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Once all of the dough balls have been shaped, cover the baking sheet and chill the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place 6 dough balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.
- Leave the cookies on the warm baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully placing them on a wire rack to cool.
- Serve slightly warm and enjoy!
How to Store:
Store baked sourdough oatmeal raisin cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To keep them soft, you can add a slice of bread to the container (the cookies will absorb moisture from the bread).
If you want to keep them longer, freeze the baked cookies in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or warm them in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes.
You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough balls for up to 3 months. Place the shaped dough balls on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer them to a freezer bag. Bake them straight from frozen, adding 1-2 extra minutes to the baking time.
FAQs
Yes, the walnuts are optional. Leave them out if you’re not a nut person, or swap them for pecans or even chocolate chips if that’s a better option for you.
I really wouldn’t use them for this sourdough raisin cookie recipe. I wouldn’t use quick oats because they’re super thin and they kind of dissolve into the dough. So, you won’t get that nice chewy texture you get from old-fashioned rolled oats. If you want the very best sourdough oatmeal raisin cookies, use old fashioned oats.
Yes. For the best results, chill the cookie dough. The fridge rest keeps the cookies from spreading into flat pancakes in the oven. Two hours is the minimum, but letting them sit overnight makes them taste somewhat better in my experience.
You can swap in dried cranberries, chopped dates, or dried cherries if you want. Be sure to soak them in boiling water like the recipe says for raisins. The flavor and sweetness might be a little different, but they should still turn out good.
Sourdough Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
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Ingredients
- 280 grams all-purpose flour 2 cups
- 6 grams baking soda 1 teaspoon
- 3 grams cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons
- 6 grams salt 1 teaspoon
- 270 grams old-fashion rolled oats, uncooked 3 cups
- 226 grams unsalted butter 1 cup
- 150 grams white sugar 3/4 cup
- 180 grams brown sugar 3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons
- 110 grams large eggs 2
- 6 grams vanilla 1 1/2 teaspoons
- 120 grams sourdough discard 1/2 cup
- 225 grams raisins 1 1/2 cups
- 65 grams walnuts, chopped (optional) 1/2 cup
Instructions
- First, prepare the brown butter. Melt the butter in a medium-sized frying pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the butter is fully melted, it will begin to bubble. Continue to stir constantly until the bottom of the pan is covered with small amber specks (about 2–3 minutes). You should be left with 180 grams of browned butter. Time saving tip – prepare the browned butter the day before. Cover and cool in your fridge until the following day. If you'd like to skip the brown butter all together, use 180 grams of melted butter instead.226 grams unsalted butter
- Carefully remove the browned butter from the heat and pour it into a bowl. Allow the butter to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes. (If it forms back into a solid, that’s okay!)
- While the butter cools, prepare your dry ingredients. In a medium-sized bowl, add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and rolled oats. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside.280 grams all-purpose flour, 3 grams cinnamon, 6 grams salt, 6 grams baking soda, 270 grams old-fashion rolled oats, uncooked
- Add the raisins to a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Allow them to soak for at least 15 minutes. Drain and dry the raisins and set them aside for later.225 grams raisins
- Once the browned butter is at room temperature, add both sugars and the brown butter to a bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix on low until there are no more lumps. Then add in the eggs, vanilla extract, and sourdough discard, and mix until fully incorporated.150 grams white sugar, 180 grams brown sugar, 110 grams large eggs, 6 grams vanilla, 120 grams sourdough discard
- While still mixing on low, slowly pour the dry ingredients and continue to mix on low until there are a few streaks of flour left.
- With a rubber spatula, fold the raisins and chopped walnuts, if desired, into the cookie dough until evenly distributed and the flour mixture is fully incorporated.65 grams walnuts, chopped (optional)
- Scoop 75g of the cookie dough with a cookie scoop, about 3 Tablespoons, roll into smooth dough balls, and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. The cookie dough will be slightly sticky.
- Once all of the dough balls have been shaped, cover the baking sheet and chill the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours, overnight is best!
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place 6 dough balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are just golden brown.
- Leave the cookies on the warm baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully placing them on a wire rack to cool.
- Serve slightly warm and enjoy!
Notes
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour.
- Oats: For a more chewy and nuttier cookie, I use old-fashioned rolled oats. Instant oats are much thinner and won’t hold up their shape as well in this cookie recipe.
- Butter: Browned butter helps to remove some of the water content that’s added by the sourdough discard. It also gives the cookies a better texture and adds a delicious nutty flavor. You can use salted or unsalted butter. Adjust the salt a bit if using salted.
- Sourdough Discard: For sweet treats like these cookies, I prefer to use fresh sourdough discard, no older than 1-2 days. You can also use an active sourdough starter. Make sure to use the same amount in grams.
- Raisins: I soak my raisins in boiling water prior to adding them to the cookie dough. This allows them to plump up and be extra soft, rather than dry and hard. For extra flavor, add 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract into the boiling water while the raisins soak.
- Sugar: A mix of white sugar and brown sugar adds sweetness, helps the cookies spread, and keeps them soft and slightly chewy.
- Cinnamon: Adds a gentle hint of warmth and spice.
- Walnuts (optional): Folded in with the raisins for a little crunch and mild nutty flavor.
Easy to make and delightfully not too sweet! This was a great use of discard! The cookies have a great texture, soft. Made them for family and friends and tasted before I shared… I think they’ll be a hit!!! Will save this and make over and over again!!
Thank you so much for this sweet comment! I’m so glad you loved the texture and that they were the perfect not-too-sweet cookie. I hope your family and friends love them too — thank you for making the recipe and saving it to bake again!
This cookie is a classic for a reason, but add brown-butter and sourdough discard to the recipe? Game-changer! My whole family couldn’t get over how chewy and delicious these were.
can these been prepped ahead of time and frozen?
Absolutely! The easiest way is to scoop the cookie dough into balls first, then place them on a tray and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. When you are ready to bake, you can bake them straight from frozen—just add 1–2 extra minutes to the bake time.
You can also freeze the fully baked cookies if you prefer. Just let them cool completely before storing in the freezer.