These easy oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, and filled with melty chocolate and sweet raisins. They’re made with oats, oat flour, coconut sugar, and a touch of maple syrup for a naturally sweet flavor. Healthier than the classic and always a crowd favorite!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 🕒 Ready In: 25 minutes
- 👪 Serves: 18–20 cookies
- 🍽 Calories: ~130 calories per cookie
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Rolled oats, coconut sugar, maple syrup, butter, flour, raisins, chocolate chips, cinnamon
- 📖 Dietary Info: Gluten-free, naturally sweetened, no refined sugar, vegetarian, can be made dairy-free
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: Soft, chewy, and full of cozy flavor with melty chocolate and sweet raisins. Made with better-for-you ingredients and easy enough for any day of the week.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
I’ve loved baking cookies since I was a kid — the smell of sugar and vanilla filling the kitchen always meant something cozy was coming. Over the years, I’ve tested countless cookie recipes, but these are the ones I keep coming back to. They’re naturally sweetened with coconut sugar and maple syrup for that caramel flavor and soft-chewy texture — similar to my Healthy Oatmeal Walnut Cookies, which also use coconut sugar for that warm flavor.
I actually tested this recipe three ways: one with coconut sugar, one with only maple syrup, and one with a mix of both natural sweeteners. The blend won every time for flavor and chewiness. It’s the same trick I use in my Healthy Snickerdoodles and Healthy Sugar Cookies — a better-for-you twist on the classic cookie that still tastes like home.
Jump to:
- A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Easy Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Quick Video Tutorial (Step-by-Step)
- Expert Recipe Tips
- What Makes These Cookies Healthier
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storage, Freezing & Make Ahead
- More Healthy Cookie Recipes You'll Love
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft and chewy: Perfectly soft centers with golden, chewy edges.
- Naturally sweetened: Coconut sugar and maple syrup give a rich caramel flavor without refined sugar, the same trick I use in my Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies.
- Hearty and satisfying: Rolled oats add texture, while raisins and chocolate chips make every bite feel indulgent.
- Quick and easy: Mix in one bowl and bake after a short chill.
- Better-for-you: Wholesome ingredients make these cookies an anytime treat.
- Gluten-free: Made with oat flour and a 1:1 gluten-free blend for that perfect chewy texture.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Butter: Use room-temperature butter so it creams smoothly with the coconut sugar. It gives the cookies soft centers and golden edges.
- Coconut sugar: My go-to swap for refined sugar. It adds a subtle caramel flavor that makes these cookies taste rich and cozy, just like my Healthy Snickerdoodles Cookies.
- Maple syrup: Keeps the cookies moist and adds natural sweetness.
- Egg: One large egg binds the dough and adds structure.
- Vanilla extract: A splash rounds out the warm, bakery-style flavor.
- Flour + oat flour: I use a mix of 1:1 gluten-free flour and oat flour for the perfect chewy texture and whole-grain boost (regular flour works too).
- Baking soda: Just ½ teaspoon gives lift and prevents dense cookies.
- Cinnamon: A pinch of cinnamon makes the oats, raisins, and chocolate taste even cozier.
- Rolled oats: Use rolled oats (not quick oats) for the perfect texture.
- Raisins + chocolate chips: Sweet, chewy mix-ins that make each bite indulgent! I love semi-sweet or dark chocolate and plump, soaked raisins.
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this page for exact quantities.
Easy Substitutions & Variations
- Gluten-free & nut-free: These oatmeal raisin cookies are already naturally gluten-free and nut-free — no changes needed!
- Make them dairy-free: Swap butter for coconut oil or your favorite vegan butter alternative.
- Flour substitute: Use regular all-purpose flour instead of the gluten-free blend if you don’t need them to be gluten-free. Do not use almond or coconut flour — the cookies will turn out flat. If you want to bake with almond flour, try my Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies.
- Raisin substitute: Try golden raisins, dried cranberries, or chopped dates for a twist. You can also just leave them off.
- Rolled oats swap: Quick oats work in a pinch but make the cookies softer and less chewy.
- Flavor twists: Mix in ½ cup of shredded coconut, chopped walnuts, pecans, or pumpkin seeds for crunch. Add a pinch of nutmeg or ginger for a cozy fall vibe.
Need to substitute an ingredient?
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How to Make Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Step 1: Beat butter and coconut sugar until light and creamy, then mix in maple syrup, egg, and vanilla.
- Step 2: Add the dry ingredients and oats.
- Step 3: Stir in raisins and chocolate chips.
- Step 4: Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Step 5: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Then, scoop the dough onto a lined baking sheet and press extra chocolate chips on top.
- Step 6: Bake for 10–12 minutes until puffed and golden. Let the cookies rest for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Quick Video Tutorial (Step-by-Step)
Expert Recipe Tips
- Soak the raisins first: Even just 5 minutes in warm water makes them plump and juicy. Dry raisins pull moisture from the dough, so soaking keeps the cookies soft and chewy.
- Chill the dough: Because the dough uses coconut sugar and maple syrup, it’s naturally soft. A quick chill (30 minutes to overnight) helps it firm up, hold its shape, and bake thicker with chewy centers.
- Choose rolled oats: Rolled oats keep their shape and give the cookies that hearty, bakery-style chew. Quick oats will make them softer and less textured.
- Bake until just set: Pull the cookies when the centers look slightly underbaked — they’ll finish baking on the tray and stay perfectly chewy inside.
What Makes These Cookies Healthier
These cookies taste rich and indulgent but are made with wholesome, better-for-you ingredients I bake with often. Instead of refined sugar, they’re sweetened with coconut sugar and maple syrup, which add natural sweetness, caramel flavor, and moisture that keeps the centers chewy.
The dough also uses a combination of gluten-free flour, oat flour, and rolled oats, giving you extra fiber, whole-grain goodness, and that classic hearty oatmeal cookie texture.
- Coconut sugar + maple syrup: Natural sweetness, no refined sugar, and a richer flavor.
- Gluten-free flour + oat flour: A chewy, whole-grain base with added fiber.
- Rolled oats: Classic texture, heartiness, and extra nutrition in every bite.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — don’t skip this step! The dough is naturally soft because it’s made with coconut sugar and maple syrup, and chilling it makes a big difference. Even 30 minutes helps the cookies hold their shape and bake up thicker and chewier.
Yes! This recipe is already written with a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend, oat flour, and rolled oats. Just be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you’re baking for someone sensitive. The cookies still bake up soft, chewy, and full of flavor.
Absolutely. You can make them with only raisins or only chocolate chips, but the combination is what makes these cookies special. The raisins add natural sweetness, while the melted chocolate keeps every bite indulgent — I never skip either.
Yes, but the texture won’t be the same. Quick oats make a softer cookie, while rolled oats keep their shape and give that hearty, bakery-style chew. For this recipe, rolled oats are always my go-to.
Storage, Freezing & Make Ahead
- Storing: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. For extra softness, add a slice of bread to the container — the cookies will absorb the moisture and stay chewy.
- Freezing baked cookies: Once cooled, place the cookies in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat in the microwave for 10–15 seconds to bring back that fresh-baked texture.
- Freezing cookie dough: Scoop the dough into balls, freeze them on a tray until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1–2 extra minutes to the bake time.
- Make ahead: Cover and refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours before baking. This makes prep easier and deepens the flavor while helping the cookies bake up thicker and chewier.
More Healthy Cookie Recipes You'll Love
If you loved these healthier oatmeal raisin cookies, try these recipes next:
Did you make this recipe?
If you make this recipe, be sure to comment and rate it down below. Also, don't forget to tag me @healthfulblondie on Instagram and use the hashtag #healthfulblondie so I can see your delicious creation and share it with my followers!
📖 Recipe
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup oat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats, certified gluten-free, if needed
- ½ cup raisins
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips, plus extra to dot on top before baking
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, oat flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large bowl, beat the butter and coconut sugar on medium speed for about 1 minute, until light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add maple syrup, egg, and vanilla, then beat until fully combined.
- Combine wet and dry: Add the dry ingredients and oats to the wet mixture. Beat on low speed until just combined, scraping down the sides and bottom as needed. Stir in the raisins and chocolate chips. (For the juiciest raisins, soak them in warm water for 5 minutes, then pat dry before mixing into the dough.)
- Chill the dough: This is a soft dough that must be chilled. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour, or up to overnight.
- Bake the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Dot the tops with extra chocolate chips. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and lightly golden on the bottoms.
- Cool & enjoy: Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tati Chermayeff says
These are my favorite cookies! Even if you're not a fan raisin, they are super delicious and I love that they are healthier than traditional recipes (refined sugar free and gluten-free). A keeper!