Apple Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

Name: Apple Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 1 cup raisins; 2/3 cup dried apples (finely chopped); 1/3 cup apple juice or cider; 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice; 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour; 1 cup whole wheat flour; 1 cup 3 minute quick cook oats; 1 teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon baking powder; Pinch salt; 2 teaspoons cinnamon (Vietnamese); 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature); 1 ¼ cup brown sugar; 1 large egg; 1 large egg yolk; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar; 3 tablespoons apple juice; ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (Vietnamese)

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When you bake a batch of Oatmeal Apple Raisin Cookies, your kitchen fills with the seasonal aromas of sweet apples and cinnamon. When you take your first chewy bite filled with the fall flavors of oats, apples, and raisins, there is a good chance that this cookie will become an instant favorite.

Apple Raisin Oatmeal Cookies, some plain and some iced, in a square basket.

Why you'll love this recipe

These Apple Raisin Cookies are a soft, chewy treat that stand out from the rest. Each ingredient goes so well together: creamy vanilla, spicy Vietnamese Cinnamon, nutty oatmeal and lots of apple flavor.

Then, there is the cinnamon icing. These cookies don’t need icing to be scrumptious. Icing is completely optional, however, it does serve a purpose even beyond adding a tasty bit of sweet crunch.

Icing helps to seal in the moisture, keeping the cookies soft longer. For cookies that will be traveling in a care package, those extra couple of days of softness can be quite helpful!

There are quite a few different kinds of oatmeal cookie recipes on The Monday Box. In addition to this soft oatmeal cookie recipe, you might like these:

Steel Cut Oat Cookies with a chewy, nutty texture.
Marathon Cookies, a delicious running cookie that's gluten free and packed with energy boosting ingredients.
Biscoff fans will love Biscoff Oatmeal Crunch Cookies, a chewy, spiced cookie with crispy edges.
Coconut Crunch Cookies give oatmeal cookies a tropical twist.

A stack of cookies with three iced and one plain.

Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.

In a medium bowl, combine the raisins, chopped apple pieces, apple juice, and lemon juice. Set aside for 20 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Then, at medium speed, beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
Mix in half of the dry ingredients mixture. Stir in the raisins and apples. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix to combine.
Use a medium cookie scoop to portion the dough balls about 2 inches apart onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

Iced and plain cookies on a round, white plate.

Tips

The type of oats used in a recipe makes a difference. Quick oats are precooked, then dried. The shorter the cooking time required (1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes) the more processed the oats. In baking, quick cooking oats produce less chewy texture than rolled oats or steel cup oats, and create a softer cookie. Three minute quick cooking oats were used in this recipe to give these oatmeal raisin cookies a moist, softness with a bit of chew.

Until I started doing a lot of baking, I had no idea that there were different types (origins) of cinnamon. Cassia or Chinese cinnamon is the most common. Vietnamese Cinnamon, the strongest, richest, and sweetest of the cinnamons, was used in this recipe. Vietnamese Cinnamon is for those who truly adore cinnamon!

Vanilla. Use the real thing. Whether the primary flavor in a recipe or a background flavor, as in these cookies, only real vanilla can fully enhance the other flavors with it’s rich warmth.

Frequently asked questions

What makes a cookie chewy?

There are several ingredients in these cookies that add fat and moisture to make them chewy. Brown sugar contains molasses which adds moisture as well as sweetness and flavor. An extra egg yolk adds fat and moisture without the drying egg white.

Can I replace the quick oats with old-fashioned oats?

Quick cooking oats have been processed into smaller pieces than old-fashioned rolled oats in order to cook faster. They break down into the cookie batter creating a softer cookie than those made with old-fashioned oats.

Apple Raisin Oatmeal Cookies, iced and plain, in a shallow, square basket.

More apple dessert recipes

Apple Cinnamon Biscotti are the perfect crunchy dunking cookie for the fall season.

Apple Cherry Jam Cookies have sweet fruity filling in a folded cookie dough.

Want to make your house smell amazing? Bake a batch of chewy Apple Gingerbread Cakelets and enjoy aroma of spices and apple in this delicious recipe.

Caramel Apple Cookies are chewy apple butter cookies with creamy caramel frosting.

Apple Cider Stamped Cookies are crunchy butter cookies flavored with apple spice. This is another great recipe for stamping and embossing.

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