Soft Raisin Cookies
A classic favorite, these Soft Raisin Cookies are bursting with juicy, plump raisins and comforting spices. Perfect for packing in lunchboxes or enjoying with a cup of cold milk.
Servings: 36 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups seedless raisins
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks) room temperature
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Place the raisins in a small saucepan and add water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. This will soften and plump the raisins. After 5 minutes, drain the water through a fine mesh sieve and rinse the raisins with cool water. Set aside to drain while you prepare the dough.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula when needed.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. This helps fluff the flour and evenly distribute the dry ingredients.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Stir until just combined—be careful not to overmix.
- Gently fold in the plumped raisins with a rubber spatula, mixing until evenly distributed.
- Use a portion scoop or spoon to scoop out dough and place onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (1 ½ - 2 Tablespoons of dough per cookie.) Leave some space between each cookie to allow for spreading.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are soft and just lightly golden around the edges. Be careful not to overbake, as they will continue to cook on the baking sheet.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Yield: About 36 cookies, but this will depend on how big you make them. If you make smaller cookies, you can get more, of course!
How to store: Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week.
Prep ahead: You can make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 3 days.
Flavor options: If you're not a fan of raisins, you can easily swap them out for other mix-ins like chocolate chips, chopped nuts (like walnuts, almonds or pecans), golden raisins, dried cranberries, or dried cherries.
Freezing options: Both baked cookies and cookie dough balls can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let the baked cookies cool completely before freezing, and for dough balls, freeze them in a single layer before transferring to a bag or container.
