Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Soft chewy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe with rolled oats, soft raisins, and a secret ingredient! The famous NYC bakery, Levain Bakery’s copycat oatmeal raisin cookie recipe.
Levain Bakery Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Levain Bakery is the king of cookies. There is a reason for the constant long line that stretches in front of their New York City bakery. I fell in love with their cookies and was determined to create a copycat recipe for their famous oatmeal raisin cookies.
The cookies are Levain Bakery are HUGE. They measure about 6 ounces but you can also make these cookies about 3-4 ounces in size. Large or small, it doesn’t matter, because these are the best oatmeal raisin cookies!
I started with their Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookie and it has been my #1 recipe with a 5-star rating. I couldn’t stop there, so I went back to the kitchen to create copycat recipes for their Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookie and Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies. As the comments started to come in, people began to beg for their Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe.
I went back to my kitchen to figure out how to make these extraordinary cookies. Oh boy, I was beyond happy with the results! The texture of these Levain Bakery Oatmeal Raisin Cookies came out perfect with a nice chew to it, a crispy edge, all without being overly sweet. You could almost eat these for breakfast because of their hearty goodness.
Growing up, my Mama’s favorite cookies were always oatmeal raisin cookies. I always tried to convince her that chocolate chips needed to replace the raisins but somehow she always won the battle. She would pull out her big yellow bowl and I would slip on her vintage floral apron.
I was the dedicated “beater licker” and it was always my favorite cookie dough to eat but I would pick out the raisins! To this day, I go crazy over this cookie dough….and now eat the raisins.
The beauty of the Levain Bakery cookie is that it is thick without being cakey and is the only oatmeal raisin cookie recipe that I have that is still soft and fresh 3 days later. It makes them such a soft oatmeal raisin cookie. It is the secret ingredient that keeps it that way! These are the best oatmeal raisin cookies.
SECRET tips and tricks to make these Levain Bakery Oatmeal Raisin Cookies extra special:
- Use very cold butter. Now, I am not talking about throwing two cubes of cold butter into the mixer and hoping the butter will incorporate into the sugars. Nope. The key is to cut the butter with a knife into small cubes, making it easier to cream with the sugar. Cream for at least 4 minutes on high until light and fluffy.
- Use a mix of cake flour and all-purpose flour. Why cake flour? Levain Bakery makes thick cookies without tasting like a scone. When you use cake flour, it creates a more TENDER crumb on the cookie which creates a mouth-watering texture. Click HERE to buy cake flour online.
- Another game changer is cornstarch. It also helps to create a soft, tender cookie.
- Bake at high heat. You want to shock these Levain Bakery Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with high heat so they don’t spread too rapidly. It helps them keep their shape and make those crispy edges. Here are my favorite baking sheets — USA Pan Bakeware Half Sheet Pan or Nordic Ware Baker’s Half Sheet (2 Pack). I love to use Silpat silicone baking sheets. Click for Silpat Brand and or Artisan Silicone Baking Mat. You can find all of my favorite kitchen products HERE.
- If you LOVE walnuts, you can add them to the recipe. Levain doesn’t include nuts but I sometimes throw them in to make my mama happy.
Pin on Pinterest:
- 1 cup Cold Butter cut into cubes
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 2 cups Flour
- 1/2 cup Cake Flour
- 1 1/2 cup Rolled Oats
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups Raisins
- 1 cup Walnuts chopped (OPTIONAL)
- Preheat oven to 410 degrees.
- In a large bowl, cream together cold butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add cake flour, all-purpose flour, oats, cornstarch, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and stir until combined. Stir in raisins and walnuts (optional).
- Chill dough for 15 minutes.
- Separate dough into large balls and place on lightly colored cookie sheet. Lightly press on top of dough to smooth out. If you have a scale, you can make them anywhere from 4.5 ounces - 6 ounces. You will fit 4-6 cookies on one large cookie sheet. The dough makes 8-12 extra large cookies.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown on the top. Let them rest for at least 10-15 minutes to set.
Since I created these copycat Levain Bakery Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe, my kids keep begging me to make them. I never in a million years would think that my kids would beg for cookies with raisins in them! Miracles do happen. Keep on sharing the LOVE with your friends. Thank you for your amazing support! Find me on INSTAGRAM at @modern_honey
Happy Baking! xo
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! The Levain Oatmeal Raisin is my favorite flavor so I was hoping you’d post a copycat. I don’t remember them having walnuts…did you add them or am I remembering wrong? Also, I thought they had a hint of cinnamon in them? So happy I found your site…your recipes are amazing and I truly appreciate you sharing them!
Thank you so much, Teri! You are absolutely right. My Mom loves walnuts so much that I usually add them for her but Levain Bakery Oatmeal Raisin Cookies don’t have walnuts in them. I appreciate you taking time to comment. Have a wonderful weekend! – Melissa 🙂
Yeah I like ‘boy’ cookies too! Yes to nuts in oatmeal cookies!
Thanks very much for sharing your recipes; it’s so gracious of you! I tried making the Levain Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and I could barely taste any Oatmeal flavor. Perhaps I did something wrong? I followed the recipe exactly as written. Please advise.
I’d like to make the Levain Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies and was wondering if it’s ok to use 60% Cacao Bittersweet in lieu of Semi-Sweet chips?
Many thanks for your help and have a very Happy New Year!
Hi! I saw Levain’s cookies on instagram and they looked good and I love how it looked (tall and chunky cookies). So I decided to try your recipe today. I never tried Levain’s cookies before so I don’t know how they taste and the texture looks like. But one thing I could say that these cookies tasted so good. Thank you! Today I followed the recipe and instruction as written, but I ended up baking them for 16 min, and the texture was kinda wet inside after I let it cool for 15 min. Did i get the right texture? I normally bake my cookies at 350 for 16 min as well, but they have different texture (not wet) and spread out just the same as this recipe (not that tall and chunky like what I saw on Levain’s cookies pictures). How could I get the same appearance like those Levain cookies? I wish I could send you my cookies picture. Thanks again for sharing the recipe!
Hi Rani! Thank you so much! They should be slightly wet inside but will “set up.” I would try to cook them a few minutes longer. Oven temperatures can vary. Look for the tops to the a light golden brown and for the cookies not to jiggle too much when moved. Hope that helps! Have a great weekend. – Melissa 🙂
CAN I USE SHORTENING INSTEAD OF BUTTER IF SO DO I COOL THAT?
Hi Melanie! Great question! I have never made the Levain cookies with shortening before but I am assuming they will work fine. They may have a crispier edge and may bake slightly different so watch carefully. I would definitely chill the shortening beforehand or it will spread too much. You can put it in the freezer for at least 15-20 minutes. Let me know how they turn out. 🙂 – Melissa
These were sooo good! Followed the recipe exactly. I have never tried the Levain cookie, though they are on my bucket list! These are a bit like Kayak Cookie Salty Oats. They are sold at Whole Foods and are from Cape Cod, if you ever see them give them a try I bet you will enjoy them!
Hi Natalia! I am so happy that you loved them! Thank you for taking the time to write a comment. I really appreciate it! I love Whole Foods so I will have to go check out those cookies. They sound delicious. Have a great day! – Melissa
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your posts on Levain copycat recipes! I too somehow became obsessed with these cookies although I have never been there. Each copycat recipe I find is slightly different producing interesting results so I’m extremely anxious to try yours. Will start with the oatmeal first because my husband loves them. Thank you for the tips and pics!
Hi Carrisa! Thank you so much for your sweet comment. Let me know how your husband likes the oatmeal raisin cookies! Have a wonderful day! – Melissa 🙂
I’ve made two batches of these cookies and I’ve shared them with friends and family. The first batch I made them 4 oz. each and the second I made them 3 oz. each which for me is the perfect size. This cookie has gotten rave reviews – the best being they are an “award winning” cookie. Thank you for sharing this recipe. This will be my go-to oatmeal cookie recipe from now on.
Hi Cindy! Thank you for your kind comment and for taking the time to tell me how much you love the cookies. It always makes my day!
I made this and they were the best cookies I’ve ever made! My boyfriend and family absolutely loved them and my dad even said it was better than what you get anywhere! Since I’ve found your blog I’ve made the Levain chocolate crush cookies (x2) and these (which I’m also going to make again this weekend) I really appreciate the detail in your blog and not only explain what ingredients to use but WHY and HOW to use them it is very helpful to understand the tricks of baking! I’m going to try out many many more of your recipes 🙂
Oops had to 5 star this
You are so sweet! Thank you! I appreciate you trying out my recipes and I am so glad you love them.
I have always wanted to be the mom who makes the BEST cookies and has them waiting on kids and their friend after school! 😍 (I guess that’s the Monica Geller in me 😉 After making your chocolate chip Levain copycat four or five times, I think I may just earn that title yet. I really truly want to thank you for all your hard work into creating the recipe and being willing to share. I will treasure it for the rest of my baking days! I had to look for an oatmeal raisin version since they are my dad’s favorites and was so glad to see you’d created one of those too! I am wondering if you’ve tried freezing these. Usually I don’t hesitate to pop cookies in the freezer but I don’t want to mess with the beautiful texture and softness of these jewels! Thanks again!
Awww thank you so much! That makes my day! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. I am SO happy that you love them. I do freeze these LB Oatmeal Cookies all of the time and they work like a charm. Have a great Saturday!
I made these oatmeal raisin cookies for my daughter and her husband. They both said they had a funny taste. So I ate one and it left a funny taste in my mouth and a weird feeling on my teeth so I compared your recipe with another Levain bakery copycat cookie recipe I have. Your recipe uses 3/4 tsp baking soda and my other recipe uses only a 1/4 tsp baking soda. So that is funny taste!! I will go back to using my other copycat recipe. The high heat used on your recipe doesn’t work either. The cookies didn’t come out soft and chewy.
I had the exact same issues as Lucia (see above). I am a pretty excellent baker and I followed this recipe to a T (all the additional how to’s and why’s were very appreciated) but the end result – very disappointing. The dough was DELISH but the baked goods were tasteless and doughy and dull. Maybe different climates and ovens can affect the final product? I just don’t know….. Glad they worked out nicely for everyone else 🙂
Hi Heather! That is so strange. They shouldn’t lack in flavor since they have a good amount of brown sugar. A tasteless cookie is never good. Differing climates can affect how they rise but not how they taste. Sorry about that!
Hi Lucia! I find that if I use baking powder that is not aluminum-free, it can add a metallic taste in the mouth. That could be the issue.
Ohh they were so awesome! thank you so much for sharing your recipe, I have finally found my oatmeal go to recipe, my daughter is so going to enjoy these when she gets home
Hi Lara! Yay! So happy to hear that. Thank you for your kind comment. I appreciate it!
I have been on a quest for a really good lactation cookie and stumbled up on this recipe of yours. I am an amateur baker (for sure) and have never seen cake flour or cornstarch in a cookie recipe so thought I might as well give it a shot (and also because this cookie looks like it should be amazing). So I thought why not give it a go and make it into a lactation cookie and it was fantastic! While many of the other lactation cookie recipes are yummy they are also often hard as freakin rocks or chewy as all hell. But these were not! So tender! I’m gonna try to pump up the oatmeal next time as I think the dough can handle a bit more without turning into a puck. I also subbed coconut oil for butter and added some flaxmeal and brewer’s yeast and it was still a delicious, tender cookie! I also made them MUCH smaller and only baked for 8 minutes. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS DELICIOUS COOKIE RECIPE!!
These are the BEST oatmeal raisin cookies EVER!!! I love Levain’s oatmeal raisin, and now I can make them myself at home any time I want (which will be very often)!!!! Thank you!!!!
Hi there! I was wondering why you use the cold butter cut in cubes? What does it do for the cookie? 🙂
I live at 7,000 ft and was going to play with this recipe, but I don’t know if beating for 3 mins or so will incorporate too much air (causing the cookie to fall). A lot of the recipes here call for melted butter, so that you don’t have to mix much at all.
I made the cho-chip one in St John earlier this year — it was amazing & didn’t have to be aged (which is unusual!!!) – thank you!!! Love all your recipes and appreciate your research on baking.
Hi did they work out for you? I’m at 6500 and find cookies don’t need as much adjustment as a lot of other baked good. I increased the temp to 420 and baked 6.0 oz cookies about 15-16 min. I did not flatten them but left them very much like shaggy rough edges “balls.” They are really an amazing cookie.
Hi Karen! I can’t remember exactly what happened but they definitely were not as good as Pie In the Sky’s trout dale oatmeal cookies. Maybe I will try again with your adjustment to temp. The best cho chip cookies I’ve found for my altitude (besides making modern honeys at sea level) are on mountain mama cooks website and they are the perfectly puffy ones, which I leave in the fridge a few days before I shape and then freeze and then bake!! ;))
Hello, Can I use quick oats? Thank you
I made these and the chocolate chip cook cookies today. They were both wonderful! I made 3.5 oz sized balls and baked for 16 minutes. Delicious!
It’s been some time since you posted this recipe, so I’m hoping you see my comment. This was my first time baking ANY dessert from scratch, so I was a bit anxious/nervous. After seeing your post, and following the recipe to a tee, I managed to bake the best Levain Chocolate chip walnut cookies ever! Thank you so much for posting these recipes and also boosting my confidence as a “baker”. I’m trying the oatmeal cookies tonight and I can’t wait to see how they come out! 🙂
THANK YOU FOR THIS RECIPE!
I looked for so long online afetr the Perfect Levain cookies recipe and this one + the super importent Tips at the begining it’s just Awsome!
As close as I can get to the “real” oreginal Levain at home!
Thanks again 🙂
Can’t wait to make these cookies. I have some left over cake flour, just the right amount! Would you happen to have this recipe by weight or metric measurement? Thanks so much for creating such wonderful cookies!
So first let me say that I made the LBC chocolate/peanut butter chip cookies 2x and they were the absolute bomb.com both times. Was stoked to try this recipe because oatmeal raisin are my husband’s favorite! Had a little trouble with the recommended baking time this time though. Ended up going longer with the first batch (5.2 oz balls, about 15 min, and I think they could have even done a minute or two longer) and then smaller with the second batch (4.5 oz balls) and baked about 13 min. Still had completely fabulous cookies at the end, just wanted to share in case anyone else needed some affirmation! Haha 🙂
Can you omit the raisins?
I had the most fortunate opportunity to visit Levain earlier this month and all I can say is, “Wow!” If you ask my family you’d find out that I don’t like Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. That was true until I visited Levain. Theirs were dynamite! So I am eager to try this recipe. Like an earlier comment, I too am curious if you could share weight measurements for this recipe.
These really did come out excellent. I devored an entire batch over three days!
Thank you so much for posting!
I am so grateful that you share such wonderful recipes. I am a single mother of three, my neighbor lovingly clears my driveway and sidewalks of snow every year as I do not have a snow blower. For his efforts, I always bake him something special. I always felt I can never give back enough. Your recipe of chocolate chip walnut cookie is so amazing I don’t think I will have to worry about that anymore! I also made a batch for my mother and sister and they could not even speak while eating them. My brother in law (who is very picky) said he had to finish the whole cookie. I am going to make the oatmeal raisin cookie next. So excited. Bless you for sharing!
These are so so so good!! I’ve never eaten any oatmeal raisin cookies before that were this good. They are even better that the chocolate ones. Since I live in Germany with no cake flour to buy, I substituted it by using cornstarch. Also I sneaked in some walnuts and the cookies turned out beautifully. Thank you so much, Melissa.
I made these today and they are wonderful. Thank you