These insanely good Oatmeal Raisin Ghee Cookies are hearty, perfectly soft, and chewy. Made with homemade ghee for a heavenly nuttiness, oats, and lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, you won’t be able to have just one of these!

Stack of oatmeal cookies with a gray background.

Why this Recipe Works

Oatmeal raisin cookies are a classic for a reason – the oats provide the texture and bulk in the cookie while the raisins are chewy and naturally sweet, providing a great contrast. The chewy texture is what wins people over with these, it’s addictive!

My version swaps out butter for ghee (clarified butter) which adds a layer of rich nutty flavor to the cookies, and the hint of spice kicks up the delicious taste another notch.

The dough for these cookies freezes really well, so it’s easy to make a batch of dough ahead of time and defrost whenever you’re in the mood for a cookie. Yes, you can make them even just one at a time!

You should give these oatmeal raisin cookies a try if you’re looking to improve on a classic!

Ingredients & Substitutions

Cookie ingredients on a white marble countertop.

ghee – clarified butter. You can make your own, or buy it ready made in the grocery story. It adds a wonderful nutty taste that makes this cookie much more special than a typical oatmeal raisin cookie.

raisins – I have made this recipe with raisins, currants, craisins, and even others. Use what you like in your oatmeal cookies.

baking soda & baking powder – both affect the browning and flavor in these oatmeal raisin cookies, and we are using both because there isn’t enough acid in the batter to activate just one.

How to Make these Cookies

Preheat to 350F. Place your rack in the upper third of the oven. Line your baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. If you don’t have one, lightly grease the baking sheet or use parchment paper.

Whisk together 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon nutmeg in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer, beat together 1 cup of ghee, 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 eggs, and 4 teaspoons of vanilla extract until well mixed. 

Bowl of dry ingredients next to silver bowl of creamed butter and sugar.

Note: To make your own ghee, place butter in a heavy-bottomed pan (you will need ~3 sticks for this recipe). Melt over medium-low heat and continue to cook for about 15 minutes. The butter will separate into whey, clear butter, and milk fat. The whey is on top, clear butter in the middle, and the milk fat sinks to the bottom. Cook until you can see the clear butter and the solids have dropped to the bottom of the pot. Skim off the whey and pour the clear butter into a container, leaving the solids on the bottom.

Add the flour mixture to your large bowl in 3 batches, mixing well. Then, stir in 2 cups of raisins and 4 cups of oats.

Oatmeal raisin cookie dough in a large silver bowl.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter and place 6 cookies on a tray. You will have to cook them in batches. Smash down each cookie with your middle 3 fingers so they are 1/2-3/4 inch thick.

Oatmeal cookie dough balls on parchment paper.

Note: You can freeze them at this point as scoops. Once frozen, you can transfer them to a freezer container or bag. To defrost, let them come to room temperature for 1 hour before smashing them down on a prepared baking sheet.

Pressed oatmeal cookie dough on parchment paper.

Bake 10-12 minutes, flipping the pan halfway, until they are light golden brown. Cool completely on the baking sheet.

Four oatmeal raisin cookies on parchment paper with a bite taken out of one.

If you’re baking this holiday season and love these oatmeal raisin cookies, be sure to check out these cookies or my other great sweet recipes.

A white patterned plate with a stack of oatmeal raisin cookies on it.

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Stack of cookies.

Oatmeal Raisin Ghee Cookies

5 from 18 votes
Print Recipe Save
This recipe takes oatmeal raisin cookies to a whole new level. They're hearty, perfectly soft, and chewy. Made with ghee for a heavenly nuttiness, oats, and lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, you won’t be able to have just one of these!
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Kosher, Vegetarian
Servings: 30
Calories: 204kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup ghee
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups raisins
  • 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

Instructions

  • Preheat to 350F. Place your rack in the upper third of the oven.
  • Line your baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. If you don't have one, lightly grease the baking sheet or use parchment paper.
  • Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
  • In a large bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer, beat together the ghee, both sugars, eggs, and vanilla until well mixed. 
  • Add the flour mixture to your large bowl in 3 batches, mixing well. 
  • Stir in your raisins and oats.
  • Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter and place 6 cookies on a tray. You will have to cook them in batches. Smash down each cookie with your middle 3 fingers so they are 1/2-3/4 inch thick.
  • Bake 10-12 minutes, flipping the pan half way, until they are light golden brown.
  • Cool completely on the baking sheet.

Notes

To freeze, scoop them onto a baking sheet and freeze as scoops. Once frozen, you can transfer them to a freezer container or bag. To defrost, let them come to room temperature for 1 hour before smashing them down on a prepared baking sheet.
To make your own ghee, place butter in a heavy-bottomed pan (you will need ~3 sticks for this recipe). Melt over medium-low heat and continue to cook for about 15 minutes. The butter will separate into whey, clear butter, and milk fat. The whey is on top, clear butter in the middle, and the milk fat sinks to the bottom. Cook until you can see the clear butter and the solids have dropped to the bottom of the pot. Skim off the whey and pour the clear butter into a container, leaving the solids on the bottom.

Nutrition

Calories: 204kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 82mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 18IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you try this recipe?I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a Review to let us know how it came out, if you have a successful substitution or variation, or anything else.

15 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I love cookies with raisins! So, these were so calling my name! I actually had all of the ingredients except the ghee but made that myself following your instructions!

  2. I love a good chewy oatmeal cookie! Already added the ingredients to my shopping list so that I can make them this week! It’ll be my first time using ghee to make cookies and I can’t wait to smell the cinnamon and nutmeg while these bake. 🙂

  3. 5 stars
    I tried this recipe and was super pleased how they turned out. A great alternative recipe to the traditional oatmeal raisin treat. A great recipe and great instructions.

  4. 5 stars
    These cookies are absolutely amazing. The kiddos love oatmeal raisin cookies and I make them often. But they immediately knew this wasn’t the regular recipe and preferred this one to mine. Was it the ghee? I don’t know but I know I’m tossing my recipe out and keeping this one.

  5. 5 stars
    I was so excited to try this recipe! I had never made cookies with ghee before, so was really curious to see what they would taste like! So good!

  6. 5 stars
    ohhhhh YUM! These cookies are delicious! I’ve used brown butter before but had never made cookies with ghee. I had some amazing grass fed milk ghee that these cookies were just the perfect thing for. They were so good!

5 from 18 votes (12 ratings without comment)

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