Anna Louise Oat and raisin cookies are the cookies I make more than any other single biscuit in this collection. They are the weekday biscuit — the thing I bake on a Sunday evening so there is something genuinely good in the tin for the week ahead.
The oats are the character of these cookies. I use rolled oats — old-fashioned porridge oats — rather than quick oats, which give a slightly thinner, less chewy result. The rolled oats give a slightly nutty, slightly toasty flavour and a chewy texture that makes these cookies specifically different from a plain butter biscuit.
The key to an oat and raisin cookie with the right texture — chewy in the centre, slightly crisp at the edges — is brown sugar and enough butter. Brown sugar gives chewiness. White sugar gives crispness. The combination of mostly dark brown sugar with a little golden caster gives the ideal balance — golden and slightly crispy at the edges, chewy in the centre, completely satisfying throughout.
The raisins must be plump — soaked in warm water for ten minutes before baking if they seem dry. Dry raisins give a slightly hard, slightly unpleasant bite in an otherwise chewy cookie. Plump raisins give a jammy, soft contrast that is one of the pleasures of this biscuit.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Oat and Raisin Cookies (Makes approximately 18)
For the Oat and Raisin Cookies
- 175g unsalted butter, softened
- 150g soft dark brown sugar
- 50g golden caster sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk — the extra yolk gives additional chewiness
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 175g plain flour, sifted
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 200g rolled oats (old-fashioned porridge oats — not quick oats)
- 175g raisins — soaked in warm water for 10 minutes then thoroughly drained and patted dry
How to Make Mary Berry Oat and Raisin Cookies
Step 1 — Preheat and Prepare
Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Line three large baking trays with baking parchment.
Soak the raisins in warm water for ten minutes while preparing the dough. Drain and pat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. Plump raisins give a completely different result from dry ones.
Step 2 — Make the Cookie Dough
Beat the softened butter, dark brown sugar, and golden caster sugar together for three to four minutes until pale and fluffy. The brown sugar never becomes as pale as white sugar but the mixture should lighten significantly and increase in volume.
Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Beat well until combined.
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt directly into the bowl. Add the rolled oats. Fold together with a large spatula until just combined.
Add the drained and dried raisins. Fold through with three to four strokes.
Step 3 — Portion and Bake
Using a large spoon or an ice cream scoop, portion the dough into balls of approximately 50g each — roughly the size of a golf ball. Place on the prepared trays with generous space between each — at least 6cm — as the cookies spread significantly during baking.
Press each ball down slightly with the palm of your hand to give a flattened disc shape.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the cookies are golden at the edges and still appear slightly underdone and soft in the centre. They will firm considerably as they cool.
Step 4 — Cool
Leave the cookies on the trays for ten minutes before moving — they are too fragile to handle when hot. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
The finished cookies should be chewy in the centre and slightly crisp at the edges — with golden-brown surfaces and plump, slightly jammy raisins visible throughout.
My Top Tips For Perfect Mary Berry Oat and Raisin Cookies
Soak the raisins in warm water for ten minutes. This is the most important technique instruction for oat and raisin cookies and the one most often skipped. Dry raisins remain hard in the finished cookie and give an unpleasant bite in what should otherwise be a completely yielding, chewy biscuit. Ten minutes of soaking gives raisins that are plump, soft, and slightly jammy — specifically what this cookie needs.
Use dark brown sugar for chewiness — not all white. The molasses in dark brown sugar gives the cookies their chewy character. All white sugar gives crispy, snap-biscuit texture. The combination of mostly dark brown with a little golden caster gives the ideal texture — chewy in the centre, slightly crispy at the edges.
Use an extra egg yolk. The extra yolk gives additional fat and emulsifiers that give a chewier, richer, more satisfying cookie. It is a small detail that makes a noticeable difference to the final texture.
Use rolled oats — not quick oats. Rolled oats give a slightly nutty, slightly textured chew. Quick oats give a thinner, flatter, slightly less interesting result. Old-fashioned rolled oats are the correct choice.
Remove from the oven when still slightly underdone in the centre. The residual heat of the baking tray continues cooking the cookies for several minutes after they come out of the oven. Removing them when still slightly soft in the centre gives perfectly chewy cookies after ten minutes of cooling. Removing them when completely set gives cookies that are too firm and too crispy throughout.
Serving Suggestions
At room temperature with a cup of tea — the most natural pairing. Slightly warm — ten seconds in the microwave gives a cookie that is slightly soft throughout. In a tin that gets replenished every week — these cookies are too good to make only occasionally.
How to Store Mary Berry Oat and Raisin Cookies
In an airtight tin: Store at room temperature for up to 1 week. They stay chewy throughout.
In the freezer: Freeze unbaked dough balls for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 180°C for 15 to 17 minutes — no need to defrost.
Mary Berry Oat and Raisin Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Line three baking trays. Soak raisins in warm water 10 minutes — drain and pat dry.
- Beat butter, dark brown sugar, and golden caster sugar 3–4 minutes until lightened. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla — beat well.
- Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt into bowl. Add rolled oats — fold until just combined. Fold in drained raisins with 3–4 strokes.
- Portion into 50g balls — place on trays with 6cm space. Press each down slightly to a flattened disc.
- Bake 12–14 minutes until golden at edges and still slightly soft in the centre. Leave on trays 10 minutes — transfer to wire rack. Cool completely.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add chocolate chips?
Yes — 100g of dark chocolate chips added with the raisins give a chocolate and raisin oat cookie that is completely wonderful. The dark chocolate and raisin combination is one of the great cookie flavour pairings.
Can I use dried cranberries instead of raisins?
Yes — dried cranberries give a slightly sharper, slightly less sweet result. Soak and dry them as directed for the raisins.
Can I add walnuts or pecans?
Yes — 75g of roughly chopped walnuts or pecans give an additional crunch and a slightly more complex flavour. Add at the same time as the raisins.
Can I make these gluten free?
Yes — use a gluten free plain flour blend and certified gluten free rolled oats. The texture is slightly different but the result is very good.
Leave a Reply