The problem with most oatmeal-raisin cookies is that they’re flat and boring and look a lot like chocolate chip cookies. Which means that, inevitably, one of your raisin-hating loved ones is going to snag one off the cooling rack and give you a lecture about responsible baking and how ALL the world’s raisins should be replaced with chocolate chips.

You won’t hear that lecture with Ina Garten’s Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies. They are, unmistakably and unapologetically, what they are. Big honking cookies fully loaded with oatmeal, raisins and the magic of toasted pecans. Sweetened with dark brown sugar. Spiked with cinnamon. Fresh from the oven, they smell heavenly, and that crunchy-chewy texture is addictive.

Like, eat a cookie right after breakfast addictive. Because there’s oatmeal in it.

This is a very simple cookie recipe, but there are two things to keep in mind:

1. Don’t forget to set the eggs out with the butter, so both can come to room temperature.

2. Don’t be afraid to mound the dough on your baking sheet. The cookies don’t spread very much, so it’s OK to pack them fairly tightly.

These cookies belong in picnic baskets, lunch boxes and gift tins for teachers. As for the raisin-haters, I guess that’s why God created Oreos.

Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Adapted from Ina Garten’s “Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics”

Makes 30-35 cookies

  • 1 1/2 cups pecans
  • 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
  • 1 1/2 cups raisins
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Place the pecans on a sheet pan, and bake for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Chop very coarsely.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
  4. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.
  5. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together into a medium bowl.
  6. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
  7. Add the oats, raisins, and pecans and mix just until combined.
  8. Using a small ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop 2-inch mounds of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with a damp hand. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.