After decades of baking, I was pleasantly surprised by the combination of chocolate chips and raisins. These old-fashioned cookies have everything you love about a classic chocolate chip recipe: crisp edges, soft centers, and plenty of chocolate. The chewy raisins add sweetness and texture that balance the richness without making the cookies overly sweet. A nostalgic, no-chill recipe.
SAVE THIS RECIPE
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Just when you thought you didn't need another cookie with chips, I come bearing a fantastic old-fashioned favorite. This is truly a recipe to cherish.
Raisins are a vintage addition to many bakes: from oatmeal cookies to a comforting and easy bread pudding, not to mention the classic raisin scones from yesteryear.
When combined with semisweet chocolate, they balance it out while adding an extra sweetness that's not cloying or overpowering.
Testing notes
Paula's baking tips that make a difference.
Use plump, soft raisins. Those old, dried ones from last year won't soften during baking. Quite the opposite.
Semisweet chocolate chips is my choice. They complement the rest of the ingredients wonderfully.
Batching and freezing: Make a large batch (double this recipe), form the mounds or balls of dough and freeze them. Bake them directly, no thawing needed. They might take a few more minutes, so watch carefully. It'll save you time, and you'll always have freshly baked cookies.
For a sweeter cookie, use half dark chocolate chips and half milk chocolate chips or white chocolate chips.
Storing: Cookie jars or tins are ideal for keeping them, but plastic bags can also work well.
Vintage Kitchen Tip
Do a test bake! I always recommend baking two or three cookies to find your sweet spot regarding baking time and texture. Check the time to ensure you don't over or underbake them. Also, see how much they expand (if at all) and adjust accordingly if needed so they don't touch during baking.
Electric mixer: If using it when adding the flour, do so at low speed. We don't want to develop the gluten in the flour mixture, so it needs to be mixed until well incorporated, but no more than that.
One-bowl recipe
The process is very simple as you only mix the ingredients until well integrated.
To chill or not to chill?
It's up to you. Both methods work.
I usually bake half the cookies directly and chill the rest for up to 3 days.
The waiting time will hydrate the flour, making the cookies plumper if you bake them while the dough is still cold but malleable. If you wait until it's completely at room temperature again, they will be similar to the no-chill ones.
Baking
- Preheated oven: ensure it's at the right temperature when you put in the cookies.
- Cookie sheets: I recommend turning the baking pan around (back to front) halfway through baking so the cookies bake better. Ovens transfer heat differently, and this is the easiest way to bake them evenly, especially if you use a large baking sheet.
- Should you slightly flatten the tops before baking? I found that it's not necessary, whether you're making them right away or if you refrigerate the dough for several hours or days, and bring it to room temperature before forming and baking.
- How long you should bake them depends on the texture you like. I like chewy cookies with crisp edges, so I underbake them a tiny bit and take them out when the center is still very soft. For crunchier cookies all around, bake them for a few minutes more, depending on the size. You can do a test run and bake a few cookies first to find your sweet spot regarding baking time and texture.
Cookie scoops
It's the easiest way to get even-sized cookies. I use the medium cookie scoop of this set, which is 2 inches / 5cm in diameter, for large cookies. The smaller scoop makes regular-sized cookies.
Leave a 2-inch separation between each so they can spread comfortably during baking.
For taller, thick and perfectly round cookies, you can use metal rings.
Freezing individual cookies allows you to make a large batch of dough and freshly bake them as needed.
It takes 3 simple steps:
- Measure and freeze: Pretend you're about to bake them, measure them (with a cookie scoop), and place them on a cookie sheet. There is no need to leave much space between them. Pop the cookie sheet into the freezer.
- Transfer to a bag: Once the raw cookie balls are frozen rock solid, transfer them to a plastic bag or freezer-safe container or cover them well in plastic wrap and then foil. That way, you can recover the cookie sheet.
- Bake straight from the freezer: When you want fresh cookies, place the frozen cookie balls you want to make on a cookie sheet and bake them as directed in the recipe below. Due to their freezing temperature, they might take another minute or two to be ready.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my disclosure policy.
Chocolate Chip Raisin Cookies (no-chill recipe)
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ⅔ cup seedless raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Have ready baking sheets. Butter or line them with parchment paper if necessary.
- In a large bowl, beat ½ cup unsalted butter, softened, with ½ cup white granulated sugar and ½ cup light brown sugar until creamy, using a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer.
- Add 1 egg and 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract and mix well.
- Add the sifted, dry ingredients: 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, a pinch of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt. Mix until a few dry spots remain. Don't overbeat at this point.
- Fold or stir in ⅔ cup semisweet chocolate chips and ⅔ cup seedless raisins with a spatula, until no dry spots remain.
- Scoop portions of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. I use a 2-inch (5cm) cookie scoop.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges are firm and the cookies are golden but still soft in the center. Larger cookies may need a minute or two more.
- Let cool completely on a cooling or wire rack before storing.
- Keep in tins or cookie jars.
Rate and review this recipe