Gluten Free Oat and Raisin Cookies

You can never go wrong with gluten free oat and raisin cookies. Slightly crunchy round the edges with a chewy centre, and packed with jumbo raisins and gluten free oats. These are the ultimate sweet treat!

There’s something really comforting about gluten free oatmeal raisin cookies. With warm cinnamon flavours and big fat raisins, they remind me of school lunches.

In fact, these chewy gluten free cookies are as wonderful as a lunchbox treat, as they are dunked into a cup of tea.

These gluten free oat and raisin cookies also really remind me of the paper bags of cookies you can pick up in supermarkets that I miss so much.

The brown sugar and cinnamon gives them a lovely rich flavour, and the oats provide a really interesting, almost crunchy texture.

Couple this with chewy raisins and you’re onto a winner.

Of course, to make sure they are gluten free and coeliac-safe, you must ensure you always use gluten free oats when making these.

ARE OATS GLUTEN FREE?

Oats themselves do not contain gluten. But often with the way they are processed there is cross contamination from gluten-containing crops.

Therefore in the UK, only oats SPECIFICALLY marked as gluten free are ACTUALLY gluten free.

It’s really that simple.

Any oat products not marked gluten free, are not safe to consume on a gluten free diet.

This is because they don’t meet the strict gluten free standards of being below 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten.

It’s also important to note that a lot of people with coeliac disease cannot tolerate oats.

This is because they contain a protein called avenin.

Avenin can cause a reaction similar to gluten in some people with coeliac disease.

If you find you are struggling to tolerate even gluten free oats, it’s best to speak to your GP or dietician.

I go into oats and a gluten free diet into a lot more depth in my post about gluten free oat milk in the UK.

It’s also important to note here if you’re reading from outside of the UK, that other countries have different stances on oats.

For example, in Australia and New Zealands, oats are not legally allowed to be labelled as gluten free.

Ingredients and substitutions

There’s a full printable recipe card below, but to make these gluten free oatmeal raisin cookies you will need the following:

• Butter – You’ll need to melt the butter for this recipe, which you can either do in short bursts in the microwave or in a pan. I use unsalted butter – or a hard, vegan margarine would work if you need these to be dairy free.
• Sugar – For this recipe I use a blend of dark brown sugar and caster sugar. I find this is the perfect combination in terms of flavour and texture. You could use light brown sugar in place of dark brown if this is all you have.
• Egg – I use one large UK egg in this recipe, and this helps to bind the raisin and oat cookies together nicely.
• Plain Gluten Free Flour – I usually use the Freee gluten free plain flour mix but other mixes like Juvela White Mix, Asda gluten free flour and M&S gluten free flour work too. You need an All Purpose flour blend instead of a single flour.
• Bicarbonate of Soda – This is the raising agent for the cookies. If you’re in the US you’ll need to use Baking Soda.
• Xanthan Gum – The secret ingredient in all gluten free baking! Xanthan Gum helps to replicate the texture of gluten and stops the cookies becoming brittle.
• Gluten Free Porridge Oats – You want to use whole porridge oats – aka old fashioned rolled oats – not milled or processed in any form. The chunkier the oats, the better the texture! Of course, always ensure you’re using certified gluten free oats from the free from aisle.
• Raisins – I used a mix of jumbo flame, crimson and golden raisins. Any type of raisins will work but I loved the extra colour pop these added! You could also use currants if you prefer – or any dried fruit like cranberries work too.
• Cinnamon – This adds a lovely warm but subtle spice to the cookies. It’s not mandatory if you’re not a cinnamon fan, but it is highly recommended!

Gluten free oat and raisin cookies FAQs

The full recipe card for my oat and raisin cookies is below but in case you have any burning questions, let me help…

Are oat and raisin cookies gluten free?

My oat and raisin cookies, unlike most supermarket ones, are 100% gluten free and safe for people with coeliac disease.

Usually cookies will be made with wheat flour but everything on my website is free from gluten.

They are made using a plain gluten free flour blend and gluten free oats, which you can find in the free from aisle.

Are these oat and raisin cookies dairy free/vegan?

This recipe does contain dairy and egg but you can easily swap out the butter for a vegan margarine to make it dairy-free.

I haven’t tried making an egg free raisin and gluten free oatmeal cookies recipe yet.

I do have a vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe which you could amend to add oats and raisins too, but I haven’t tested this myself.

How do I store these oat and raisin cookies?

Once you’ve baked these cookies, allow them to cool on the tray until they have firmed up enough to move them.

Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely, then store them in an airtight container.

You can keep them at room temperature – they should last for a week at least.

Can I freeze gluten free cookies?

Put off by making a whole batch of cookies because you’re the only gluten free person in the house?

Don’t be! The best thing about these gluten free oat raisin cookies is that you can freeze them before and after baking.

To freeze before baking: Scoop the cookie dough into balls. Place the balls on a sheet of baking paper on a tray and freeze. Once frozen, transfer them into a tub and then just defrost and bake when needed for fresh cookies on demand!

To freeze after baking: Allow the cookies to cool completely then stack them in a tub or bag between small squares of baking paper to stop them sticking. Freeze and then defrost at room temperature when needed.

My gluten free oat and raisin cookies

These gluten free oat and raisin cookies are the perfect baking project and great for making with kids too.

Depending on the size of them, this makes between 16-20 cookies.

You can freeze any dough you don’t want to bake yet and can freeze the cookies once baked as well, so no need for any leftovers to go to waste.

If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!

Need some more gluten free baking inspiration?

If you want to have a go at some of the other gluten free cookie recipes on the blog, why not give some of these a try?

They’re perfect to satisfy any sweet cravings – and all so easy to make!

• Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
• NYC Choc Chip Cookies
• Giant Double Chocolate Cookies
• Red Velvet Cookies

If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram. 

And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!

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