Delicious & Easy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Cupcake Recipe

I have always loved raisins, I was definitely that kid that wasn’t upset when a neighbor handed out raisins instead of candy on Halloween. Needless to say, oatmeal raisin cookies have always been one of my favorites, but you know what’s even better than cookies… OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIE CUPCAKES! 

This recipe really brings everything you love about oatmeal raisin cookies into a cupcake form. And trust us, it doesn’t disappoint. Another great thing is these cupcakes can easily be made completely vegan with a few simple ingredient changes. Instructions to make these vegan are at the bottom of the recipe.

Makes about 12-16 cupcakes      Prep time: 30 minutes    Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Oatmeal Raisin Cupcake Ingredients:           

• 1/2 c. Butter (1 stick) at room temp       
• 1/2 c. Granulated Sugar                   
• 1/2 c. Light Brown Sugar                     
• 1 3/4 c. Sifted All Purpose Flour (spooned & leveled) 
• 1 c. Quick Oats
• 1c. Milk 
• 2 Lg. Eggs (Room Temp)
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. Garam Masala (can use All Spice instead)
• 1/4 tsp. Cloves
• 2/3 c. Thompson or Golden Raisins

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

• 8oz. Cream Cheese
• 1/2 c. Butter (1 stick) at room temp.
• 3-4 1/2 c.  Sifted Powdered Sugar
• 2-4 tbsp. Heavy Cream or Milk 
• 1 tbsp. Meringue Powder (optional)
• 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

How to Make the Oatmeal Raisin Cupcakes:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350° F.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until smooth and light in color. About 2-3 minutes on medium speed.
3. In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, garam masala (or allspice), and cloves. Set the dry ingredients aside, add the eggs one at a time to the butter and sugar, mixing after each egg until combined.
4. Add a fourth of the flour mixture to the butter, alternating with the milk, make sure you start and end with the flour mixture. Once all milk and flour is combined, add the raisins to a small bowl and sprinkle a spoonful of flour on them and mix until all the raisins are coated. This is so the raisins don’t sink to the bottom during baking. Fold the raisins into the batter by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon.
5. Line a cupcake pan with liners and fill them 3/4 full, make sure not to overfill the pans. Bake them for 20-25 minutes, check them at 20 minutes to make sure they don’t get overdone. When they are finished, leave them in the pans to cool for about 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire cooling rack until at room temp. While they cool, start making the frosting.

How to Make the Frosting:

With a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until smooth with no lumps. Add the sifted powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and start mixing on low speed, increasing the speed to medium as the sugar gets mixed in. 

When 3 cups of the sugar are all mixed in add the vanilla, meringue powder (if using), and heavy cream or milk. Mix until combined on medium speed. Make sure to taste test before adding the rest of the sugar, feel free to leave out the rest of the sugar if the consistency isn’t too thin. If too thin, add remaining sugar and more by the spoonful if needed. The Frosting should be silky smooth with no visible lumps. Put the frosting in the fridge for about 15 minutes before using to let it firm up some more.

Make sure the cupcakes are cooled completely before frosting. You can either pipe or spread the frosting onto the cupcakes. 

(Recipe makes makes about 3 cups)

Vegan Options:

It’s super easy to make these cupcakes vegan! The ingredient amounts and steps stay the same, just swap out a few ingredients. 

• Swap out the butter for a vegan butter substitute in the batter and frosting
•  Use vegan cream cheese in the frosting and add 2-3 tsp. of fresh lemon juice
• Omit the heavy cream in the frosting and substitute your choice of plain non-dairy milk in the frosting and batter
• Instead of eggs use a vegan egg replacer. I’ve found 6 tablespoons of Aquafaba works best. Aquafaba is the liquid from a can of chickpeas, make sure you use unsalted chickpeas and strain the liquid through a sieve before using. The leftover liquid can be frozen to use later.