Grandma’s Oatmeal Raisin Bars Recipe for Chewy, Home-Baked Treats

Oatmeal raisin bars are a perfect lunchbox treat. My mom made hers with all raisins; I often use a mix of dried fruits. In the photos here I used golden raisins, dried cranberries, and dried tart cherries for a balance of sweet, tart, and chewy.

This easy bar cookie recipe yields slightly sweet, slightly tart, chewy squares baked between two layers of an egg-free oatmeal dough. You can drizzle a simple cinnamon glaze over them or leave them plain—both ways are delicious.

Mom’s Raisin Bars, at a Glance

✅ Skill Level: Beginner
✅ Skills: Simmering fruit, making a simple crust and topping
✅ Type: Bar Cookies
✅ Number of Ingredients: Dough: 9, Fruit Filling: 6
✅ Prep Time: 15 minutes
✅ Cook Time: 50 minutes
✅ Yield: Approximately 32 bars, depending on how you cut them

Jump Straight to the Recipe

Why You Need to Make Mom’s Oatmeal Raisin Bars

If you love chewy, fruity baked goods and oatmeal cookies, this bar cookie will become a favorite. An easy, egg-free oatmeal dough pairs with simmered dried fruit in a thick, sticky syrup for irresistible flavor and texture.

The dough is split: press two-thirds into the pan for the base, then add a tablespoon of water to the remaining third so it clumps into small nuggets you can sprinkle over the fruit. That technique gives a nice contrast between the firm base and crumbly topping.

Choose a single dried fruit or combine several. Raisin bars are versatile and forgiving—pick what you like.

How to Make Them

The recipe uses pantry-friendly ingredients divided between the dough, the fruit filling, and an optional glaze.

Most ingredients are common pantry items, so you’ll likely have everything on hand.

For the Oatmeal Dough

• Butter: Adds flavor, helps browning, and keeps the bars chewy.
• Brown sugar: Use light or dark brown sugar (or a mix) for sweetness, moisture, and depth of flavor.
• Salt: Enhances the flavors—don’t omit it.
• Vanilla: Adds a warm, rounded note.
• Cinnamon: The primary spice; you can swap a spice blend if you prefer.
• All-purpose flour: Provides structure; swap a cup-for-cup gluten-free blend if needed.
• Baking soda: Gives a little lift. If you use only granulated sugar, use baking powder instead.
• Rolled oats: Give texture and oat flavor.
• Water: Helps the dough hold together; divided in the recipe.

For the Fruit Filling

• Dried fruit: The recipe calls for about 2 cups total; use raisins alone or a mix (cranberries, cherries, apricots, etc.).
• Brown sugar: Dark brown gives more flavor, but use what you prefer.
• Water or juice: Water works fine; apple or grape juice can be used instead (reduce sugar if you use juice).
• Salt: Enhances the filling.
• Cornstarch: Thickens the syrup so the crust doesn’t become soggy.
• Vanilla: Optional, but adds depth.

For the Optional Glaze

• Powdered sugar: Creates a set glaze that’s easy to slice.
• Salt: Balances sweetness.
• Cinnamon: Adds warm spice to the glaze.
• Vanilla: Optional for extra flavor.
• Milk: Thins the glaze to a drizzle; any dairy or plant milk works.

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Make the dough: cream butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt; add 1 Tbsp water, then mix in flour, baking soda, and oats until combined.
3. Simmer the fruit filling: combine fruit, brown sugar, water, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt; bring to a boil, then simmer about 10 minutes. Stir in vanilla and cool about 15 minutes.
4. Press about two-thirds of the dough into a sprayed 9″ x 13″ pan in an even layer.
5. Spread the cooled fruit filling evenly to the edges in a thin layer (about one piece-of-fruit thickness unless you choose the “more fruit” variation).
6. Add the remaining tablespoon of water to the reserved dough, mix, and drop small nuggets over the fruit so some fruit peeks through.
7. Bake 30–35 minutes until the top is firm and deeply golden. Let cool completely on a rack before glazing or slicing.

Visual How-To

Press two-thirds of the dough into the pan using your fingers or the bottom of a glass for an even base. The remaining dough, moistened slightly, forms small nuggets to sprinkle on top.

The fruit mixture will look cloudy before it boils because the cornstarch has not yet gelatinized; once it boils and simmers it thickens into a glossy syrup that coats the fruit.

Two cups of dried fruit will give a fairly thin layer across the crust. See the Variations section if you prefer a thicker filling.

Equipment You May Need

A 9″ x 13″ baking pan is standard for this recipe; use a 9″ x 9″ pan if you want thicker bars. A cooling rack and a pizza wheel or pastry cutter make slicing easier. Store finished bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.

Variations

• Thicker bars: Bake in a 9″ x 9″ pan at 325°F for about 40 minutes (start at 350°F for 30 minutes, then reduce and finish) until the top is golden and the fruit bubbles.
• More fruit: In a 9″ x 13″ pan increase fruit ingredients by half (about 3 cups fruit, 1 1/2 cups water, 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch, and adjusted sugar and salt).
• Citrus-scented: Add lemon or orange zest to dough and filling; use citrus juice instead of milk if glazing.
• Fruit options: Use any dried fruit—apricots (snipped to raisin size), figs, dates, blueberries, apples, currants, prunes, and more.
• Brown butter: Brown and cool the butter for the dough and adjust water slightly for the same texture.

Oatmeal Raisin Bar Q & A

Questions

If you have questions about the recipe, leave a comment or email the author. The recipe author is happy to help with technique or substitutions.

A Note About Measurements

Recipes are written primarily by weight for accuracy. A kitchen scale is recommended for consistent results and easier cleanup.

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Cranberry Raisin Bars

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