Preheat Oven & Prepare Pans: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream Butter & Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter, packed light brown sugar, and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).

Add Eggs & Vanilla: Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt.

Combine Wet & Dry: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredient mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.

Add Oats & Raisins: Stir in the rolled oats and raisins by hand with a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon until evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Scoop Dough: Drop rounded tablespoons of dough (or use a medium cookie scoop) onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.

Bake: Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers are set but still slightly soft. For chewier cookies, err on the side of slightly underbaking.

Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy: Enjoy your delicious homemade oatmeal raisin cookies recipe!