Preheat oven to  350 F

In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar: use a hand or stand mixer to cream the softened butter with sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Add egg and vanilla then mix on high for about 1 minute until incorporated. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt stir to combine. Pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Combine together on low speed. Add the extras: Beat in the oats and raisins     (or chocolate chips) on low speed. Dough will be a little thick and sticky.

Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30-60 minutes and up to 24 hours. 

Roll cookie dough into balls and place on a lined baking sheet (use parchment paper). Roll balls of dough (about 2 !/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie) and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. I use a soup spoon or a cookie medium size scoop. 

 Bake the cookies at 350°F (177°C) for 10-13 minutes until lightly browned. The cookies might look under-baked, but they will continue to set as they cool. This is the secret to a soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookie!