I turned to my trusty Cook’s Illustrated cookbooks and found a recipe for chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. Peter saw the cookies cooling, and we had a brief conversation about them:
Peter: “Are these chocolate chip cookies?”
Me: “No, they’re oatmeal raisin.”
Peter: “Couldn’t you have substituted chocolate chips for the raisins?”
Me: “Yes, but then they wouldn’t be oatmeal raisin cookies.”
Peter: “Yeah, but I like chocolate chip cookies.”
Me: “So do I, but these are oatmeal raisin cookies.”
You know, sometimes oatmeal raisin cookies get a bum rap.
Read on for the recipe!
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
from America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (the recipe is also in Baking Illustrated)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened but not overly so
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (I used regular old Quaker’s)
1 1/2 cups raisins (I used golden raisins from Trader Joe’s)
1. The recipe says to adjust the oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions to bake two sheets at once, but I just baked one sheet at a time. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg and set aside.
2. Beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy (3-6 minutes). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
3. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Slowly add the flour mixture just until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the oats and the raisins and mix on low just until combined.
4. The recipe says to parcel out 1/4 cup of dough, but I used one of those smaller cookie scoops. Anyway, scoop out your dough balls onto a parchment- or Silpat-lined cookie sheet. Space them a couple inches apart. Flatten slightly using the palm of your hand. Bake about 22-25 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden but the centers are still soft.
5. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
You know you have a brother who really likes oatmeal raisin cookies.
YUM!! those look awesome!
I miss Peter.
Those look great – I love oatmeal raisin cookies. Btw, my husband and I have the same conversation on a weekly basis, no matter what I make 🙂
that is an ongoing battle in my house. we usually just put chocolate chips in, make a batch of that, then add raisins to the rest of the batter.
I finally got my sweets and salties to make a batch of compost cookies. I would make oatmeal raisin, but I don’t have nearly enough oatmeal left in the house!
You’ll have to bring a stash for your running friends this Saturday – we’ll need our energy for peak performance!
lol! I love the conversation. And boy, I think I know Rathan Noe.
I just made these choco chip pecan cookies, and give them an enthusiastic thumbs-up. You make 4 logs of the douch, and each log makes 12 cookies. I sprinkled salt on them before baking, very good. Oh, and I used Ghirad. 60% bars, hand chopped.
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/04/david-lebovitzs-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe.html
LOL Of course, I meant to type ‘dough’. Oops!
I have a recipe that has the raisins soaked in beaten egg and vanilla for an hour before mixing up the dough. It makes them explosively flavorful. Yum-O! I normally am not an oatmeal raisin person, but the raisin soaking just hits the spot. They don’t even taste like raisins!
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
To soak for one hour:
3 eggs well-beaten
1 c. of raisins
1tsp. vanilla
Mix: 1 c. softened butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
Mix 2.5 c. flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
and add to the butter/sugar mixture, alternating with the egg/raisin mixture.
Add 2 c. oatmeal and, if desired, 3/4 c. pecans.
Drop by tablespoonfulls on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes. 13 is just perfect in my oven. Yum!!
BTW, those were delicious!! Thank you and sorry you only got a hug in return 🙂
Hi Mariko,
I’ve been following your blog for a little while and really enjoy your posts and your humour.
I have been browsing your archives and came across your recipe for chicken nanban. I made it yesterday night and it was delicious. I couldn’t comment there so I am saying this here, the chicken nanban rocks! Thanks for the recipe. Mine looked nothing like yours but still.
Love Oatmeal Cookies! Last ones I made were “thick, chewy oatmeal raisin cookies” from Smitten Kitchen. Really a nice cookie if you like them less sweet. Here’s the link: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/02/thick-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/