There was a bakery in Banff that made the best oatmeal raisin cookie. After a hard day of skiing I rewarded myself with just one cookie. For years I tried every recipe I could find in an attempt to duplicate that bakery cookie. One day I did something I NEVER did. I bought an oatmeal cookie mix. I mixed it. I baked it. Eureka, it was the bakery cookie. What was the secret? SUGAR. An inordinate amount of sugar. Of course, I should have known. Sugar in baked goods makes the product soft as opposed to crisp. NOW you know it to.
This recipe can be made with either l cup raisins, l cup walnuts. Or.. you can leave out the nuts and use 2 cups of raisins. Loaded with fat juicy raisins it’s breakfast in a cookie. Or live on the edge, add the nuts. Make these cookies, pour yourself a glass of milk … sublime.
OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
2 cups (10 oz) raisins – any kind
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp each of baking powder and baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz. butter or 9 oz. hard margarine at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans if desired
Preheat oven 375degrees F.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper (did you know you can use parchment paper over and over again?)
In a small bowl combine the raisins and enough hot water to cover, set aside.
In a large bowl thoroughly stir together the oats, flours cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Your balloon whisk is excellent for this job.
In your stand mixer beat together the butter or margarine and the two sugars until fluffy and smooth. Add eggs, vanilla and beat until evenly incorporated. Stir or beat in all but one cup of the oat mixture until even incorporated. Don’t over mix
Thoroughly drain the raisins. In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining oat mixture, the raisins and the nuts if you are using them, and fold into the dough.
Bake for 8 to 12 minutes depending on the size of cookies. turn baking sheet half way trough baking. The larger the cookie the longer the bake time.
Chef’s note: These cookies freeze well so feel free to double the batch.
| ULTIMATE OATMEAL RAISIN - new and improved if that's possible. | Print |
- 2 cups (10 oz) raisins - any kind
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp each of baking powder and baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 8 oz. butter or 9 oz. hard margarine at room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans if desired
- Preheat oven 375degrees F.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper (did you know you can use parchment paper over and over again?)
- In a small bowl combine the raisins and enough hot water to cover, set aside.
- In a large bowl thoroughly stir together the oats, flours cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Your balloon whisk is excellent for this job.
- In your stand mixer beat together the butter or margarine and the two sugars until fluffy and smooth. Add eggs, vanilla and beat until evenly incorporated. Stir or beat in all but one cup of the oat mixture until even incorporated. Don't over mix
- Thoroughly drain the raisins. In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining oat mixture, the raisins and the nuts if you are using them, and fold into the dough.
- Bake for 8 to 12 minutes depending on the size of cookies. turn baking sheet half way trough baking. The larger the cookie the longer the bake time.
