Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Happy Friday (and the last Friday of February, at that),

Well iced, perfectly proportioned old fashioned in hand, (after all it is Friday - -- thank you, Mr. Restaurant Quality), I write to tell you of the perfect oatmeal raisin cookies.

Gosh, I haven't been here since February 9th. Where have I been? Right here in the Happening West Valley. Doing a whole lot of nothing, actually. Doing a whole lot of nothing is very relaxing.

Weather here is gorgeous. It's 'shorts weather'. Mr. Restaurant Quality planted red geraniums, the color of a vibrant Valentine. Have been taking long walks, admiring the mountains in the distance.

Little Sweetheart #5 continues to greatly entertain me. She has discovered that Grandma's hair is fun to pull on -- get me a ponytail holder.

On to the cookies. Mr. Cedarburg LOVES oatmeal raisin cookies, as do I. (Darling Daughter #2 and Darling Son #2 share the same passion.) I vowed to Mr. Cedarburg that I was on a quest to find the best oatmeal raisin cookies.

I have fulfilled my vow.

These cookies are very good. Mr. Restaurant Quality says they are state fair worthy. I may have to test his hypothesis, come July.

Found the recipe on one of my favorite foodblogs: Smitten Kitchen. The recipe is adapted from the recipe on the Quaker's Oats box.



Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

About 6 dozen

350 degrees 10-12 minutes

1 cup butter, softened (two sticks; 16 T.)
1 1/3 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, room temp
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
3 cups oats (I used 'regular', not 'quick')
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 cup walnuts, chopped optional


Cream butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla. I used a stand mixer, but you don't have to.

In separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Stir flour mixure into the butter mixture.

Stir in oats, raisins, and optional walnuts.

Chill in fridge for about 45 minutes.

Using cookie scoop, scoop onto parchment lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart.

Bake until golden at edges, but undercooked on top.
Recommended baking time is 10-12 minutes.

Upon removal from oven, let rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then remove from baking sheet and let cool on cooling rack.


My Notes:

Recipe can easily be cut in half.

Cookies will maintain a mounded appearance; they are not 'flat' cookies. Upon seeing the cookies right out of the oven, Mr. Restaurant Quality expressed just a touch of concern. You see, he likes 'flat' cookies. He's not into mounded cookies. I think it's because he thinks he's not getting enough cookie. Scientific research shows there is a sweet tooth gene, handed down generation to generation in the Gardner family. Mr. Restaurant Quality received it from his Dad (who was an expert at assessing lemon meringue pie). It has been passed down to the Darling Children, particularly Darling Son #1, who has successfully passed the baton to Little Sweetheart #1. That child's eyes dance with sugared delight when she sees a doughnut.

I bake two baking sheets at one time, each on its own rack. At six minutes, I rotate the pans, switching racks. Helps to get cookies evenly baked.

I used the walnuts because Mr. Restaurant Quality begged me (ok, he didn't beg, he asked
politely), to add the walnuts. They are a nice addition, but I am not a nut about nuts in my
cookies and/or brownies.

This recipe makes about 6 dozen cookies. If I baked all 6 dozen at the same time, they would all
be eaten at the same time (and not by me)!!

If you don't want to bake all the dough at one time, here's what I did. I scooped 12 cookies on each of two baking sheets and baked them. I scooped the remainder of the dough onto parchment lined baking sheets and put them in the freezer to 'flash' freeze the individual scoops. Leave them in the freezer for several hours. Then, put the scoops into ziploc freezer bags and place in the freezer.

When you have a hankering for freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookies, take out the number you need (need, not want) and bake. If you bake them right out of the freezer, start watching them at 10 minutes.

Life is good....................