Archive
Post 13/13 – Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Well, today marks the last day of the Baker’s Dozen of Blog Posts I started back on the 6th. It’s been fun. I’ve experimented with new recipes. I’ve received excellent feedback and comments from people (thank you!). I’ve started a habit of writing every day. I’ve “met” some nice people and discovered several interesting blogs. Glad I did it!
Wasn’t sure what to use as my “final” post and Matt suggested this one. This is one of our favorite cookies. I like to use the jumbo raisin medley from Trader Joe’s (but beware, the raisins are huge and you gotta love raisins if you use them). The “secret” to this cookie is soaking the raisins in the eggs and vanilla. It makes them plump up and stay moist. You could also use dried cranberries in place of the raisins. Depending on how moist they are, you can choose to soak them in the eggs and vanilla or just mix them in later. If you decide to use chocolate covered raisins instead of regular raisins, don’t soak them in the eggs. Just add the eggs and vanilla after you cream the butter and sugars.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
3 eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla
1 cup raisins (or dried cranberries)
1 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup sugar
2½ cups all-purpose flour
½-1½ teaspoons cinnamon (or apple pie spice), amount depends on your preference
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
Possible substitutes for raisins: dried cranberries, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or chocolate covered raisins
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and add the vanilla. Stir in the raisins. Let this sit on the counter while you make the cookie dough.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Sift together the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt). Stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture. Then stir in the raisin mixture, rolled oats, and nuts.
Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. If you like thinner, crisper cookies, then you can use the “Katie Whack Method” – midway through cooking, pick up the cookie sheet (using a handy-dandy pot holder), and whack the cookie sheet on the oven rack so they deflate. Remove from baking sheets and cool on racks.
Post 6/13 – Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars
This is a quick bar cookie, great for potlucks, bake sales, etc. Usually, I have most of the ingredients in the pantry. It is a good recipe for using bulk ingredients that you might buy at Costco (with just two of us, getting through huge bags of brown sugar, chocolate chips, and oatmeal can prove challenging).
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars
1 cup salted butter (2 sticks), softened (or unsalted butter)
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
½ cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky, natural is ok, but it works better if it isn’t separated)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3 cups oats (I prefer old-fashioned for the texture, but quick oats will also work)
½ cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips*
Preheat oven to 350º F. Use an electric mixture to cream the butter and brown sugar (if the butter is soft enough, hand mixing is fine). Add the peanut butter and vanilla and beat well. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Add the oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir well. I do this step by hand so the oats don’t get broken up as much. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread in an even layer in a 12″x18″x2″ sheet cake pan lined with parchment paper (I use the butter wrappers to grease the parchment paper and then I use the wrappers to press the mixture into the pan). You can also bake them in muffin tins to make little individual bars. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean (it depends on your oven, the pan, etc.).
*Variations:
Decrease the chocolate chips and add some shredded coconut or chopped peanuts. Or you can substitute other ingredients for the chocolate chips: mini or regular M&Ms, mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, chocolate covered raisins, Reese’s Pieces, toffee bits, butterscotch chips, or peanut butter chips.
Post 4/13 – Snickerdoodles
I love baking cookies during the holidays, but I think sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies are labor intensive. I enjoy making the cookie dough, but finishing the cookies isn’t my favorite part. With all the rolling, choosing cookie cutters, frosting them, and decorating, it takes time (Did I mention that I get bored easily and tend to bounce from task to task?!? Well, I do.) This year, we dialed down the holidays so I decided to try an easier cookie – snickerdoodles. Granted, I’d never made them before, but thought it was worth a try. Years ago, my friend Christine Teague gave me her Grandmother’s snickerdoodle recipe. I made a few changes to her original recipe: substituted butter for the shortening, added a bit more spice to the cookie dough, and added some vanilla. They were delicious!
Possible vegan option: I haven’t tried this yet, but I think you could use vegetable shortening and an egg substitute and these would be fine as a vegan option. Ah, so much cooking and experimenting to do, so little time!
Here’s the tweaked recipe, hope you like them:
1 cup softened butter
1½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2¾ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, optional
¼ teaspoon cinnamon (or apple or pumpkin pie spice), optional
For rolling:
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Cream together the butter and the sugar. Add the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
Chill the dough. While the dough is chilling, mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Form the dough into balls about the size of walnuts and roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Preheat oven to 350º degrees F. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets and flatten slightly with your hand, a glass, something (this will make a crisper cookie)*. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove from baking sheets and cool on racks.
*I have a strange technique when making ball cookies or drop cookies…I really like crisp, flat cookies. So, not only do I flatten the balls but I also open the oven mid-way through cooking, pick up the cookie sheet (using a handy-dandy pot holder), and whack the cookie sheet on the oven rack so the cookies deflate. I know, you aren’t supposed to open the oven, but I’ve been doing it since I was a kid and some habits are too hard to change (and Matt says it works!).
The Flaming Pot Holder 