Last updated on June 23rd, 2014
Sometimes I send gifts late. I like to extend holidays and birthdays by shipping out a present a week after the occasion just to make people feel loved longer. It has nothing to do with forgetfulness or a lack of preparedness. Nothing. That’s exactly what I did with these chewy oatmeal raisin cookies; they arrived in Lucas’s dad’s mailbox the Wednesday after Father’s day just to make sure he felt loved longer than every other dad in the world.
Okay, I confess, the delay wasn’t entirely intentional. The first batch of oatmeal raisin cookies turned out like crunchy granola bars. Sure, I like granola bars as much as the next guy, but they’re not what I look for in the ideal cookie. And oatmeal raisin cookies need to be chewy, sweet, and nothing like a crumbly healthy flavorless blob. Thanks, Martha, for that fail. I had to make the crucial decision to refrain from mailing them even though I wouldn’t have time to try again until the weekend. Best decision ever. These re-do cookies are in-cred-ible.
During Parents’ Weekend my freshman year in college, my mom brought me two plates of the most addicting cookies I’d ever eaten. I grew up with her cookies, but these were something entirely new. They were super chewy and tasted like…toffee? butter? was there oatmeal in them? Whatever they were, they didn’t last long in my dorm hall. Ever since I got a kitchen of my own, I’ve been asking her for that recipe, and she always responds with, “Hmmm, I don’t remember what cookies I made? Toffee, you say?” Then, just when I’ve given up all hope for an edible oatmeal raisin cookie, she e-mails me this recipe, “I remember you really liked these when I made them for you in college.” MOM!!! YOU’VE BEEN HIDING THIS RECIPE FROM ME FOR 9 YEARS!!! (And geez, has it REALLY been 9 years since my first year in college??). These baked treats are just as divine as I remember, and the flavor is so rich that you’ll be shocked there’s no toffee in the recipe. The results are much thinner than your mama’s traditional thick oatmeal raisin cookies, but I find each bite even more delightful. These flatter versions will never be left lonely on the plate at the end of a party like their chunky counterparts. I gotta hand it to my mama, this lady seriously knows how to make some rockin’ cookies. Lucas’s pop, Roy, gave the morsels two big thumbs up (and I’ll be surprised if there are any left!). I’m not even the least bit upset that I accidentally doubled the recipe and had to eat two dozen. By myself. In one sitting.
Not-your-mama’s oatmeal raisin cookies
Makes 4 dozen
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup raisins (I actually took the raisins out of half the batter and prefer it that way…something about dried fruit in my cookies bugs me).
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Cream together softened butter and brown sugar using electric mixer. Beat in vanilla and eggs, and mix until smooth.
- Fold raisins into egg and brown sugar mixture.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and oatmeal.
- Add a small bit of flour mixture at at time to the egg and sugar mixture. Mix just until all the flour has been absorbed (do not mix too much or the cookies will be tough).
- Drop dough in teaspoon-sized balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until the cookies just start turning golden brown.
- Let cookies cool on a wire rack before serving.
Tina -
How come I never get dessert packages from you??? I like cookies…;)
Sarah Menanix -
HMMMMM….maybe you’ll get a bar study care package…when is your exam?
Sheri -
They look so good!! I guess I need to make them again!
Sarah Menanix -
Yup! You sure do know how to make cookies, Mama!
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies -
I love your redesign! Congratulations on moving to your own domain too. :D I hope it all went smoothly!
These look delicious. :) I don’t make oatmeal raisin cookies very often, but sometimes I find myself really craving them. Like right now after seeing them on your blog…
Sarah Menanix -
Haha – Thank you so much! The redesign is a long time in the making, and I’m so thrilled the have it done…finally…
Lauren | Hippie Dog Company -
HI! I usually read your blog in my feed but had to come over and print this recipe! I love your new design and I cannot wait to try these cookies!! OMG! Thank yoU!
Sarah Menanix -
Thank you so much! I read this comment to my boyfriend who spent hours on the new design and it made our morning! Let me know how you like the cookies! Out of curiosity (because I’m new to this), did you have to change the RSS feed when I changed the domain or did it automatically transfer over?
Linda -
If you have a thing about dried fruit in cookies, which I don’t, you might try a trick I just learned. Soak the raisins in the eggs for a couple of hours before making the cookies. Supposedly even raisin hater love them. These look great.
Sarah Menanix -
Hmm – I’ll have to try that trick next time! Thanks for the idea:)
Jackie -
Hi
Are you sure this recipe only use a 1/2 cup of raisins. That’s an awful small amount for an oatmeal raisin cookie recipe.
Sarah Menanix -
Yup! I don’t like raisins very much, so I adapted the traditional oatmeal raisin cookies to the way I like them:) In fact, I’ve left out the raisins all together from this recipe before! If you’re a raisin lover, I’m sure you’d find them just as tasty if you added a full cup, but the ones pictured above just have half a cup. Thanks for coming by!
CJ at Food Stories -
YUM-O … Enjoying your site so I’m nominating you for my Illuminating Blogger Award for informative, illuminating blog content. I know not everyone participates in blog awards but I hope you’ll at least check it out because it’s a great way to discover new blogs and meet new web friends. If you’re interested in participating, you can check out the details at my site … foodstoriesblog dot com & then click on “Illuminating Blogger Award Site” in the upper right-hand corner … Either way, hope you’re having a great weekend!