Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Here’s one of my rules to live by: “oatmeal raisin cookies should be soft and chewy.” It falls somewhere on the list between “treat others the way you want to be treated” and “always wear a slip with a dress.”

Now that you know what my priorities are, my mission to find a homemade oatmeal raisin cookie recipe to end all recipes, doesn’t really seem all that ridiculous. Does it?

So I began my quest (aka I Googled it) and after the longest 3.2 seconds of my life, I found a recipe that had almost 5 stars and close to 2,500 comments. I took that as a “sign” that my righteous quest was complete.

So, I tried the recipe. I even followed all of the directions, which is a first for me. I have no idea why you have to beat in each egg separately, but I did.

This is not a recipe you can make quickly because it requires that you chill the dough for at least an hour before baking. I think this is the real key to the recipe. It allows the butter to get cold and hard and then when it bakes, you get these pockets of gooey perfection. I’m sure that’s a completely scientific explanation.

And the sprinkle of sugar on the top? Don’t skip over this step. Trust me. It adds just the right amount of kick to the recipe and your tastebuds will thank you!

Please make these cookies as soon as possible. They will make your mouth and tummy very, very happy.

SOFT OATMEAL (RAISIN) COOKIES RECIPE
Recipe from Allrecipes.com with the recipe submitter as Bittersweet1

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups quick cooking oats (I’ve used regular cooking oats and they’ve turned out just fine)
1 cup raisins (add more or less depending on preference – I usually add more)

Directions:
In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a large fork dipped in sugar. (I usually just sprinkle the sugar on with my fingers.)

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

I do love cookies! How about you?

Red Velvet White Chocolate Cookies

Chewy Swedish Gingersnap Cookies

And pie. I really love pie. 

Fresh Triple Berry Pie

Fresh Raspberry Peach Pie