Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are hard to beat. Their edges are crisp, their
flavor is buttery sweet, and their texture is wonderfully soft and chewy. They are
great for breakfast, as a snack, or for something a little special, use
them to make a breakfast trifle. A breakfast trifle is made by crumbling the
oatmeal cookies and
layering them with yogurt and fresh or dried fruits. A perfect way to
start the day.
Jean Anderson in her book The American Century Cookbook
tells us that the first recipe she found for Oatmeal Cookies was in the
1896 Boston Cooking-School Cook Book. That recipe, although called
an Oatmeal Cookie, only contained 1/2 cup of rolled oats. During the
Second World War, The Quaker Oats
Company published a recipe for Oatmeal Cookies that called for
shortening, as butter was in short supply. Today we like our cookies nice
and buttery, so butter has come to replace the shortening. And we also
like our Oatmeal Cookies bursting with rolled oats, so for this recipe we
are using a whooping three cups. I like to use old-fashioned not
quick-cooking rolled oats. I prefer their flavor and thickness. While both
may start with oats that are cleaned, toasted, and hulled
to become what we call oat groats, the difference between the two
is in the thickness of the oats after the oat groats have been steamed
and flattened.
The pairing of Oatmeal Cookies with raisins is perfect. Although I like
to use dark raisins in these cookies you could also use golden raisins.
Both dark and golden raisins are simply dried Thompson seedless grapes.
The difference is that dark raisins are sun dried which gives them that
dark shriveled appearance, whereas golden raisins are treated with sulfur
dioxide first to prevent them from turning dark and then air dried to keep
them a golden yellow color. Raisins, like dates, have a high sugar
content, and are a good source of vitamins and iron. Because of their high
sugar content they retain moisture which keeps these cookies soft for
several days. However, if you like you could replace the raisins with an
equal amount of dried cranberries or cherries, chopped nuts, or even
chocolate chips.
Oatmeal
Raisin Cookies: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line two baking
sheets with parchment paper. Or you can simply butter your baking sheets or
spray them with a non stick cooking spray.
In the bowl of
your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth. Then
add the brown and white sugars and beat until
creamy and smooth (about 2 - 3 minutes). Scrape down the sides of your
bowl as needed. Then add one egg and beat until it's mixed into the batter and
then beat in the second egg, along with the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk
together the flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Add this mixture to
the batter and beat until incorporated. Stir in the rolled
oats and raisins.
For large cookies,
use 1/4 cup (60 ml) (60 grams) of batter (I like to use an ice cream scoop) and place
six cookies on each baking sheet. Flatten the cookies slightly until they are about 1/2 inch (1.25
cm) thick. Bake the cookies for about 14 - 16 minutes rotating the cookie sheets
halfway through the baking time. The cookies are done when golden brown around
the edges but still a little soft in the centers. (The longer the cookies bake
the more crispy they will be.) Remove from oven and let the cookies cool a few
minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to finish
cooling. These cookies will keep several days at room temperature. They can also
be frozen.
References
cited may include a link to purchase the referenced book or item on Amazon.com.
Joyofbaking.com receives a commission on any purchases resulting from these
links.
This
website and the contents are not endorsed or sponsored by the owner of the
"Joy of Cooking" series of books or its publisher Simon & Schuster, Inc.
and is not related to the "Joy the Baker" books and website.
Video icons by Asher.
Content in any form may
not be copied or used without written permission of Stephanie Jaworski,
Joyofbaking.com. Students and non profit educators may use content without
permission with proper credit.
