Friday, March 6, 2009

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Today is my friend Bonny's birthday. Bonny works at the firm with me and I love her. She turned 60 something. I love working with Bonny, she is funny, a little crazy and has a flare for fashion. We always have a good time together.

For my birthday last year, she was so sweet and took me out to lunch at the Spaghetti Factory. So for her birthday I wanted to do something special for her. She had been asking me to make her some of my dinner recipes (she doesn't cook) so I told her to choose one and I would make it for her. She chose my loaded baked potato soup. She also told me that she loves Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Neither my hubby nor I like raisins so I'd never made this type of cookie before. I was a little nervous. I found this recipe on Cafe Johnsonia's blog.

When I pulled these out of the oven they looked good, but neither Brad nor I wanted to try one (lame I know) so I had another friend at work taste test them for me (I knew he would be honest). He said they were good and that she would approve. I had saved a small portion of the mixture and made two oatmeal chocolate cookies for the hubby and I and they were yummy so I figured these would be ok. The only thing that disappointed me about these was that they were a little flatter than I like. I have another recipe from America's Test Kitchen that I think I'll try this weekend. I like my cookies to be a little more dense and thick. These were more chewy and a little on the flat side.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
The Joy of Cooking's
Classic Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1 cup raisins (or milk chocolate chunks** )
3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional--my addition to the recipe)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Partially melt the butter in a large bowl in the microwave on 50% power for 50 seconds. Add the sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk well until creamy. Sift the dry ingredients together and fold into the butter/sugar/egg mixture with a spatula. Add the raisins (or chocolate), oats and nuts.

Use a small ice cream scoop or large spoon to drop tablespoon sized mounds of dough onto an greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 6-9 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet halfway through, or until the cookies are evenly browned on top and almost firm in the center. Let the cookies sit on the sheet for a few minutes to firm up and remove them to a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 3 dozen.

Please excuse the bad pic!

3 comments:

Shanna said...

I grew up on Oatmeal cookies and those look perfect! When we used to make them we would make them without the raisins. I like raisins, but they are good without them too! You are such a sweet friend!

Mimi Sue said...

I have a great oatmeal cookie recipe it's on my blog somewhere. You can put anything you want in it. I've tried dried cherries, skor bars chopped up, raisins, choc chips. Really anything you have on hand. By the way, I'm home!

Beth in the flesh. said...

I didn't have any of those today, but Clint said they were delish! :) Makes me want to cook!