Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

There are a million of these recipes around. I learned this one somewhere but tweaked it. In the movie The Contender they talked about using dried cherries instead of raisins. I’m a fan.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Dessert
Keyword: cookie, cookies, oatmeal, raisin
Servings: 40 Cookies
Author: David Reed

Equipment

  • Stand mixer (optional)
  • Sheet Pans
  • Cooling Racks

Ingredients

  • 200 grams all purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 170 grams unsalted butter, room temperature (1.5 sticks)
  • 150 grams brown sugar (~¾ cup)
  • 100 grams granulated sugar (fine if you have it) (~½ cup)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 150 grams rolled oats
  • 125 grams raisins (or dried cherries)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C), rack in the middle.
  • Line 2 or 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. If you don't have any parchment paper, spray lightly with non-stick spray.
  • Mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg together in a bowl. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of your mixer cream the butter with the paddle on low or medium-low until smooth. Takes a minute or two.
  • Add the brown and white sugar a bit at a time on medium until all is added and incorporated and the butter is kinda fluffy. 2-3 minutes.
  • On medium speed add the egg and vanilla.
  • On low speed add the flour mixture a heaping tablespoon at a time until all added and combined.
  • Add the oats and mix on low speed.
  • Add the raisins (or cherries) and finish mixing.
  • Remove bowl from mixer and using a spatula or a wooden spoon mix a bit more to pick up any stray oats and/or raisins and/or cherries.
  • Form 1-tablespoon balls and arrange on a sheet pan — should be able to get 12-15 on a pan.
  • Bake one pan at a time, 11-14 minutes, turning halfway through. (In my oven it's 6 minutes, turn, then 7 minutes.
  • Remove pan from oven and set whole pan on a cooling rack or range-top. Let cookies cool and set on the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely. They'll be a bit soft still right out of the oven and may "droop" if you try to move them too quickly.

Notes

  • Dried cherries are larger and tarter (is that a word?) and a great substitution for raisins.  Or a mix of the two.
  • Oatmeal raisin cookies are almost healthy — they’ve got oats and fruit, after all.  Work with me here.