Begrudging Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Does anyone really like oatmeal raisin cookies?   I mean really? I mean, I can go into ecstasy over a really great chocolate chip cookie, or an incredible cupcake, or even a fantastic chocolate mocha milkshake.   But oatmeal raisin cookies?   To me they always seemed like the kind of cookies mom bought for you because they were “better for you” than the other cookies.

There’s a cookie store near my house – literally, a cookie store.   They just sell cookies.   Clearly, it’s the best place ever.   They sell them by weight, and they can get kind of expensive.   However, if you’re aware (there’s not a sign or anything), you can also buy “yesterdays” cookies for a dollar each.   Trust me, they are just as good – if not better – than the fresh ones.   I was just there and all they had in the “yesterdays” tub were, you guessed it, oatmeal raisin.   POINT. PROVEN.   I did not buy one – I spent real money and got me a toffee chocolate chip and it was well worth it.

Also, don’t oatmeal raisin cookies just feel like round pieces of breakfast cereal?

BUT, I’m aware that not everyone agrees with my Oatmeal Raisin Cookie opinion, so begrudgingly (hence the name of this cookie), I came up with one of my own.

So….now that I’ve really sold you on oatmeal raisin cookies I will say that this recipe is darn good, and when I served them at a party, people loved them.   So, what do I know?  And, honestly, if you want to have 5 or 6 with a glass of milk some morning and call it a well-balanced breakfast (grains, fruit, dairy) you won’t get any argument from me!

• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter, plus 6 additional tablespoons, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 t vanilla
• 1 ½ cup flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t cinnamon
• ½ t salt
• 3 cups oats (you can use good old fashioned Quaker Oats, or if you want to get fancy you can also buy oats from the bins at nice grocery stores. Not the gross ones where people stick their hands in there.)
• 1 ¼ cup raisins 

Directions

Beat the butter, brown sugar and white sugar together until they’re smooth.   Next, add in the eggs and vanilla and again beat until it’s smooth.

Next, add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt all at the same time and then mix again.   Here, make sure to mix it really well so that it’s well blended.   When you’re done, you can put away the hand mixer and lick the blades (AFTER you’ve unplugged it and taken them out of the motor mechanism!).

With a wooden spoon mix in the oats and raisins.   Mix until they look like they’re evenly distributed in the batter.

Bake on a cookie sheet at 350° for about 8-10 minutes – until the bottoms get just a little bit brown.

Let them cool on the cookie sheet for a minute to, essentially, harden up so they don’t fall apart.   Then, move them to a wire rack to cool.