My son started pre-school last week. I can hardly believe that children are starting school as little as 3 years old! So we picked out his cool Superman back pack with matching Superman lunch box with a cute little cape. But, I couldn’t let my little super man go in to school without something extra special from Mommy. So, inside that little lunch box was a little pack of homemade Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.
There are lots of varieties of oatmeal cookies. Some people add chocolate chips, some nuts, some nothing extra at all… but there can only really be one Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. A hearty mixture of rolled oats and sweet raisins, this cookie is filling and delicious all at the same time. The Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookie is time-tested and adored by generation after generation. My children are part of that next generation that have fallen in love with this wholesome treat.
Let me show you how I made these…
You’ll need two sticks of softened butter. (If you have cold butter right out of the fridge with no time to let it come to room temperature, you can do one of two things 1. dice the butter and wait about 20 minutes or my preferred method 2. pop both sticks in the microwave for 30 seconds, stopping to flip every 6-7 seconds until all 4 sides have been exposed to the microwaves face up)
Add your butter into the bowl of an electric mixer… Notice how nice and soft it is.
Add light brown sugar to the butter.
Beat on medium/high for a minute or two until it’s looking a bit fluffy.
Always crack egg into a small bowl before adding in to a batter.
Add in egg. Beat thoroughly.
One more thing before mixing in your dry ingredients, add in your vanilla. Beat for 10 seconds.
Now start on combining your dry ingredients.
In a medium bowl, add flour.
Add in a shallow teaspoon of baking soda.
Add in your salt… Traditionally people like using table salt or a fine salt in cookies, but in these, I prefer a slightly more coarse kosher salt. I like the little bite of salt here and there. So, I will leave that up to you.
Wisk your dry ingredients together.
Into the bowl you used to measure out your dry ingredients, add your oatmeal… A lot of people like to use quick oats in their cookies, I however, am partial to old-fashioned rolled oats. I like how they don’t break down as much and hold their shape and bite a bit better. If you prefer a softer more smooth cookie, then use the quick oats.
Add in your raisins to the oats. Then add this to your dough and beat for 5-7 seconds until combined. Don’t go crazy here, you could even fold them in by hand.
Here is what your result should look like.
Using a 1 teaspoon cookie scoop, scoop out your dough. But, first be sure to have scraped down the sides of your bowl and incorporate fully.
Plop each scoop out onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
be sure to leave about an inch and a half between balls of dough.
Bake at 340°F for 10 minutes until you see the edges start to turn golden.
Allow the cookies to start cooling on the cookie sheet for about 2-3 minutes.
Transfer to a wired rack for cooling completely.
Recipe for Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies:
(yields 4 dozen)
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 egg, cracked into a small bowl
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins
1 tsp baking soda, shallow
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 340°F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar and egg. Once done, add in vanilla.
In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients and wisk together. Add into the creamed butter mixture. Beat until combined. Do not over beat at this stage as you will make the cookie tough.
In the same medium bowl measure out your oats and raisins. Add in to the mixture. Beat for 5-7 seconds.
Using a 1 tsp. cookie scoop, measure out each cookie dough ball and keep them 1 1/2 inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.
Allow to cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to completely cool.
Enjoy!