If there's one thing you're bound to find at my house 99% of the time, it's cookies. Cookies, cookies, cookies - they're like the staple of the dessert world and I never get tired of them. I mean, how can you, really?
But for the longest time, there was exactly 1 cookie recipe I made over and over again, the first recipe I ever posted on this blog. I rarely make the same recipe twice unless I'm trying to perfect it, but when it came to desserts, all. I. ever. made. was those cookies. As much as I loved that recipe, it was time to move on. So I did what any sane cookie lover would do... and came up with another cookie recipe to love. :) Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, to be precise.
There are probably a billion and one Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipes already out there, but I decided to throw my hat in the ring and kick things up a notch. If I was going to add another recipe to the world's cookie jar, it had to be worth it, you know? It literally took me MONTHS to make sure this recipe was everything I wanted it to be; finally getting to share it makes me feel pretty excited, and also just a tad nervous. It's like a big project that you work so hard on, and when you finally turn it in, you're really proud of it and you just hope that it will be well-received. Does anyone else feel this way about their cookie recipes?? I dunno... maybe it's just me. :)
These cookies are thick and chewy (pretty much requirements in my book), and FULL of flavor and texture. A few extra steps make these cookies special, and I promise you, the extra steps are easy and totally worth the end results. Browning the butter and toasting the nuts and oats adds so much delicious nutty flavor to every bite of cookie, and rehydrating the raisins makes them plump and maximizes their flavor potential. Using all brown sugar gives the cookies depth and richness, and cinnamon adds that perfect note of spice like cinnamon always does.
And, you know, there's whole wheat in these cookies, so they're healthy enough for breakfast... kidding.
Seriously though, these are quite possibly the perfect Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. My grandma even learned how to brown butter just so she could make them at home. Tell me that's not sweet. :)
P.S. You do need to chill this cookie dough before you bake the cookies. I know that might seem annoying, but just think... you can have your cookie dough all made in the fridge, and then bake as many as you want, whenever you want, for freshly-baked-cookies at all times. It's a good system, trust me!
PrintOatmeal Raisin Cookies
Not your average Oatmeal Raisin Cookies - These cookies are nutty, chewy, and full of rich flavor. Brown butter, toasted nuts and oats, and plumped raisins take these cookies to a whole new level!
- Yield: 18-20 cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (½ cup) unsalted butter
- 4 ounces (1 cup) pecans (or sub walnuts)
- 3 ½ ounces (1 ⅛ cups) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 5 ⅝ ounces (1 cup) raisins
- 8 ounces (1 cup) water
- 4 ¼ ounces (1 cup, spoon and level) all-purpose flour
- 3 ⅛ ounces (¾ cup, spoon and level) whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 9 ⅜ ounces (1 ¼ cups, packed) brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Brown the Butter: Cut the butter into tablespoons and place in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Whisk occasionally as it melts. Once melted butter starts bubbling, whisk very frequently until it turns a rich hazel color. Remove from heat and set on a cool surface, continuing to whisk for another 30-60 seconds. Set aside to cool until it reaches 70º to 72º on an instant-read thermometer (or until it has thickened substantially and appears to be reaching a solid state again - it will still be soft enough to whisk). You can put the brown butter in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.
- While the butter cools, preheat oven to 350ºF. Spread oats and nuts out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toast in oven for 10-15 minutes, until fragrant.
- While the nuts are toasting, combine water with raisins in a small saucepan and bring to a low boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring very frequently or constantly, to plump the raisins. Strain out water and set aside.
- Whisk together all-purpose and whole wheat flours, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the cooled brown butter, vegetable oil, and brown sugar until well-combined. Add eggs, beating in one at a time, until mixture is smooth and lighter in color. Whisk in vanilla.
- Fold dry ingredients into wet until just combined - a bit of uneveness in the look of the batter is fine since you still need to add your mix-ins. Add oats, nuts, and raisins and fold in just until evenly dispersed. Chill dough in an airtight container in refrigerator for at least 8 hours, or overnight.*
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350º F and line a baking sheet with parchment or silpat. Scoop cookies by 2-ounce (about ¼ cup) portions and compact each piece of dough into a round disc. If the cookies have only been chilling for 8 hours, shape your dough into taller discs, like cylinders, so that they stay puffier once baked. Space apart on baking sheet. Bake for 10-13 minutes, switching and rotating baking sheet(s) halfway through time**, just until tops of cookies no longer appear wet (don't wait for them to get golden-brown). I would suggest baking for no longer than 13 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
*The cookie dough will keep in the fridge for at least a week, so feel free to only bake a few cookies at a time. That way - you can always have warm-from-the-oven cookies!
**Even if you're only baking one tray of cookies at a time, rotate the tray halfway through the baking time for even baking.
Do you love cookies as much as me? Better yet, do you make them as much as me?? What's your favorite kind?
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