Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Done RIGHT

Oatmeal raisin cookies and I have a love hate relationship. Cookie is chewy? Love it. Oatmeal cookie is hard and tastes like the fiber it's actually made of? Hate it. 


This here, listen close, is the perfect oatmeal raisin cookie. It comes from Smitten Kitchen so it shouldn't be any surprise that these cookies are heavenly. They're everything oatmeal, raisins, brown sugar, and hazelnuts wish they could be in a cookie form. They're chewy and so thick and spiced and perfectly crunchy in all the right places. They disappear before they cool. But if you manage to hold onto a few until the next day, they're still as good as straight out of the oven. 


I'm serious. Make these. Ya hear?

Thick, Chewy, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
makes about 2 dozen


Slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) butter, softened
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt (I often use a half teaspoon, but I like more salt in my baked goods)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped & toasted (optional... but highly recommended)


Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).


In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins and toasted hazelnuts, if using them. (Use them!)

At this point you can either chill the dough for a bit in the fridge and then scoop it, or scoop the cookies onto a sheet and then chill the whole tray before baking them. This helps with making them super duper thick and yummy. I think I chilled mine for 30-45 minutes.  


Place cookies two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes (your baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in), taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Seriously, don't over cook these. Stare at cookies for 3 1/2 minutes waiting for them to cool & then burn your mouth because you can't wait the extra minute and a half. BUT what you really should do is: Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.


ENJOY & eat happy!
xo