Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

We have new neighbors across the street, and the boys and I made these oatmeal raisin cookies to take to them as a welcome gift, but they almost didn’t make it due to my three-year-old snatching some bites out of them. I caught him a couple times and he just looked at me with a big smile and said the cookies were delicious. I really need to figure out a better place for the wire racks when cooling baked goods, because he can easily reach them on the island.

The recipe from America’s Test Kitchen uses a lot of old-fashioned oats and flavors the cookies with nutmeg instead of cinnamon. The nutmeg was nice, but I think I’m a died-in-the-wool fan of cinnamon oatmeal cookies. I do like how this recipe uses extra oats and cuts out some of the flour, which makes the cookies nice and chewy.

Equipment

stand mixer with paddle attachment
medium bowl
2 half-sheet baking pans, lined with parchment paper
#20 scoop

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1-1/2 cups raisins

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F.

2. In the medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of the stand mixer, mix together the butter and sugars on medium speed until it is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for about 30 seconds each time.

4. Slowly add the flour mixture while mixing on low, just until the ingredients are combined.

5. Stir in the oats and the raisins gently, just until combined. Make sure that the oats are evenly distributed throughout the dough, otherwise you’ll have clumps of oats that don’t hold together when baked.

6. Scoop a ball of dough and roll it in your hands, then drop on the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Continue with the remaining dough. Dampen your fingers with water and lightly press down on the top of each dough ball, flattening it slightly.

7. Bake in the preheated oven for 22 to 25 minutes. The cookies should be golden, but the center should be soft and puffy. Allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and cool.

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Source: adapted from America’s Test Kitchen