Old Fashioned Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

You know what I like about Oatmeal Raisin Cookies? They aren’t fussy. Which is probably why my brother likes them so much. He is the least fussy person I know. Growing up my little brother, A, would request Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and I would indulge him every now and again. This past weekend he graduated from Villanova University (so proud!) and I thought it would be sweet (no, pun intended) to bring him his favorite childhood cookie.

Confession: I usually make the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe off the Quaker Oats box. They are darn good, but I decided to be adventurous and make a recipe from The Settlement Cookbook by Lizzie Black Kander. The cookies are chewy, flavorful, and more cakey than others I have tried. They have just the right ratio of oatmeal to raisins.

My brother, A, doesn’t share my love of doughy cookies. When I made cookies when he was younger I would bake a special batch of cookies just for him. I just want to say that cooking non-doughy cookies is really difficult. I have this physical need to take them out of the oven when the middles still look a little under baked. Every fiber of my being rebels. A is not a fan of this practice, so when attempting to bake an entire 3 dozen oatmeal raisin cookies for his college graduation, it was a bit trial and error.

My fiancé so generously volunteered to taste test each batch to ensure proper doneness. Each time he would try one and pronounce it “doughy”. Crestfallen, I would return to the kitchen to try again. Each successive batch I would leave the Oatmeal Raisin Cookies in the oven for an extra minute, because not even my brother likes crunchy cookies. Shudder! I think I finally got it on the last batch. I tried, A, I tried!

I stacked the cookies in a plastic baggie and delicately placed them atop his real present in my carry-on. TSA has no respect for home baked cookies. Unfortunately after all that effort I presented my brother with Oatmeal Raisin Crumbles. Fortunately he just laughed and they disappeared all the same!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

The Settlement Cookbook

• 1 cup unsalted, sweet cream butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups oatmeal
• ¼ cup sweet milk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon [Full Disclosure: I took the cinnamon and clove measurements for the American Woman’s Cookbook recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.]
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup chopped raisins
• 1 cup chopped walnuts [These are optional. I don’t do nuts in my baked goods.]

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix all dry ingredients together and then add the raisins. Mi to coat and distribute evenly. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, and beat until incorporated. Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture, stir to mix. Add the milk to make a stiff dough. Honestly I never know what this means, so I just added all of it and it was fine. It’s not bread. Geez.

Drop tablespoons on a baking sheet 1 inch apart. Bake for 8-12 minutes depending on your desired “doneness”. These cookies really don’t spread and it helps them cook evenly if you tap the top down a little. Not necessary.

You know what else I like about Oatmeal Raisin Cookies? They kind of feel like a health food. Oatmeal + Raisins = healthy. No?