These cookies are long overdue. This recipe has been flagged in my favorites for months. I still can’t find a “go to” recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies, so I’m on a mission to find the best. Please share yours if you have one. I always resort to the recipe on the Quaker Oats box and while good, I know the best is still out there.

I do enjoy an oatmeal cookie every now and then, but if given a preference, I’d always go chocolate chip. However, right now I fear the presence of chocolate chip cookies. If I had a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough, I could easily fall victim to it. I’ve never been a stress eater. When I’m stressed my stomach is usually way too upset to consume large quantities of food. I’m not sure what’s gotten into me this week. I’ve been on a crazy snacking spree, eating foods I don’t even like all that much like Goldfish crackers, what’s up with that? It’s all coming to a screeching halt – starting now!
I thought these oatmeal cookies would be a safe choice, until I tasted them. Man, they’re really good, so they’re getting packed up and shipped out. Oatmeal raisin cookies are my dad’s favorite and I don’t make them nearly enough for him as I should. My neighbor, Sophie, told me awhile back that her husband has put in a request for these cookies and the order is long overdue. Before I fall victim to anymore cookie dough, these are leaving the premises!

This recipe comes from a fabulous food blog, Smitten Kitchen. She’s tweaked the Quaker Oats recipe and it is much better. I made a mistake late last night when I made the dough and measured 3/4c. brown sugar, instead of the 2/3 c. They still are amazing! I usually like the super-sized cookie, but I used a melon baller to make these mini and cooked them for only 8 minutes. Be warned, this is a half batch below, double it so you can enjoy them a little longer. Next week I’m making more oatmeal cookies from a recipe used in a famous LA restaurant – we’ll have to wait and see which recipe triumphs.

Smitten Kitchen’s Thick, Chewy, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

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 walnuts, chopped (optional)

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 walnuts, if using 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. You could also bake them right away, if you’re impatient, but I do find that they end up slighly less thick.

The cookies should be 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. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.