oatmeal cookies

The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

May 22, 2018

Oatmeal raisin cookies are like the red-headed stepchild to the chocolate chip cookie. Probably because of the raisins. I think the raisins give them a bad rap. But that’s a little unfair because oatmeal raisin cookies are delicious. And if you don’t like the raisins, just switch them for something a bit more palatable. Like chocolate chips.

I particularly like oatmeal raisin cookies because I can pretend like I am eating something healthy. Between the oatmeal and the raisins, it’s practically a health food.

Okay, that’s a stretch, but they are delicious!

How to Make Them

Unlike some of my other recipes, there is no special or secret ingredient that makes this recipe stand out. It’s a pretty basic recipe. Honestly, sometimes that tried and true recipes are tried and true for a reason. Just keep it simple.

First, cream together the butter, sugars, and molasses. Then mix in the eggs and vanilla.

If you are a perfectionist, mix together all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add them to the butter and egg mixture. If you are not a perfectionist, like me, just all the dry ingredients into the same bowl and mix them in.

Then fold in the raisins, or any other mixin you may want.

I highly recommend refrigerating the dough for at least 30 minutes before forming into balls and placing on a baking sheet. Alternately, you can form the dough into balls and freeze or refrigerate for 15 minutes before baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

Let them cool for at least 5 minutes, then dig in and enjoy!!

Supplies and Recipe

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3139831″]

[yumprint-recipe id=’178′]

Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies

November 14, 2017

A couple weekends ago I put out an Instagram poll asking folks what I should bake over the weekend. Most people voted between pumpkin pie, apple pie, cookies, and Rice Krispie treats (so, just about everything I posted last week). One follower had a very specific request: Caramel Apple Walnut Oatmeal Cookies.

I mean, those just sounded too good NOT to make so I added it to my list of baking experiments.

Fortunately for all of us, they turned out amazing! Imagine a soft oatmeal cookie wrapped around a hunk of gooey caramel. Oh baby! Fresh from the oven, there is nothing better!

I started off by making a basic oatmeal cookie dough. But I replaced 1/2 cup of butter with shredded apple. To shred the apple, I took the apple straight to a box grater and grated it until I hit the core. The shredded apple adds lots of flavor, some moisture, and cuts out some of the fat from the butter! You could almost call these cookies somewhat healthy.

Except for that huge chuck of caramel right in the middle. That really negates any of the health-factor from the apples.

I scooped out balls of the cookie dough and stuck a caramel square right in the middle. Then I covered up the caramel with a bit more dough and rolled it into a ball.

After a quick stop in the oven these cookies are ready for the taking! I highly recommend only letting these puppies cool for a few minutes so that you can enjoy them while the caramel is still ooey gooey.

However, they are still perfectly yummy at room temperature, but the caramel will just be chewy instead of gooey.

If you don’t want one chunk of caramel in the middle of the cookie, you could instead add caramel chips. That was actually the original recommendation by the follower who posted this recipe idea. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any caramel chips and was too lazy to go to the store, so caramel squares it was!

It basically comes down to whether you want caramel disbursed throughout your cookie or one caramel center surprise.

There are no wrong answers. It’s caramel. And apples! And cookies! Those will always be the right answer in my book!

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2894812″]

[yumprint-recipe id=’144′]

Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies

February 24, 2017

What is it about baked blueberries. I mean, they are great all on their own. But baked into a muffin, cupcake, or pie and they are fantastic! You think it has something to do with the flour, sugar, and butter it’s baked in?

Yeah, me neither.

Well, these blueberry oatmeal cookies are no exception. In fact, they may be my new favorite blueberry baked good. Ever. Move over blueberry muffin, there’s a new star around here!

Despite what you may be thinking, there isn’t anything all that special about these cookies except the blueberries. I started off with my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe, and instead of adding cinnamon, raisins, nuts, chocolate chips, or anything else you might add to oatmeal cookies, I added some fresh lemon zest and fresh blueberries.

After the blueberries were folded into the dough, I scooped them out using my favorite cookie scoop onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

[PSA: If you aren’t covering your baking sheets with parchment when you bake you are doing yourself a HUGE disservice. Not only to they ensure that your cookies will lift right off, but you don’t have to clean your baking sheet afterwards (unless you really want to)! I just just crumple up my parchment and throw it away!]

Then I baked these cookies just like normal and 15 minutes later they came out of the oven looking and tasting delicious!

They kind of reminded me of a blueberry muffin top, which as you know is the best part of any muffin. They are crunchy around the edges and soft in the middle. The blueberries burst with flavor every time you bite into them. And the lemon zest just makes everything taste super fresh.

I think I ate half a dozen of these blueberry oatmeal cookies before I stop myself from eating any more. I hadn’t actually baked these for me, I baked the cookies for a friend of mine who recently had her first baby! These blueberry oatmeal cookies are especially great for new, breastfeeding, moms because there is no chocolate (and, thus, caffeine), and the oatmeal is really good for breast milk production (so I am told by Google).

But don’t wait until your friends have babies to make these cookies. You should make them immediately and thank me later.

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:133]

PIN NOW, MAKE LATER

PRODUCTS USED

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2455223″]