1.27.2009

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I came up with a new idea for this blog. Since my bakery offers cookies and muffins (apart from cupcakes), I'll be posting about them too. Every third week, I'll be posting cookie recipes on Tuesdays and muffin recipes on Thursdays. This won't change the Wednesday cupcake postings, so don't worry.

Out of the several cookie books that I have, I decided to start using Great Cookies: Secrets To Sensational Sweets by Carole Walter. I got this book for myself as a Christmas gift, and I think it's about time to start baking things from it.

The first recipe in this book is Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. The picture didn't look very much like the traditional cookies, but hey, I tried this recipe anyway.

Here's the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt (before mixing).

This is the butter with the orange zest, before beating it.

I'm adding the brown sugar here. This picture didn't come out too good because I was taking it inside the mixing bowl (while it was still attached).

I'm adding the granulated sugar in this step.

This is the step that I think didn't make this the traditional recipe. Here, I'm adding molasses to the batter.

I like combining the eggs with the vanilla before adding it to the batter, so this is what the picture's showing.

I kind of missed a step here (photography-wise). Here, I'm adding the oatmeal, after having added the flour mixture.

I dumped the raisins and the pecans into the batter, and then folded them in.

They're ready to go in the oven (I was only able to make 10 at a time)!

Fresh out of the oven, they're waiting to be transferred...

...to the cooling rack.

They're ready to be eaten!

But first, here's an inside shot (taking inside shots is kind of my thing because I just like showing how they look inside after baking).

My verdict? I loved these. You can really taste the orange zest, and it meshes really well with the oatmeal and raisins. Since I had to go on a mission looking for the "navel orange" and ended up finding it in Whole Foods, my family jokes that the reason why the orange is noticeable is because it's organic. Who knows? But besides that, these cookies are chewy and just perfect.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
*makes about 4 dozen 3-inch cookies*

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm
1 tsp grated navel orange zest
2/3 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark unsulfured molasses
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup broken, toasted pecans or walnuts
1 cup dark raisins, plumped, drained, and patted dry on paper towels

Directions:
1) Position the shelves in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Heat the oven to 350F. Moderately butter the cookie sheets.
2) Strain together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3) In the large bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, soften the butter with the orange zest on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute; add the brown sugar, then the granulated sugar and mix until light in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Blend in the molasses and mix to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla and mix for 1 minute longer.
4) Reduce the mixer speed to low and pour in the dry ingredients, half at a time, mixing only to incorporate the flour, then blend in the oatmeal. Using a large rubber spatula, fold in the pecans and raisins.
5) Drop by rounded tablespoons 3 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back toward the end of baking time. Do not overbake or the cookies will be too crisp and difficult to remove from the pan. Let cookies stand for 2 minutes, then loosen with a thin metal spatula. Cool on wire racks.



Recipe from Great Cookies: Secrets To Sensational Sweets by Carole Walter

2 comments:

  1. Mmmm I'm a huge fan of cookies, but I think oatmeal raisin is in my top 3!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You should try these and see if they're up to par =P

    ReplyDelete