Chewy Oatmeal and Raisin Cookies

This is a recipe that I saw on Smitten Kitchen and decided to try it out. I have been making quite a few batches for family and friends ever since. I made a few changes, but very minimal.

Photography by Robert Demetrius

We were heading on a road trip with a group of friends and knowing that they all had a sweet tooth, I decided to surprise them the perfect treat. What could be better than gloriously large, thick, sweet and chewy oatmeal and raisin cookies?

I prefer to use salted butter when baking, although my Omi swore by sweet butter. Please feel free to change to sweet butter if you wish. They will be delicious no matter which one is used.

Golden raisins were used since they have a softer texture, taste and are also sweeter and juicier than regular raisins.

This dough can be prepared the day before. I decided to make the dough and left it overnight, covered in the fridge for 12 hours. I placed the dough in plastic food wrap and left it in a bowl till the next morning.

You will need:
(Printable Recipe)

½ cup salted butter, softened (4 ounces)

2/3 cups of dark brown sugar

1 jumbo egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cups rolled oats

¾ cup of golden raisins

Pre-heat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

In a bowl, mix together ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon salt.

Mixture of Butter, Sugar, Egg, Vanilla Extract, Flour, Baking Soda, Cinnamon and Salt

Beat the butter and sugar until creamy then add 1 jumbo egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Continue to beat until smooth and creamy. Then add the dried ingredients incorporating them together, then add 1½ cups rolled oats and ¾ cup of golden raisins.

Dough with Oats and Raisins

Once the dough is done, leave in the fridge until it is well chilled. You can however make it the night before and leave it in the fridge overnight and bake the cookies first thing in the morning, which I usually end up doing.

Because I used a large ice cream scoop, I knew the cookies were going to expand, so it’s best to place them about 1½ - 2 inches apart. You will need two trays to bake the cookies.

One tray will be on the top and the other on the bottom shelf. The first shelf should be around 8 inches away from the top inner part of the oven.

At around 8 minutes, swap the top and the bottom baking sheets around.

After another 2½ minutes, turn off the oven and leave the cookies in the hot oven for another minute and a half before taking them out.

Once the cookies have been removed from the oven, leave them to cool on the tray for 6 minutes because they will still be very soft.

Cookies Ready to be Enjoyed!

Makes 15 large cookies. Voilà. These cookies can be enjoyed with a glass of milk, a cup of tea or coffee.