COOKIE WEEK!!! – Legendary Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Good oatmeal raisin cookie recipes are definitely hard to come by. I have tried several recipes with mediocre results but the day I made this recipe was the forever end to my search for the perfect recipe.  There is just something beyond compare when you get that perfect mixture of tender raisins, oatmeal, cinnamon and soft chewiness.  To be honest, I have eaten more cookies in the past 4 days than I care to admit.  I might actually  be slipping into a partial sugar coma.  I seriously thought that I would be able to hold strong tonight and not eat any of these babies… WRONG! They are irresistible and worse than that, you literally can not eat just one.  I guarantee that once you try this recipe, you will be committed to it for life. I honestly believe the secret to these amazing cookies is in the soaking of the raisins in the egg and vanilla.  Try them and tell me what you think.

Ingredients:

3 eggs, well beaten

1 packed cup raisins

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup butter flavored shortening (feel free to use butter or margarine, this is just what I have always used and it is *perfect*

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 and 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

2 cups oatmeal

Directions:

Combine eggs, raisins, and vanilla.  Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for one hour.

 

Cream together the shortening and sugars.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda, mix well.  Add to butter mixture.  The dough will be very dry and crumbly at this point.

Add your egg/raisin mixture and mix until evenly incorporated.  Add oatmeal.  Dough will be very stiff.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls (or use your cookie scoop) onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 8-11 minutes.  Mine were perfect at 9 minutes. Watch for slight browning around the very edges.  As soon as you see that, get them out of the oven.  They will seem undercooked in the center but it is essential that you get them out at this point so you can enjoy that super moist cookie instead of a crunchy one. They will continue to cook and set once they are out of the oven.  Wait 2-3 minutes before removing them from the cookie sheet.  Cool on cooling rack.  Be sure to taste your first one warm out of the oven… mmm…. so yummy!

*If you have never tested your oven temp, I would highly recommend it, especially if you ever have problems baking.  It is really common for your oven to be off up to 50 degrees.  My oven takes a full 20 minutes longer to heat up to the actual desired temperature AFTER it beeps saying it is preheated.  Also move the oven thermometer around to different spots in your oven to see if you have any hot spots.