Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

My son loves to eat a piping hot bowl of oatmeal for breakfast everyday. He never gets tired of it. So when I had just one egg left in the egg cartoon and the expiry date looming on me I decided to try these utterly delicious, chewy oatmeal cookies. Needless to say it was a big hit with friends and family.

I adapted this recipe from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich. I love the way she arranged the cookies recipes according to their textures. So this recipe was under the chewy section. I love all the different textures in this cookie, the edges are crunchy, center is soft and chewy and the raisins and walnuts also add a nice textural contrast in each bite. I will definitely be making this recipe again and again.

Makes around 20 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups / 6.67oz rolled oats
1/4 cup water
1 1/4 cup / 5.625oz unbleached all-purpose flour / maida
1/2 tsp baking soda / soda bicarbonate
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 pound / 2 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 cup / 5.25oz packed light brown sugar ( I used dark brown sugar )
1/2 cup / 3.5oz granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 cup / 3.5oz walnuts, roughly chopped
1 cup / 5 oz dark raisins

Method

• Put the oats in a small mixing bowl and sprinkle the 1/4 cup water all over it. Set aside.
• In another large mixing bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda thoroughly.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on medium low heat. When melted, take it off the heat and combine the sugars and salt in it. Let it cool to room temperature. When cooled down pour this over the flour mixture along with the egg and vanilla extract.
• Using your stand mixer, mix it all thoroughly together.
• When fully combined, add the oats and nuts and mix it all in..
• Let the dough stand for 1-2 hours or better yet leave it covered in the fridge overnight ( the latter one is what I did ).
• Next day, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. And also position the oven rack  in the lower third of the oven ( the second rack from the bottom ). ( The original recipe called for placing 2 oven racks, one in the lower third and one in the upper third of the oven )
• Line your baking sheets with parchment paper ( the original recipe called for lining the baking sheet with foil - dull side up )
• Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough, round it in your palms and place it on the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Make sure to place the cookies about 3 inches apart on the baking sheet.
• Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown on top. If you place two baking trays in the oven, make sure to rotate the trays from front to back and also from top to bottom. I generally prefer to bake with one baking tray at a time. Halfway through the baking time, I open the oven door and turn the tray around, to ensure even baking of all the cookies.
• Once done remove from the oven and cool it on the trays, as they are too delicate to lift out of the tray.
• Once completely cooled they can be stored in an airtight container for several days.