Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

These are the very first things I baked in my new house. After five years with my may tag dual oven, I now own a Dacor wall oven and cooktop. Since my old Maytag was also gas, the cooktop is like an old friend to me; there are no surprises and no learning curve.

Ovens are another animal. Every oven is different, even the same make and model. I tested my oven with my oven thermometer to verify that the temperature it displayed was correct. It passed that test (and it preheats faster)! For my next test, I knew I had to bake something.

I am one of those strange people that like oatmeal raisin cookies more than chocolate chip cookies. I knew that this cookie would be the perfect first baked good to make; chewy, soft, full of nuts, raisins, oats and spices and dead simple and super quick to make. No chilling the dough- just cream everything together, portion the dough and bake. You’ll be enjoying cookies within a half hour.

My new oven and I are becoming fast friends; I can’t wait to share with you what I bake next in her!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup softened butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups oats

1 cup raisins

3/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well until well-combined. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the oats, raisins and nuts to the batter.

Drop 2 tablespoon sized balls of dough onto a large rimmed baking tray, leaving 1 1/2 inches of space between the cookies. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through baking time. Remove and allow the cookies to cool on the baking trays to cool for 5 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely or devouring them warm with a glass of milk. Yum!

Comments

Raspberry Pomegranate Jam

Tis the season to be making homemade gifts! Pomegranates are in season and their juice is a festive deep ruby red color. I knew I had to make them into a jam to give away. Straight pomegranate flavor is a little tart for me; I added raspberries for the texture of their seeds and their sweetness. This is a very simple recipe to make and will yield 6 to 7 8 ounces jars of jam or 12 to 14 4 ounce jars, if you like to give away sample sizes during the holidays. Enjoy! Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups pomegranate juice 1 cup mashed raspberries 7 cups sugar 1 tablespoon butter 1 1/75 ounce package Sure Jell Method: Sterilize your jars and lids. Set aside. In a heavy bottomed large stock pot, add the pomegranate juice, raspberries and butter. Mix well. Add in the sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil then stir in the Sure Jell. Allow to boil hard for 1 minutes. Remove from the heat and skim off any foam. Ladle into the sterile jars, twist on the lids and pr

Samosas with Yogurt Sauce

I love exploring many kinds of cuisine in my kitchen because I can control the spice level, and in the case of this recipe, the use of cilantro. Cilantro lovers out there- sub it info the parsley here. I have the gene that makes cilantro taste like soap, which limits my ability to enjoy some dishes in restaurants, but is easily rectified in my own kitchen. I hope you enjoy! Ingredients: 3 russet potatoes 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped 2 teaspoons curry powder 5 ounces peas Six 8 inch flour tortillas 4 ounces Greek yogurt Oil, salt, pepper, vinegar 4 tablespoons butter Method: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. Scrub potatoes and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces. Place in a large saucepan with a generous pinch of salt and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil over high; uncover and cook until tenderDrain potatoes and transfer to a bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in reserved saucepan over medium. Add chopped garlic and al

Peek-a-boo Squares

My grandma, Mimi, taught me this recipe. I used to make this with her and my mother as a child. It is my very favorite dessert. It is incredibly easy to make, and even easier to eat. My favorite part of making this as a child was dusting every bar generously with snowy white powdered sugar. My favorite version of this dessert uses canned blueberry pie filling; I vastly prefer Libby brand over the store brand. You can make blueberry pie filling from scratch with sugar, cornstarch, bleberries, etc. but using the canned stuff is easy in a pinch and is much for nostalgic for me. Plus, I don’t notice a vast improvement over my homemade blueberry pie filling and the Libby brand; it just takes me longer to put this dessert together. I have been known to whip up a pan of these Friday night and have them disappear by Saturday afternoon. Be warned, these things are addictive! Ingredients: 3 cups of all-purpose flour 2 cups of granulated sugar 4 eggs 2 sticks of

Watership Down Kitchen

Search This Blog