Double Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

For whatever reason this week I've been in the baking mood. I get a great deal of satisfaction out of whipping up some delicious treats and watching family and friends excitedly dig in! Even the simplest recipes always seem to bring a smile to a loved one's face. Ultimately, this is why I cook.

After hearing about my Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie expedition, my best friend's mother hinted that she'd love to witness oatmeal cookie perfection. This awesome lady has been in my life since I was about twelve. To a certain extent, she has become a second mother, a strong role model, and an all-around pleasant person to swap life's stories with. This week she has been working late, and I thought an oatmeal cookie surprise might be a nice welcome home this evening. So this morning I got to work on the "perfect" oatmeal cookie.

As with most cookie recipes, I started by creaming together butter and brown sugar. Additionally, I added a fair bit of honey. Basically, I chose to approach this recipe similarly to the way I would approach my bowl of morning oatmeal; any flavors that I'd look to include in my oatmeal, I wanted to stir into this cookie dough. To the butter mixture, I added an egg and vanilla extract. I blended flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and cornstarch into the wet ingredients. I figured the addition of cornstarch worked well in my chocolate chip recipe, so I thought I would use it again in the oatmeal cookie dough. The cornstarch helps to keep the cookie soft and puffy. Also, I chose to grate fresh nutmeg into the batter. As Rachel Ray would say nutmeg just makes people say, "Mmmm, what is that?" I personally think nutmeg brings a warm, sweet, spicy element to baked goods. Obviously to turn this batter into oatmeal cookies, I added a whole mess of oats. Now it's my belief that the perfect oatmeal cookie includes two crucial ingredients: raisins and chocolate chips. Not only did I fold in raisin, but I also mixed in both white and semi-sweet chocolate chips. I also think it would be delicious to substitute raisins for dried cranberries or cherries, but today I decided to be somewhat of a traditionalist. After spooning the dough onto greased cookie sheets using a small ice cream scoop, I topped each cookie with a bit of sugar to ensure a crunchy cookie top and threw the pans into the oven.

About fifteen minutes later, I had fluffy double chocolate chip oatmeal raisin cookies with crusty tops and soft chewy centers. I hope these delicious treats measure up to the expectations of my best friend's mother. But if not, even the worst cookie is better than the best piece of broccoli!

Hopefully you'll soon find a reason to surprise one of your own friends or neighbors with these pillows of love!






Double Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredient:

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
• sugar in the raw for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream together butter, sugar, and honey. Add egg and vanilla. Incorporate flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cornstarch. Fold in oats, raisins and chocolate. Spoon heaping tablespoons of cookie dough about two inches apart onto greased pans. Sprinkle each dough ball with sugar in the raw. Bake for 14 to 15 minutes until the cookies are golden brown and the centers have set. 

Makes 2 dozen cookies.