Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Recipe from the Joy of Cooking cookbook.

After a failed attempt at oatmeal raisin cookies last week (when they tell you to soften butter...absolutely DO NOT microwave it!) My over-softened butter resulted in flattened cookies...yuck.

I decided we've had this book for a long time now, I might as well try cooking something from it...so I'm starting with cookies.

The cookies came out good, not too sweet and chewy.

The ingredients

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
About forty-eight 3-inch cookies (I only got about 3 dozen)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line 2 cookie sheets.

Whisk together:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg

Beat in a large bowl until well blended:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Stir in the flour mixture. Stir in:

• 1 cup raisins, chopped (Chopping the raisins is a good trick!)
• 3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  
• (3/4 cup chopped walnuts)

Shape the dough into generous 1 1/2-inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Flatten the balls into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until the cookies are lightly browned all over, 12 to 14 minutes. Let stand briefly, then remove to a rack to cool.

1-inch rounds flattened

In the oven:

The finished (and delicious) product: