Baking and desserts
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Homemade oat cookies smell of cinnamon and butter and taste nothing like the packet kind. Whole rolled oats give them a pleasant chew, the edges turn crisp and caramelised, and the middles stay soft. The dough comes together in 10 minutes, needs no chilling, and the cookies bake in 12-15 minutes. This batch makes about 24, enough for lunchboxes and tea for several days. Swap the raisins for chocolate, nuts or dried cranberries as you like.
Method
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Heat the oven to 180°C and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
Beat the soft butter with the sugar and vanilla sugar for 2-3 minutes until pale and fluffy.
Beat in the egg.
In another bowl mix the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
Stir the dry mix into the butter until you have a sticky, even dough. Fold in the raisins.
Drop walnut-sized balls onto the trays 5 cm apart and flatten slightly with damp fingers to 1 cm thick.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden at the edges. The centres will still look soft, which is right.
Leave on the tray for 5 minutes to firm up, then cool completely on a rack.
Tips for success
- Cookies harden as they cool. If you bake them until firm, they end up dry and brittle.
- If they spread a lot, the butter was too soft. Chill the dough for 20 minutes.
- Bake one tray at a time on the middle shelf for even colour.
- Use a small ice-cream scoop or weigh 25 g balls for even cookies.
Serving and storage
Serve with tea, milk or hot chocolate. They travel well for lunchboxes, work and walks.
Keep in a tin or airtight jar at room temperature for up to a week. Balls of raw dough freeze for 2 months.
Variations
- Chocolate chip: replace the raisins with 80 g chopped dark chocolate.
- Cranberry walnut: 40 g walnuts and 40 g dried cranberries.
- Flourless: replace the flour with the same weight of oats blitzed into flour.
Calories and macros
Per serving (about 86 g):
Per 100 g: 402 kcal, P 6.7, F 17.1, C 55.2. An estimate based on average ingredient values. Your daily calories ›
