Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies—Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café

“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”  So I won’t say anything about these cookies.

These are Aaron’s favorite cookies.  When he makes cookies, this is what he makes.  I don’t think he has ever made chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies.  Or any of the other fabulous cookies out there.  (I’m starting to question our whole relationship.  How is this possible?  His mom did start bleeding heavily when she was five months pregnant with him and was laid out right on the floor of Raley’s grocery store in northwest Reno.  The doctor wanted to abort him.  She asked whether the baby was still alive, to which the doctor indicated that he was.  She refused the proffered abortion.  I am eternally grateful for that.   He also ate Drano as a toddler.  Maybe he suffered some kind of brain trauma?)

1 cup raisins

1 cup water

¾ cup shortening

1 ½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup reserved raisin juice

2 ½ cups flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon cloves

2 cups quick oats

Preheat oven to 300°F/400°F (see note below). 

In a small pan, boil the raisins in the water for about 10 minutes.  Drain the raisins, reserving the liquid.  Let cool a few minutes before adding to cookie dough.

In a large bowl, cream the shortening, sugar, and eggs.  Stir in the vanilla.  Beat in the reserved raisin juice.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves.  Add this to the creamed mixture and stir well.  Mix in the raisins and oats. 

Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Note.  For softer cookies, bake at 300°F for 20 minutes.  For crispy cookies, bake at 400°F for 10 minutes.  Aaron grew up with crispy cookies; he prefers soft cookies.

Family reviews:  This is Aaron’s grandmother’s recipe.  He loves it, and so do all our children.  I would like it if the raisins, cinnamon, and cloves were replaced with chocolate chips and the shortening were replaced with butter.  So why don’t we just do that?

 

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 ½ cups quick oats

2 ¼ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips

¾ cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Buzz the oats for a minute or so in the blender until they are a finer texture.  In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking powder, and baking soda.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla.  Stir in the oat-flour mixture until well combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts. 

Drop dough by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Family reviews:  These are really good oatmeal cookies.  But I don’t make them anymore because the kids all like Dad’s.