Classic Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Classic Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies - made dough April 1, 2018 from The Perfect Cookie from America's Test Kitchen

Take a good look as this may be the only time you see oatmeal raisin cookies with honest-to-goodness raisins in them instead of chocolate chips, which is how I normally "cheat". It's not new news that I don't like raisins so I almost always substitute chocolate chips for the raisins. Almost always.

This time I actually did use raisins for these cookies at the request of my cousin Abby who specifically wanted oatmeal raisin cookies. She'd been doing a lot for me in prep for my vacation to the Philippines and I could hardly disregard her request simply because *I* don't like raisins. So, just this once, I stifled my raisin protest and bought a package to use in these cookies.

I don't really have a go-to oatmeal cookie recipe so I was glad to try this one from The Perfect Cookie by America's Test Kitchen. My problem with most oatmeal cookies is they're generally cakey more than chewy. Which is surprising because you'd think something with this quantity of oats would be chewy. But no worries here. I really liked how these cookies turned out. They didn't spread very much, stayed chubby, and had great flavor.

And, lest you think I ate raisins, in all honesty, I did reserve some of the dough before I added the raisins and instead added chocolate chips to "my" portion of the dough. Not gonna lie, that's the only way I was going to try this cookie.

What I liked best about it was the flavor. The brown sugar lent the caramel overtones I like in a good cookie. When eaten warm, it looks like it's mushy or underdone but you don't want to overbake these or they'll be hard. I ate half the oatmeal chocolate chip test cookie while it was lukewarm and waited until the rest cooled completely to eat the other half. I liked both versions. At room temperature, this was less fragile and more chewy but both were pretty good.

Texture while still lukewarm

Texture at room temperature

1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and browned, warm
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups (9 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins, optional

1. Whisk together flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
2. Whisk ground cinnamon into warm browned butter. Add dark brown sugar, granulated sugar and oil, whisking until smooth. Whisk in egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract.
3. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined. Fold in rolled oats and raisins, if using. 
4. Portion into dough balls, cover and chill overnight. Freeze for later or bake after overnight chilling.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and evenly space dough balls. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look wet. Remove to wire racks and let cool completely.