Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I have a big packet of rolled oats sitting in my kitchen for months that I nearly forgetten about it. Phew, lucky the expire date is in Oct 2011.

I come across this Oatmeal raisin cookies recipe from a tweeter post. And according to the blogger, she mention that "These cookies are so good, I have been having trouble blogging them. Because every time I sit down and look at this recipe, I'm off to the kitchen again, baking a new batch instead of writing." And WOW, since I have all the ingredients needed, I decided to give it a try. Daring enough, I double the ingredients even without trying the recipe first! I'm going to kill myself if the taste is not a liking to my family. LOLz.

Lucky it turn out well! I double the recipe and made about 165 cookies. My mum likes it, my husband say is not bad, and Yu Ling love it. I too like it, its crunchy on the outside, and not too hard on the inside.

Recipe: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Makes: About 24 cookies - 80 depending on your size

Ingredients:
• 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• ⅔ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
 (i use 120g)
• 1 cup (200 g) packed light brown sugar (i use 100g)
• 1⅔ cup (245 g) flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp sea salt

• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg (I omitted bcoz i dont have this at home)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1⅔ cup (175 g) old–fashioned rolled oats (not instant or quick-cooking)
• 1½ cups (240 g) raisins (if you like "boozy raisins", poach them in a bit of wine/rum first)(this also can be replace by any other dried fruit - cranberries, sour cherries, diced apricots, etc)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature


Method:
1. 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (If you don’t have a mixer, you can beat it by hand for ten minutes instead.)

2. Meanwhile in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon, making sure there are no lumps of baking soda. Stir in the oats and raisins.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until thoroughly combined. On low speed, or by hand, gradually add the flour and oat mixture to the creamed butter, mixing until completely incorporated.

4. Chill the batter a few hours or overnight, covered. (This step is optional, however according to Camemberu, it is absolutely recommended. Just put the entire metal mixer bowl into the freezing compartment for an hour and it's more than enough.)

5. To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

6. Drop the dough in 1/4 cup (50 g) balls evenly spaced on the baking sheet and flatten the tops slightly with your hand.

7. Midway during baking, rotate the baking sheet and tap the tops of the cookies down somewhat firmly with a spatula to flatten the domes. (You can skipped this if your oven doesn't require to rotate stuff halfway)

8. Bake the cookies for 20 to 22 minutes, until they just start to turn brown across the top, but do not overbake.

9. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Note: the cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days. The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week, or frozen for up to two months.

Recipe inspired by: Camemberu - David Leibovitz's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies