Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I must have at least 100 cookbooks, countless cooking magazines, clippings from other magazines, newspapers, print outs from web sites and, let’s not forget, tons of recipes that I have saved to my computer as well. But, sometimes I can’t find any better recipes than what is on the box, bag or can of some of my favorite products, for example: Libby’s Pumpkin Pie, Nestlé’s Tollhouse Cookies and the recipe I used today, Quaker Oats Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

It’s another dark dreary cold day in January, it’s the middle of winter and here in Ohio, it seems like we’ve had nothing but snow and below average temperatures since early December. I was stuck inside and craving something comforting and sweet…..I wanted to bake something, preferably cookies, and after all the fancier, more time intensive cooking and baking of the holidays, wanted something simple so decided on oatmeal cookies. I pulled out a couple of cookbooks and, even though the recipes looked good, decided to go to the old reliable recipe on the lid of the Quaker Oats.

I know, it’s January and it’s an unwritten rule that we are all supposed to be on diets, trying to shed the weight we gained over the holidays…and I do plan to work on that…..eventually. As I said earlier, it’s been terribly cold and the extra pounds help keep me warm, kind of like insulation, so I really need them right now. Besides, if you don’t count the two sticks of butter, all the sugar and the white flour, these are actually kind of healthy…..oats and raisins are healthy….right?  Hey, it works for me....doesn't have to make sense while in the middle of a cookie craving…..so let’s press on.

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Print Recipe

1/2 pound (2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed  brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 cups oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup raisins

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat together butter and sugars until creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well.
Stir in oats and raisins; mix well
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack.

Makes about 4 dozen

The recipe for these cookies is under the lid. I use the old fashioned oats because that's what I usually have on hand...my favorite style to eat. 

 

Here's a hint, you may already know this but in case you don't..... When measuring out dry ingredients, place a piece of parchment or waxed paper under where you are measuring so that any flour, sugar, etc., that happens to fall ont the counter can easily be placed back in the container.

I like to measure and combine my dry ingredients first.

 

Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt and set aside. I like to use a whisk...it does a nice job of mixing the dry ingredients.

Firmly packed brown sugar.

Beat together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy.

Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. When baking, you should always use eggs that are room temperature. I always set mine out, along with my butter, for about 30 minutes or more (depends on how warm/cold your house is) before I need them. If I forget, I place the uncracked eggs in a warm bowl of water for several minutes.

Add combined flour and mix well.

Stir in oats and raisins, mix well.

Dough is now ready to drop onto cookie sheet.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. I use a cookie scoop...mines a little larger than one tablespoon. I usually put parchment on my cookie sheets or use a Silpat liner.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Leave baked cookies on cookie sheet for one minute and then transfer to a rack to cool. Make sure the cookie sheet is completely cool before putting more dough on it...this helps to avoid spreading. I sometimes stick the sheet in the fridge to speed up the cooling.

We have cookies!

Ok...so the whole time I was in the kitchen measuring and mixing ingredients Michael was in the living room watching TV.

This is how he watches TV most of the time, unless he's watching Ohio State play football or basketball. Fortunately, he has a DVR and can play back what he misses...sometimes he has to play it back several times before actually seeing a whole program. :)

Anyway, once he smelled baked cookies he awoke....funny how the smell of food always wakes him up. Of course, he couldn't wait until the cookies cooled....before I knew it, a glass of cold milk made an appearance and I was missing several cookies....I'm lucky I had cookies left to photograph. They were good though! Hope that if you make the Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, that you enjoy them as much as we did.