So I do realize that we’re, like, two weeks out from Thanksgiving and that now is the key time for me to be posting all sorts of fall-ish Thanksgiving classics and twists on classics and rustic crafty place cards and all that jazz. So naturally, I’m posting giant oatmeal raisin cookies a la Giant Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, aka the PMS Cookies.
holiday memories…
Growing up, Thanksgiving was always a really big deal at our house. Like…a really big deal. The way things ended up working out, my brothers and sisters always ended up doing their own Christmas or spending it with their spouses’ families, but everyone always came home for Thanksgiving. It was all the fun and festivity of Christmas, but none of the pressure and stress. Plus, my brother had a deathly poultry allergy (totally serious here), so we always had a turkey AND a ham, which is like the best of the holiday foods all in one place. Throw in the start of the ski season (yes, I did ski in another life; there isn’t a lot of skiing to be done in Louisiana and I also stopped when my friends wanted to go do adventurous things and I was perfectly content to do the same moderately difficult runs again and again) and that my birthday is a few days after Thanksgiving and it was always such an amazing kick-off to the holiday season.
Living so far from home can be hard, especially during the holidays. It seems like during the past week or so, Facebook has lit up with people who live far from home expressing some kind of melancholy as we approach the holiday season. And I totally feel it. In fact, it was more than melancholy on Sunday when I had a very public (and embarrassing) sobfest at church. Part of it is feeling nostalgic for those memories and part of it is feeling like as my kids get older, I want them to have the same kinds of memories that I had growing up, and that’s hard when we live thousands of miles from people we’re related to.
cookies for breakfast
Oatmeal raisin cookies are the ultimate comfort food of my growing up years. They remind me of my dad–they were kind of his default quick and easy breakfast (oatmeal? Raisins? Totally breakfast food), or we’d snack on oatmeal raisin cookies and Diet Coke on our way home from the ski resort (my addiction to Diet Coke is not a new thing, and it was totally instigated by my parents. Thanks, Dad.) That said, I have had a heck of a time finding an oatmeal raisin cookie that worked for me on a consistent basis. There was one time, one magical time, when I made the recipe on the Quaker oatmeal container and they were perfect (and also for one of my college professors and I ended up eating the whole batch at work, but let’s not talk about that) and I’ve never been able to replicate them. They always end up spreading or puffing or doing something I don’t want them to do.
And then I realized I could probably swap out the chocolate chips in my favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe, add some spices. Duh, Kate. They were everything I ever needed (and probably a little more.)
how to make them…
To get started, you’re going to need butter (real butter…this is a commandment), dark brown sugar (it adds more flavor), white sugar, a large egg, the yolk from a large egg, vanilla extract.
Preheat oven to 325. If desired, line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Place the softened butter, sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if you’re not using a stand mixer)
and mix with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix until combined.
For the dry ingredients, you’re going to need flour, quick-cooking oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and raisins.
In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (except the raisins).
Add to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix until combined. Add the raisins and mix until just combined.
Using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop, drop the dough by the scoopful onto the prepared baking sheets.
You should be able to get about 6 cookies per sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until they begin to turn light brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely. Makes about 16 giant cookies (or you can make more cookies that are smaller; you may need to adjust the bake time slightly).
Giant Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Description
These Giant Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are a must-have for your cookie recipe collection!
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife (very high altitudes may want to try adding 2 additional tablespoons of flour)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 3/4 teaspoon table salt)
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups raisins
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325. If desired, line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Beat the softened butter, sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix until combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (except the raisins). Add to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix until combined. Add the raisins and mix until just combined.
Using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop, drop the dough by the scoopful onto the prepared baking sheets. You should be able to get about 6 cookies per sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until they begin to turn light brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely. Makes about 16 giant cookies (or you can make more cookies that are smaller; you may need to adjust the bake time slightly).
Questions & Reviews
I just made these Cookies! They are awesome! Since I am following your health challenge I am trying to be good, I made these with whole wheat flour and followed your greek yogurt chart and did a 1/4 cup yogurt and 1/2 cup butter! My husband won’t do raisins so I still did the chocolate chips! Thanks for the recipe! They are Yummy!!
Amazing cookies!! I have NEVER, not once had success with the “vanishing oatmeal raisin cookies.” I have family members that swear by that recipe but apparantly I can’t get it right. These were perfect. PERFECT! Thank you so much. I did a test run today and will be including them in my Christmas cookie tins that I give out.
I’ve been looking for a reason to make these since you posted them and decided today thanksgiving was my reason … I substituted craisins and white chocolate chips for the raisin avoiders in my family and they turned out beautifully … Fabulous texture … Wonderful flavor … And several “best cookie ever” comments. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
I get where you are coming from. I was just thinking about how awesome Thanksgiving was when I was a kid. Spending time with the extended family on Thanksgiving-pigging out food. Then the ladies would peruse the sales ads while the men watched sports. Then, the next day, my sisters, girls cousins, and aunts would wake up crazy early and go shopping. After a long nap, we’d all come together for a 2nd Thanksgiving on the leftovers. It was amazing. I haven’t had one of those Thanksgivings for 8 years-since living across the country from my entire family. I think it’s totally fine to have a sob session or two every season, I usually do. Then I pick myself up and enjoy the celebrations. I miss my family, but at the same time I have made some of the greatest memories I never could have had.
Yes that recipe frustrates me! The taste is good though so I would still make them even though they looked gross. I’m making your oatmeal cookies right now! The 1/4 cup scoop scared me but they are cooking beautifully. And smell heavenly :). Looks like 15 mins is perfect.
You guys always have the BEST cookie recipes! <3 I can't wait to try these!
This is such a great post and at a good time. I have hated the the recipe on the oatmeal container. They would spread like little pies so I am excited to try this! Enjoyed reading the comments about family, holiday and children. Different not worse really helped me today! Thanks for this great post!
I’m not a big raisin fan, bit my grandfather would love these,
Thanks for being real!
These look beautiful and delicious. Totally my kind of breakfast. 🙂 Also, I’m so glad I’m not the only one who has random (and inconvenient) sobfests about living far away from family. It’s not the life I imagined, but it’s still good. Hang in there, and I will too!
I only use Trader Joe’s regular oatmeal. Will that do something to the recipe or does it have to be quick cooking?
I IMAGINE it will be okay–sometimes the quick cooking oats help with the moisture/texture issues, but it’s more of a precaution.
I soak my raisins for oatmeal cookies in dark rum…if I plan ahead, I soak them for two or three days in the rum! Yummy!
I too have a love relationship with Oatmeal Raisin cookies. I first got the recipe off of a 3M oatmeal box. I have hunted and hunted for the recipe and still cannot find it. I know it must be at Mom’s somewhere but I cannot find it there either. I actually add extra spices – cloves, nutmeg, maybe some apple pie spice and pecans. It was a favorite for breakfast and I thought just like you – oatmeal and raisins cannot be all bad!
These look yummy! I loooooove the giant oatmeal chocolate chip cookies – these should be delicious.
I just made your Oatmeal Chocolate Chip yesterday, which are my favorite! Can’t wait to try these. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes!
If I don’t have dark brown sugar could I just slip in some molasses?? And how much should I put if you think it’ll work?
I have a lot of these same issues. I had so much fun with cousins and things like that growing up. But due to family feuds (so annoying), people passing away or moving far away, and people not having kids (cousins for my children), their upbringing has been soooo different. So I am doing the best I can to make their childhoods special even though it is different than mine. I love Amelia’s quote so much: different doesn’t mean worse. They will fondly remember their childhood because Kate is their mom, that’s why! 🙂
I have had the same frustrations with the recipe on the oatmeal lid!!
Oatmeal raisin cookies are as much breakfast food as banana bread or muffins (read: cupcakes) are!
Behind my Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal raisins are my favorites!! I have given up trying to make good ones but I know an OBB recipe won’t fail me. I guess I can stop going to Subway to get my cookie fix!
I once told the counselor I was seeing that I was sad that my daughter’s memories won’t be like my memories — I am the youngest of four, and she is an only child; I was raised by two great parents, and she is being raised by a single mom. And my counselor simply said, “You’re right. Her memories won’t be like yours. Her little path is different from your path because this is HER life and HER journey. It’s not going to be quite like anyone else’s. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be good. It can still be very, very good. Because ‘different’ is not the same as ‘worse.'” I know our situations are different, but maybe that will help you feel better about your kids growing up farther away from family than you did…because it’s true: different doesn’t mean worse.
You are very wise! Thank you so much for sharing!
My 4 year old wants to make cookies today so we may have to try these. I only have old fashioned oats. Will they work?
They *should* be okay! 🙂
Nothing better than a big cookie like this! YUM!
Not a huge oatmeal raisin fan, but your oatmeal choco chip cookies?? Ooooh yea. I clicked over and read your post for the PMS cookies, and about died! Your funny, I and I totally relate right now. I guess I’m not crazy…my baby is 1…I need chocolate….
1/8 tsp of ground cloves – such a tiny amount – would you know If I skipped it or should I go buy some (I have everything else)
It is little–it’s such an overwhelming flavor that a little goes a long way. But you can leave it out, too–I actually left it out the last time I made these because I couldn’t find my cloves.
I’m not a fan of cloves, so I always leave it out &/or substitute allspice. Pretty sure it’s a matter of your personal preference. 🙂 (I say, make them with what you have! 😉 )
Looks delish! I don’t know the science behind it, but there’s something magical about adding just an extra egg yolk!
Oops! I was wrong. It’s a really old recipe from Mary engelbreit. I will have to see if I can find it 🙂
I just have to say that I too have experienced the one time magical success with that recipe on the back of the Quaker oatmeal box, and the subsequent disappointment when I could not duplicate it. It was so funny to read your frustrations with oatmeal raisin cookie recipes because I could totally relate. I can’t wait to try your recipe here because I am convinced I will be unfulfilled in life until I have solved the problem of the inconsistent oatmeal cookie phenomenon.
I can’t remember where it’s from….I think a Susan branch cookbook?? But she soaks her raisins in vanilla for awhile!!! No joke! You will have to look it up and try it sometime. Amazing!!!
Oh my goodness, these turned out beautifully! Only different thing I did was to use pumpkin butter instead of regular butter (Sorry!!! 🙁 ). I didn’t have regular butter in my fridge. But it was still amazing!!!!
So much to love here! We lived far, far away from any family for 17 years, so I totally hear ya about that! Our church friends became family, especially on holidays. Goodness, this recipe is like a gift from heaven since just a day or so ago my husband mentioned (yet again) that chewy oatmeal raisin cookies are his fave, and I was lamenting the fact that I did not have a decently reliable recipe. Boo! (Why is it that sometimes a recipe will turn out perfect and then the next time it will stab you in the back?) Anywho, all this to say, Happy Thanksgiving as you are away from loved ones, and thanks for this awesome recipe!
My husband will love these! Thank you! I can totally relate to how difficult it is to be away from family …all of our children live in different States than us – Oregon, Utah and Idaho. Thank goodness for video chats!! 🙂