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).
