Oatmeal-raisin is my favorite cookie. Maybe because it seems somewhat nutritious. Maybe because it's good for breakfast. I've tried a lot of recipes over the years but this is the first one I've used that met my key requirements:
1. Spicy enough.
2. Chewy, not crispy, even a few days after being baked.
Spicy Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies
½ cup butter
½ cup butter-flavored Crisco
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. salt
3 cups oats
1 cup raisins, softened
I. To get started, soak the raisins in hot tap water just enough to cover them. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
II. Cream butter and shortening. Add sugars and mix well. Stir in eggs and vanilla and mix well.
III. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Add to the creamed mixture.
IV. Drain the water off the raisins. Stir the oats and raisins into the cookie dough.
V. Drop the cookies onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. After you remove the cookies from the oven, wait a couple of minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container, such as a Ziploc bag. Makes 3 dozen cookies.
Voice of experience:
The recipe didn't call for softened raisins but I did it anyway. That may be part of the reason the cookies were chewy.
Recipe source: Beth's Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies on allrecipes.com. I see one reviewer says this is the Quaker Oats box recipe with the addition of cloves. I got out my "recipes from the back of the box" cookbook and the Quaker Oats cookie recipe in that book calls for 3/4 cup shortening. This version has a full cup of butter and shortening, which seems like a big difference to me.