I’m not kidding.  This cookie is perfect.  Once upon a time, if you would have asked me if I would like an oatmeal cookie, I would have politely declined.  It just doesn’t sound like dessert, somehow.  It sounds like breakfast or something.  Just boring.

Until I met these guys.  The other night, I made a batch and six of us demolished almost the entire batch.  We just kept eating and eating…and then eating some more.  It was craziness.  They’re just that good.

At the end of this recipe, I’ll share again some of my basic tips for perfect cookies that I also shared on The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie, but the most important one is this.  

Don’t overbake!!

Watch these little fellas closely and just when the edges are beginning to turn golden and the middle looks just a wee bit underdone get them out of that hot oven.  You want soft, chewy cookies with barely crisp edges, right?  Not paperweights or mini frisbees.  For the love of a great cookie, don’t overbake.

Okay, on to the good part.

Mix 1 cup (2 sticks) of room temperature butter with 1 c. brown sugar and 1/2 c. white sugar with a mixer until well combined.

 Add in 2 eggs

and 1 tsp. vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine the following ingredients:

1 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix them well and then add them to the butter/sugar mixture.

Add in 3 cups old-fashioned oats and 1 c. raisins.

[Let me make a little note here about raisins.  I recently bought organic raisins and they were beautiful little buggers!  Plump and huge, they looked more like dried cherries than the shriveled up little nuggets I used to buy.  If all you have in your cupboard are the shriveled up little nuggets, prepare them for baking by soaking them for a half an hour or so in a bowl of warm water before draining and baking.  They’ll plump right up.]

Form into rounded balls o’ dough and place onto a cookie sheet
and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes removing when the edges are just golden and the middle still looks a bit underdone.  Let them cool a couple minutes on the cookie sheets and then move them to a rack to completely cool.

The Perfect Oatmeal Cookie

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Chewy oatmeal cookies packed with all the fall flavors like cinnamon and cloves and oats.

Alison: That Which Nourishes

Recipe type: cookies, dessert

Cuisine: American

Grocery List

• 1 c. butter
• 1 c. packed brown sugar
• ½ c. white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1½ c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. cloves
• ½ tsp. salt
• 3 c. old-fashioned oats
• 1 c. raisins

Here's how...

1. Mix 1 cup butter with brown and white sugar until creamy.
2. Add in eggs and vanilla. Mix well.
3. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Add to the butter/sugar mixture.
4. Add in oats and raisins. Mix well.
5. Drop by rounded Tablespoonful onto cookies sheets and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes just until edges are golden brown. Centers will still look a bit underdone.
6. Let them cool a couple minutes on the cookies sheets before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.

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Cookie baking tips:

The key is that it needs to be somewhere between done and gooey.  Practice it until you get it right with your oven.

Room temp butter.  Not margarine or any other fake oil.  Butter.  And not warmed in the microwave.  It’s just not right.  Better cold and beaten by the beater than microwaved.

No hot cookie sheets.  Give it a minute or three to cool before you add the next balls o’ dough.

Cold dough works best.

Let them cool on an oven rack until completely cooled before storing them.  If they are still warm, they will cause condensation and make your cookies soggy yuckiness.

But, personally, I don’t usually store them.  I make enough to eat and share and then save the rest of the dough in the fridge (or freezer) to make quickly the next time I want warm, gooey, cookie goodness because fresh cookies are really the best, aren’t they?

I hope you enjoy these beauties. I know I do! And I also know that Beth Sigworth does. She originally posted a very similar recipe on allrecipes.com from which I came up with my version. So thanks from the bottom of my heart, Beth!