Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

yield: 2 DOZEN

 

prep time: 45 MINUTES (INCLUDES CHILLING)

 

total time: 1 HOUR

Ingredients:These oatmeal raisin cookies are the perfect blend of chewy and soft, buttery and cinnamon-spiced, brown sugar sweetened with a hint of molasses flavor. They're amazing warm from the oven with a cup of coffee or glass of milk. I love them crumbled over vanilla ice cream, too!

• 1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs1
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract (yes, Tablespoon!)
• 1 Tablespoon molasses
• 1 and 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups (240g) old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup (140g) raisins2
• 1/2 cup (64g) chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs and mix on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and molasses and mix on high until combined. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, toss the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Beat in the oats, raisins, and walnuts (if using) on low speed. Dough will be thick, yet very sticky. Chill the dough for 30-60 minutes in the refrigerator (do the full hour if you're afraid of the cookies spreading too much). If chilling for longer (up to 2 days), allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
4. Roll balls of dough (about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie) and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes until very lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft and undone. Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will continue to "set" on the baking sheet during this time.
5. Make ahead tip: Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. Baked cookies freeze well - up to three months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well - up to three months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw.

Additional Notes:

1. Room temperature eggs preferred. Good rule of thumb: always use room temperature eggs when using room temperature butter.
2. Soak your raisins in warm water for 10 minutes before using (blot very well to dry them) - this makes them nice and plump for your cookies. OR even try them with Raisinets!

Recipe Credit: Sally's Baking Addiction

THE Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks or 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch (aka cornflour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/4 cup (225g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick. Add the chocolate chips and mix for about 5 seconds until evenly disbursed. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough.
2. Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
3. Once chilled, the dough will be slightly crumbly, but will come together if you work the dough with your hands as you roll into individual balls. Roll balls of dough, about 1 Tablespoon of dough each, into balls. Bake for 8-9 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges. They will look extremely soft when you remove them from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. If the cookies are too puffy, try gently pressing down on them with the back of a spoon. They will slightly deflate as you let them cool. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
4. Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. Baked cookies freeze well - up to three months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well - up to three months. Bake dough balls in their frozen state for an extra minute or two - do not thaw.

Additional Notes:

Makes about 2-2.5 dozen cookies. Do not drop dough onto warm cookie sheets.  Allow cookie sheets to cool completely between batches. Baked cookies freeze well - up to three months.  Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well - up to three months. Bake for 1-2 extra minutes (do not thaw).

Recipe Credit: Sally's Baking Addiction

Homemade Oreos

Yield: 24 cookies, 12 sandwiches

Cookies:

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

Filling:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix Devil's Food Cake mix, eggs and oil in a bowl, the dough will be thick.

3. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and make dough balls smaller than the size of golf balls.

4. Place dough balls on cookie sheets, about 12 per sheet and pat down to make disks with fingers.

5. Bake for 7-10 minutes.

6. Let cool on cookie sheets for 3 minutes and then move to cooling racks.

7. Filling: Beat cream cheese and butter for 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Thicken with more powdered sugar if needed.

8. Frost the bottoms of half the cookies (once cooled) and sandwich them!

Place cookies in a tupperware and chill for at least an hour. Serve these treats chilled, they are MUCH better that way. And don't eat all of them yourself! :)

Recipe Credit: Your Cup of Cake

Thick and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces, or 115 grams) butter, softened
2/3 cup (125 grams) light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon table salt (I often use a half teaspoon, but I like more salt in my baked goods)
1 1/2 cups (120 grams) rolled oats
3/4 cup (120 grams) raisins
1/2 cup walnuts (65 grams), chopped (optional)

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins and walnuts, if using them.

At this point you can either chill the dough for a bit in the fridge and then scoop it, or scoop the cookies onto a sheet and then chill the whole tray before baking them. You could also bake them right away, if you’re impatient, but I do find that they end up slighly less thick. Either way, heat oven to 350°F (175°C) before you scoop the cookies, so that it’s fully heated when you’re ready to put them in.

The cookies should be two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes (your baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in), taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.

Recipe Credit: Smitten Kitchen

Soft-Baked Sugar Cookies

I actually adapted this recipe from a funfetti recipe, but I was desperate to find a really yummy SOFT and CHEWY sugar cookie recipe. I personally just hate those cookies that crunch. Anyway, hope you like these! We loved them.

Makes 15 cookies. Cookies stay soft & fresh for up to 1 week at room temperature. Cookies freeze well. Cookies may be rolled into balls and frozen up to 3 months to bake at a later date. Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

            1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature*

            3/4 cup sugar

            1 large egg, at room temperature*

            1 teaspoon vanilla extract

            1 and 1/2 cups spoon & leveled all-purpose flour

            1/4 teaspoon salt

            1 teaspoon baking powder

            1/2 teaspoon baking soda

            1 teaspoon cream of tartar (can not be omitted)

1.             In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter for about 1 minute on medium speed. Get it nice and smooth, then add the sugar on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides as needed. Set aside.

2.            In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 different parts. The dough is quite thick and you may have to stir the rest by hand.

3.            Scoop out large sections of dough (about 2 Tablespoons of dough each) and roll into balls. Make sure the balls are taller, rather than wide.

4.            Chill the balls of dough on the cookie sheet for at least 2 hours and up to 48 hours in the refrigerator.* This step will prevent spreading in the oven.

5.             Preheat oven to 350F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

6.            Bake chilled cookie dough for 8 minutes, no more. The cookies will appear undone and very soft. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets for 3 minutes and move to wire rack to cool completely.

*If you're in a pinch and need to soften your butter quickly, cut 1 stick of butter into 5 different sections. Microwave for 10 seconds. *Room temperature egg is required. To bring the egg to room temperature quickly, place in a warm glass of water for about 10 minutes as you get the other ingredients ready. *Recipe retested on 4/29/13 to add 1/4 cup more flour to resolve spreading issues. Use 1 and 1/2 cups total flour, which will aid in the spreading issues. *Chilling dough is mandatory.

Recipe Credit: sallysbakingaddiction.com

Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles

I made these for a Church get together, and they were absolutely fantastic. By far the BEST Snickerdoodles I have ever tasted!

Makes 2 dozen cookies. Cookies have a strong cinnamon taste, as cinnamon is generously used in the dough and the topping. The cookies are very puffy. You may slightly press down on them before baking or after baking to induce spreading. Cookies remain soft & fresh for 7 days in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies freeze well, up to 3 months.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 and 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.Instructions

1. Make the topping: toss 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Make the cookies: In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter for about 1 minute on medium speed. Get it nice and smooth, then add the sugar on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides as needed. Set aside.
3. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 different parts. The dough is quite thick and you may have to stir the rest by hand.
4. Take 1.5 - 2 Tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Roll the dough balls into the reserved cinnamon-sugar topping. Sprinkle extra cinnamon-sugar on top if desired. Bake cookies for 11-12 minutes. The cookies will be very puffy and soft. When they are still very warm, lightly press down on them with the back of a spoon or fork to help flatten them out. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Credit: Sally's Baking Addiction

Oatmeal Raisin Bars

We made this one for a family dinner, and it was delicious!

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  30 mins

Total time:  40 mins

Yields: 24 Bars

Ingredients

·         2 cups quick oatmeal

·         1 cup flour

·         1 cup brown sugar

·         2 tsp baking powder

·         2 tsp cinnamon

·         1 tsp salt

·         1 stick of butter, softened

·         ½ cup peanut butter

·         10 ounces peach preserve or jam

·         ½ cup raisins, chopped

·         ½ cup pecans, chopped

Instructions

1.      Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.      Lightly grease a 9×13 baking pan.

3.      Add oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into blender and blend until all is combined.

4.      Pour into a bowl and add in butter and peanut butter.

5.      Stir until crumbly.

6.      Add 3 cups of the mixture to baking dish and press it down evenly with hands.

7.      With a fork, stir peach preserves in a bowl until smooth.

8.      Spread over cookie base, leaving ¼ inch edge.

9.      Add raisins and pecans to remaining crumb mixture and sprinkle over preserves, pressing down gently.

10.  Bake for 30 minutes.

11.  Cool for 15 minutes or more until firm and able to hold its shape.

12.  Cut into 24 bars.

Recipe Credit: CookEatDelicious.com

Fruit Pizza

I made this one for Jeff's birthday this year, and it was a HUGE hit. It was gone in about ten minutes. This thing was also perfect because it was quick and yummy. Highly recommend you give it a try.

Crust:
1 tube (16 1/2 oz) refrigerated sugar cookie dough

Spread:
1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 t. pure vanilla extract

Topping:
Assorted fruit, such as sliced strawberries, sliced kiwi, canned mandarin oranges, blueberries, grapes, etc. Be creative here and top your pizza with anything you like!

Glaze: (optional)
1 T cornstarch
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup orange juice

Allow cookie dough to soften a bit. Lightly spray a 14-inch pizza pan or round baking stone with Pam and press dough out to 2 inches from the edge of any pan you are using. (Dough expands while baking)

Allow cookie to cool completely before icing.

Using a mixer, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Spread icing evenly onto cooled cookie.

Wash, dry and slice fruit (as needed) for arranging on pizza. If you want a symmetrical design, start in the center and work outward. Otherwise, arrange fruit as desired.

Optional Glaze:
Mix together cornstarch, sugar, and orange juice to make the glaze. Pour desired amount of glaze onto pizza immediately before serving. **I did not use the glaze, but it it delicious!

Slice to serve!