Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (with not so secret spices)

I’m not always a fan of raisins in my baked goods, but I am a fan of these oatmeal cookies.

When I first found this cookie recipe, I had recently discovered cardamom, so I tossed a pinch in.  I like the extra complexity it adds to the cinnamon and nutmeg, but a little goes a long way.  If you haven’t tried it in baking before, you may want to try adding a teeny pinch.

Of course,  you could always leave out the cardamom, and you’d still be left with some tasty oatmeal raisin cookies.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Yield:  2 dozen large cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 ¼ cups firmly packed light brown sugar

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 cups old fashioned rolled oats

¾ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups white raisins

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Lightly spray cookie sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt.  Stir to mix.  Set aside.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time and mix well.  And the vanilla and mix until well blended.

Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir just until everything is moist and blended.  Do not over mix.  Add the raisins and stir just until combined.

Using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop or by a heaping tablespoon, drop dough onto the prepared baking sheets, six cookies per sheet.

Bake 12-14 minutes for soft, chewy cookies.  They will just start to show some color on the edges, and the centers will still look a bit  moist when done.  Allow to cool 5 -10 minutes on the baking sheet before moving the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes:

• Recipe source:  The Foster’s Market Cookbook
•  I have reduced the baking soda ¼ teaspoon from the original recipe because of our high altitude.  It keeps the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
• For a change, add 1 cup white chocolate chips, cinnamon chips, or nuts.
• I like to save some of the cookie dough balls in the freezer for future cookie cravings.  Bake straight from the freezer and add 2-3 minutes to the baking time.

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