Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are a favorite any time of year!  Add apple butter and bourbon-plumped golden raisins for the best oatmeal raisin cookies ever! Healthy and satisfying!

Grandma Clara always had homemade cookies on hand.  Her door was a revolving parade of cousins, nieces and nephews.  Sitting around the “grown-up” table with the other kids dunking oatmeal raisin cookies in a hot cup of tea is one of my favorite memories.  Bake up memories of your own!  Joyce Pinson, Friends Drift Inn

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – Recipe At A Glance

Yield 3 dozen Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Prep Time 45 Minutes    Cook Time 10 Minutes Total Time  60 Minutes

Ingredients All Purpose Flour – Old Fashioned Rolled Oats – Golden Raisins – Brown Sugar – Friends Drift Inn Spiced Apple Butter – Baking Powder – Salt – Cinnamon – Egg – Unsalted Butter – Vanilla – Bourbon

Equipment Measuring Spoons and Cups – 2 Mixing Bowls – Mixing Spoon or Mixer – Cookie Scoop or Teaspoon – Baking Trays

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies –  A Simple Joy

With apple butter and raisins, these oatmeal cookies are sure to become a favorite from your kitchen!  Moist, with a depth of flavor this simple drop cookie looks deceivingly humble.  But take a bite and you will know this oatmeal raisin cookie recipe is a real treasure.

Two cookies are only about 184 calories!  That’s a win-win!  

This is an easy cookie to make.  If you have kids around, they can help. These are always well received as an after-school snack or as a treat when the farm chores are done.

Not to mention those little “me moments” with a soothing cup of hot tea!

If the addition of bourbon to plump the raisins bothers you – try plumping them with orange juice.  Whichever ingredient you choose, plumped golden raisins have a lushness that “unplumped” raisins never will.

Tips for Making Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

• If you are a planner, soak the raisins overnight.  If this is spur of the moment baking project, place raisins and bourbon in the microwave and heat about 30 seconds.  Cover and let steep while you assemble ingredients and mix the dough.
• I like working with butter that has softened to room temperature.  It is perfectly safe to let butter come to room temperature overnight.  You DO NOT want liquid butter.  It should be soft and creamy.
• Chill the dough at least 30 minutes to prevent excessive spreading.

Freezer Tips

You can shape uncooked cookie dough and store in freezer bag for up to 2 months.  Great when you just want a few cookies, or as a quick-fix when neighbors stop by for coffee or tea.

For frozen cookie dough add about 5 minutes to the bake time.

To freeze baked cookies, store in an airtight container up to 3 months.  When thawing remove from container – you don’t want them to get soggy!

If you wish to serve your frozen cookies warm, heat them about 8 minutes in a 275 oven.  

Using Apple Butter in Cookies

For generations, the Friend family has been apple snobs.    I come by it honest. We are apple butter makers, and are likely to be so for at least several more generations!

Including apple butter in baked goods adds moisture.  We altered the dairy butter in this oatmeal recipe, choosing to substitute apple butter for dairy fat.  Reducing fat is a good thing, right?

The oatmeal raisin cookies come out amazing!  

We have already adjusted this oatmeal raisin cookie recipe, but if you are wondering how you can include apple butter in other recipes calling for dairy butter, the basic rule of thumb is if a recipe calls for ½ cup of dairy butter you would go to a 50/50 ratio of dairy butter to apple butter – thus ¼ cup of each.  Savvy?

Friends Drift Inn Apple Butter

Friends Drift Inn Spiced Apple Butter is light.  The spices are inspired by Old-Fashioned Apple Stack Cake, which highlights the taste of apples with ginger being the primary spice.  We combine several varieties of apples to get a superior taste and texture.

Our spiced apple butter does not contain added food colorings, preservatives, or high fructose corn syrup!  It is apple goodness, like the kinfolk have made it for centuries.

Is Oatmeal Healthy for You?

I’m not a nutritionist.  But take it from the experts at Cooking Light.  Elizabeth Laseter writes:

It’s no secret that oatmeal has been linked to a slew of impressive health benefits, most notably a healthy heart. Oatmeal is rich in beta-glucan, a powerful soluble fiber that has been linked to reduced cholesterol levels, a stronger immune system, and more stable blood glucose levels.

Laseter contends oatmeal contributes to fiber in your diet which assists in reducing cholesterol.  She also notes oatmeal has been researched as preventatives for cardiac disease and diabetes.

Livestrong takes a practical approach to healthy oatmeal raisin cookies, mentioning that the addition of raisins increases iron and potassium.

Kristen Mortensen writes:

Some oats are gluten-free so if you suffer from celiac disease or are gluten sensitive, oats can be a source of healthy grains. Eating them in a cookie — although not the healthiest way to consume them — can be an enjoyable way to include this nutritious grain in your diet.

Why Golden Raisins instead of “Regular” Raisins?

Oh children!  Golden raisins are little flavor bombs that explode in your mouth with a fruity goodness.

Emily Johnson at Epicurious writes:

Unlike regular brown raisins, golden raisins are not dried in the sun but in large dehydrators at controlled temperatures, with controlled humidity levels. Golden raisins are also treated with antioxidant sulfur dioxide, which is commonly used for both its health properties and as a preservative in dried fruit and white wine.

The result is a much fruitier, lighter flavor.

And when you plump them up with a little bourbon – well so much the better!

Oats and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – A Background

It is said that Fannie Farmer published the first oatmeal cookie recipe way back in 1896.  But who really knows how long these morsels of goodness have been around?

Here in Appalachia, many of us claim Scottish roots.  The Highlands of Scotland, not so different from the lay of the land here in the mountains.  It is no wonder, oatmeal cookies are a local favorite.

The Digital National Library of UK notes:

Oats have been the staple food of Scots for centuries.

In the 14th century, French chronicler Jean Froissart noted Scots soldiers carried bags of oatmeal to make their own oatcakes. However, bere and barley were more widely cultivated, especially in the Highlands and it was not until the agricultural improvements of the eighteenth century that nutritious, energy-giving oats became the dominant cereal.

Growing oats can be somewhat of a challenge.  Oats prefer a cool climate and in the US are produced chiefly in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.  Surprisingly, Quaker Oats sources their grain from Canada.

A Side Trip to the Southern Grain Gathering

This past summer I attended the Southern Grain Gathering in Lexington, KY.  That was chiefly a celebration of corn (we are the greatest producers of bourbon you know).  Wheat and barley got a few nods as components of bourbon mash bills and of course wheat flour for biscuits.

Not much mention was made of oats.  The truth is, here in Kentucky we grow oats chiefly as a cover crop.  When the agricultural academics mention oats in the Bluegrass, it is generally in conversations centering around horse feed.

But make no mistake, oats are an important piece of the grain puzzle for humans and animals alike.  For farmers, it is often tough to find markets for oats that are profitable.  But as grains gain in popularity, hopefully that situation will change.

What Are Rolled Oats?

There are various ways oats are processed and marketed.  For this recipe we use old-fashioned rolled oats.

According to the Whole Grains Council:

Rolled oats (sometimes called old fashioned oats) are created when oat groats are steamed and then rolled into flakes. This process stabilizes the healthy oils in the oats, so they stay fresh longer, and helps the oats cook faster, by creating a greater surface area.

Each type of processing gives a different texture.  Old-fashioned rolled oats are easy to come by, nutritious, and affordable.

Start with rolled oats, and as you gain confidence experiment with other oat products and recipes.

Now let’s bake oatmeal raisin cookies with apple butter!

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