I have my dreamy eyes on now. Only because I’m thinking of these deliciously healthy oatmeal raisin cookies, otherwise my go-to rise-and-shine-breakfast cookies. They’re the best! They put a smile on my face, fill my senses with warmth, fill my tummy with the goodness of oats and raisins, and give me the strength to carry on with my day.
There may be a hundred recipes, but this oatmeal raisin cookie recipe is the best. I’ve tried 8 different recipes and settled in on this recipe from Easy Cooking — Baking, as this is (in my oatmeal raisin cookie loving mind and heart) the best recipe I’ve come across. The addition of ginger to this recipe is just genius! It elevates the oatmeal raisin cookie to a higher level; the smell of ginger and oats is so comforting. They taste great, are soft, and break like a good cookie and they’re filling. Breakfast in a mouthful!
Make ‘em and store ‘em up on a Monday and munch on them through the week. If they last that long! As for me, of course these babies are my rise and shine breakfast cookies — but they’re also my snack-whenever-I’m hungry cookies. Oh yes. And only one is quite enough for a snack.
I’ve used quick-cooking oats. They’re just rolled oats that are finer. My reasons for using quick-cooking oats are twofold. First: rolled oats are quite expensive in India. The local global grocery stores and Amazon stock them, but they’re priced high. I’d rather buy the less-expensive quick-cooking kind — the same thing almost. Second: when used in cookies, quick-cooking oats turn crispy and add some texture while remaining soft. The recipe in the book calls for rolled oats, and if you have them on hand and try this recipe, do let me know how it turns out!
Try these oatmeal raisin cookies, and you’ll never want to stop putting them in your mouth!
- 175 g (6 oz) plain flour
- 150 g (5 oz) rolled oats or the quick-cooking kind
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 125 g (4 oz) soft light-brown sugar
- 50 g (2 oz) raisins
- 1 medium egg lightly beaten
- 150 ml (1/4 pint) vegetable or sunflower oil
- 4 tablespoons milk or almond/coconut/cashew milk for a vegan cookie
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Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF).
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Mix the flour, oats, ground ginger, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar and raisins together in a bowl.
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In another bowl, beat the oil, milk and egg together.
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Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet mixture in. Mix it well with a wooden spoon to make a soft dough.
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Place spoonfuls of the dough on a baking tray that is slightly oiled, and flatten the tops slightly with the tines of a fork. It doesn’t have to be perfectly round. Keep them about 2 inches away from each other as the cookies will grow in size as they bake.
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Put them in the oven and let them bake for 13 minutes until they are golden.
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Remove from the oven and let them cool for a good 3 minutes before to transfer them onto a wire for further cooling. If you try to take a hot cookie from the tray, it’ll crumble.
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Serving: Serve when cool.
Store these deliciously healthy cookies in an airtight jar, and they’ll last for about 4-5 days. You can store the dough in the fridge — wrap it in clingfilm, and it'll last for 5 days. When you want to bake, cut off the desired amount and keep the rest back in the fridge. You could replace half the raisins with dried cranberries or cherries. You could also substitute half the flour with whole wheat flour. I've tried it, and adding whole wheat flour does not take away from the taste!