rants & recipes

I'm not quite sure why I have so much trouble with oatmeal raisin cookie recipes. I have a great chocolate chip cookie recipe, a delicious double chocolate cookie recipe - I even have a lemony sugar cookie recipe, that you can freeze the dough, and slice off and cook a few cookies at the time. I've made oatmeal cream sandwich cookies, too. But, for some reason, I'm cursed when it comes to oatmeal raisin cookies.

Anyway, tonight's attempt was probably the best I'm had - my oatmeal raisin cookies - no matter what recipe I try - are usually oily, overly sweet - almost candy-like monstrosities. That's why tonight"s attempt is such a drastic improvement for me. And I figured I'd better write down the recipe. Quick. I hope to be modifying and attempting again. (That's the first time I've been able to say that, about a particular oatmeal cookie recipe!)

Based on this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup "whole wheat" spelt flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• scant 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/8 cup dark brown sugar
• 3/8 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 cup applesauce (next time, I won't drain like original recipe suggests)
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups oats (not instant)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Mix oil, sugars, vanilla, applesauce and maple syrup together.
2. Mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add wet ingredients and combine to form a dough, while folding in raisins, nuts and chocolate.
3. Let dough sit for 10 minutes.
4. Drop by rounded teaspoonful onto baking sheet.
5. Bake in preheated-to-350 degree oven for 12-14 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on baking sheet. Remove to racks to finish cooling.

Notes:

• These cookies, as baked, were a little dry. They crumble easily. So, next time, I'm going to try a little more liquid. And perhaps, maybe some coconut oil in place of some of the vegetable oil. Maybe some pureed tofu to give it a little more binding?
• Oh yeah, and I made a giant cookie, plus a little bit left over (which explains photo, below, of a giant cookie) - we were using our oven to make tempeh, so I used our microwave/convection oven (cookie sheets don't fit).