David Lebovitz Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
These oatmeal cookies are plump, moist, and chewy – so delicious! Full of fragrant spices and juicy raisins, they are both a lovely treat and a wholesome nourishment. For a slightly more "adult" version, feel free to use spiced rum or other liquor of your choice for soaking raisins.
David Lebovitz, adapted by Jerilyn Brusseau
Prep Time
30 minutes
Bake Time
15-18 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 45 minutes
Yield
24 cookies
Ingredients:
1½ cup (240g) raisins
1 cup (237g) boiling water* (see Baker’s Notes)
1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup + 1 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon (127g) granulated sugar
¾ cup + 3 tablespoons (168g) packed light brown sugar, sifted
2 (100g) large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon (5.2g) baking soda
1 teaspoon (5g) fine sea salt
1 teaspoon (2g) Saigon cinnamon (or your favorite cinnamon)
¼ teaspoon (0.5g) nutmeg, freshly grated
1¾ cup (252g) Organic Edison flour or 1¾ (245g) Sequoia flour
1 ¾ cup (175g) thick-rolled or steel-cut oats
Baker's Notes:
* A great option to add more flavor and make this cookie extra special would be to replace the hot water with spiced rum. Feel free to substitute all of the water for rum, or use half water and half rum.
**This flattening technique gives the cookie its signature chewy texture.
*** If you find that the cookies have spread out too much, a great way to re-shape the cookies into a circle right after baking is to use a large round pastry cutter. Put the pastry cutter over the cookie and round out the outside by rolling the cutter around the cookie to separate it from the others and re-shape the edges.
Instructions:
- In a small pot, boil 1 cup of water and pour it over the raisins to soak. Soak up to one hour or overnight. While the raisins are soaking, measure the other ingredients.
- In a bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Cream the ingredients together for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- One at a time, add the eggs and mix well to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour. Add the oats into the flour mixture and mix to combine.
- Drain the raisins from the liquid and set aside.
- Add the flour/oat mixture into the mixer bowl and mix together using a spatula or wooden spoon. Slowly add in the raisins and mix until everything is well combined.
- Scoop the cookie dough into a ¼ cup (55g) balls and place them on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Cover the cookie sheet with plastic wrap or clean tea towel and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Place 6 to 8 dough balls, equally spaced apart, on a parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheet. Flatten the tops with your moistened hand.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the sheet tray 180° and, using a greased spatula, press the center of the cookie down to flatten the center** (see Baker’s Notes).
- Place the cookies back in the oven and bake for another 5-8 minutes or until golden brown across the tops. Do not over bake.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the rack for a few minutes*** (see Baker’s Notes).
- Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool to room temperature.
Baker's Notes:
* A great option to add more flavor and make this cookie extra special would be to replace the hot water with spiced rum. Feel free to substitute all of the water for rum, or use half water and half rum.
**This flattening technique gives the cookie its signature chewy texture.
*** If you find that the cookies have spread out too much, a great way to re-shape the cookies into a circle right after baking is to use a large round pastry cutter. Put the pastry cutter over the cookie and round out the outside by rolling the cutter around the cookie to separate it from the others and re-shape the edges.