Don’t give me no raisin cookie

You ever see something from afar thinking how wonderful it appeared, but when you got up on it…no bueno.

Meet my father’s raisin cookie.

My father coined himself a baker throughout my childhood. Some of his creations were veeeeeeery good. He never wrote down any of his recipes (problem #1…I’m all for intuitive cooking and baking, but create the blueprint…then embellish from there). He just created when the mood stuck and used whatever was in our kitchen.

I came home from school one day and thought my eyes were witnessing chocolate chip cookies. It wasn’t until I bit into this mirage that I realized it wasn’t chocolate chip. It was a raisin cookie.

A raisin cookie.

Raisin.

Rai.sin.

Nobody wants a raisin cookie. Nobody craves a raisin cookie. Nobody has ever said, “You know what I’m in the mood for, a raisin cookie.” Nor have they said, “I’ve been looking for somebody who makes a raisin cookie like my momma used to make.”  Nor have  they said, “What the world needs is more raisin cookies.”

Eating a raisin cookie under the guise that it is a chocolate chip cookie is like eating the crispiest fried chicken and realizing there is no seasoning–none at all–on the chicken or in the crust. It’s like needing a 93% on a final to get an “A” in a class, and you get a 92%…and your professor cares not–it’s a “B” for you. It’s like a year-long online relationship with exchanged photos, and when you fiiiiiiinally meet–that person looks exactly like the photo…but he short as hell.

A raisin cookie is not a chocolate chip cookie. A chocolate chip cookie is fine by itself. It’s fine with oatmeal. It’s fine with nuts. A raisin cookie needs oatmeal–at the very least. It can never just ride on the good looks of being a raisin. Never.

This recipe is one of my favorites. It is tender and buttery, without the butter. I use this recipe (in many variations) at SweetArt. Every time we make this cookie I can’t help but to eat one. Try it…then play with some add-ins (dried cherries, chai spice, lime zest with macadamia nuts…it can handle many wardrobe changes).

‘Til next time, Reine

As-It-Should-Be Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

• 1.5 cups soy-free Earth Balance
• .5 cup olive oil (light or extra virgin works well)
• 1 + 1/4 cups pure cane sugar (or turbinado)
• 1/2 cup + 1 TSBP brown sugar
• 3 TBSP hibiscus-peach loose-leaf tea or rooibos tea or tea of choice
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal + 1/2 cup rice milk (mix in bowl together)
• 2.5 cups + 3 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 2.5-3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (do not, I repeat, do not use pre-ground. Get a microplane or a spice grinder and make it happen)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 + 1/4 cups of raisins (add more if you like raisins like that; fewer if you don’t)

*Please note: this cookie is perfectly delicious without the addition of a tea. But you really should let the dough rest in the refrigerator, covered, for atleast 24-hours before baking. You won’t regret it. Promise. Can’t wait 24 hours? Wait atleast three hours.

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor or up-right blender, add both sugars and your tea. Process until well blended. It’s going to smell amazing.

2. In a separate bowl, combine your dry ingredients: flour, oats, baking soda, sea salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

3. With a hand mixer and a new bowl, or in the bowl of your stand mixer, cream your Earth Balance, olive oil and tea’d-up sugars. Beat on medium-high speed for 5 minutes.

4. Turn your mixer off, then add your flaxseed meal and rice milk mixture then blend again on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes.

5. Slowly blend in your dry ingredients until combined. Then fold in your raisins.

6. Scoop into balls of dough (about 2 ounces each…or a regular-sized ice cream scooper –typically 1/4 cup plus a lil’ extra per ball)

7.  Refrigerate for 24 hours!

8. Bake for 12-15 minutes and enjoy!