Soft warm goodness - Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Baking cookies at home is an invitingly joyful affair & when made with hand rolled oatmeal as the central ingredient , they transform into a healthy joyful option which you can chomp away at any time of the day . The perfect 13 minute bake time make them crisp on the edges , soft on the inside and a perfect blend of chewy cinnamon-spiced goodness . Eaten within minutes from when out of the oven , a warm cookie is an amazingly delightful indulgence anytime.

When you plan to make cookies at home , do preplan the process for best results .

I read somewhere ( and experimented successfully now ) that a cookie dough needs to be treated like a piece of fine 'steak ' & the longer it is left to marinade by itself , the better it turns out to be in consistency post baking . Based on my experiments , I would strongly recommend a minimum of 48 - 72 hours pre - marinade of the dough to get the best results . If however , you are stretched on time , do definitely stick to a good 5-6 hours on the marinade part to yield good results .

Also , always use an ice cream scoop to get even-sized cookies every time.

You can go low on the sugar and stud this recipe with extra raisins in order to cut out on the sweetness . You can also crumble the warm cookie over vanilla ice cream and be in for a great dessert while entertaining ! Lets do this and champion the cookie fan club ....

Things you will need :

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 2 large eggs ( at room temperature )

• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

• 1 and 1/2 cups of flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 cups of hand rolled oats

• 1 cup raisins

Steps to follow :

• Using a hand mixer , cream the softened butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until smooth.

• Add in one egg at a time and combine , followed by the vanilla essence

• In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients -i.e the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Add this to the the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined.

• Using a spatula , combine the oats, raisins

• The dough will be thick, yet very sticky.

• Chill the dough for 5-6 hrs. in the refrigerator or overnight for a perfect marriage of flavors ...

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees c degrees.

• Roll balls of dough - place them a little spaces apart on the baking sheets.

• Bake for 13 minutes until very lightly browned on the sides.

• The centers will look very soft and undone. Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

• Enjoy !