Recipe: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I love to bake. And one of my favorite things to bake are Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. There are many ways to make Oatmeal Cookies - some do it with raisins or chocolate chips. Then you have the debate about whether to add nuts or not. And if you add nuts, what kind of nuts do you add? Well, I have two men in my life who are very important to me; my honey and my Dad and I think that I can safely say that they would both agree that I have perfected the Oatmeal Cookie with this recipe. So, from my oven to yours, here is my coveted Oatmeal Cookie recipe.

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (room temperature)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup raisins

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Beat until combined, scraping sides of the bowl when necessary. 
2. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can. Stir in remaining flour. Stir in rolled oats. Stir in raisins
3. Drop dough by rounded spoonfuls 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes or until cookie edges are light brown. 
5. Cool cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.

Remember that this recipe can be modified to match your tastes. If you don't like raisins substitute in chocolate chips or cranberries or dried cherries. If you like nuts add a cup of walnuts or pecans. If you like your cookies crispy, cook them longer. The whole part of making something at home, it doesn't matter what you are making, is that you can make it the way you want it to be!