Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Yes, more cookies. They are quick and easy and everybody likes to eat them. When I make cake or pie or anything that needs to scooped or eaten with a plate or bowl I almost always have leftovers that I can't get rid of. But not with cookies or brownies or anything else that people can pick up and carry off. Nope, those always get finished and that's the way I like it.

I haven't made oatmeal raisin cookies for a while and decided to give the King Arthur Flour essential chewy oatmeal cookie a try. These are actually quite good cookies with a hefty amount of spice: cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to be exact. Despite the fact that there is only 1/8 of a teaspoon of cloves in the entire batch, that's actually one of the stronger flavors in these cookies which offers a bit of a different twist on regular old oatmeal raisin cookies.

I do have to quibble a bit with the baking temperature though. KAF wants the cookies baked at 375, which is what I used, but the cookies were dark on the edges and underdone in the middle. If I bake these again I will lower the temperature to 350 and increase the baking time to get them to bake a little more evenly.






Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsps vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 large egg
6 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons milk
3 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup raisins
1 cup pecans or walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350.

Cream the butter, shortening and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the spices and extract and blend until combined. Add the egg and mix until incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the corn syrup and milk.

Add the oatmeal, then the flour. Once the flour is mixed in add the raisins and nuts.

Divide on baking sheets covered with silpats or parchment paper and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges are set and they look done in the middle.