Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Last time we spoke, I was about to do something very, very stupid.
And I was prepared. I knew what we had signed up for, that there would be more meat than four reasonably hungry people should be able to eat. And I think last time I even said something along the lines of “the side dishes are my favorite part.” Ha! That night, as delicious as the side dishes were – and they were – they were revealed for what they truly are: side dishes. The main attraction, the meat…there are no words. Looking back, it all started so peacefully. Our neighbors came over, we chitchatted, we sipped our wine, we nibbled on prosciutto and salame, we cooed at the baby. All the while, Francesco was trying his hardest to keep calm while his inner monologue, which I can sometimes hear, was screaming, “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, FOOLS? STEAK!!!”All in all, a very civilized evening.
Until, of course, the steaks came off the grill. My words – I think they were “a terribly bloody night,” – have since come back to haunt me along with clipped images of me, eyes fiery, gripping my fork in one hand and my wine glass in the other, tossing it back then tossing it aside. Give me my steak knife!
And just in case you think I’m doubting the perfection of those potatoes, that “little bit of sanity”? Even the potatoes were insane and by the time our neighbors stumbled the 2 feet from our front door to theirs, they, along with everything else, were gone.
We had prevailed. A bloody night, indeed.
Needless to say, I’ve been laying low for the last few days, avoiding cow farms and spirits (oh, except for during that concert last night…), and generally trying to rid myself of the murderous, lusty glint in my eye whenever I think of…
Nevermind! Let’s talk about something else. Cookies!
(I’m sorry but I can’t very well give you a recipe for steak. If you really want one, here it is: buy the best steaks you can get (Kobe), rub with lots of salt, let sit out of the refrigerator for an hour before grilling, then grill to your liking, no more than medium rare I beg you.)
Anywho! Nothing could be sweeter, more innocent or a better hangover cure than a nice batch of homemade cookies (biscuits for you crazy Australians). They don’t require much effort, and, with 60 to a batch, they’re the gift that keeps on giving.
You think I’d be sick of cookies by now, what with cookie monster house guest’s appetite for them. But I never shun a good cookie. And this is a good cookie. Maybe not insane (I don’t think anything with oatmeal in it can be insane), but sometimes? That’s okay.
OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES
This is my go-to classic oatmeal cookie recipe, and it makes a mountain of them.
1 cup (220 g) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves, nutmeg or allspice
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 cups raisins, soaked in water
Preheat oven to 350°F/ 175° C.
In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugars, egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients, then mix them into the wets. Stir in the oats and well-drained raisins. Spoon dough 1″ apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the tray before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Keep in a air-tight container. Makes about 60 cookies.
