PERFECT RATIO OATMEAL-RAISIN COOKIES
Comfort food for busy times (a new and improved version of the beloved recipe from my book, Every Day is Saturday)
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Hello!
I hope this finds you all on the other side of a beautiful Mother’s Day weekend. I felt very loved by my crew, who prepared a charming pancake breakfast with fresh tulips, Mother’s Day banners, and hand-written cards that I’ll cherish forever—including one by Mátyás, who wanted to let me know that all the presents/gestures were his idea (!!!).
András, especially, deserves a shout-out for driving me to all my favorite places in the Hudson Valley to eat pastries, see art, and spend time with our kids. It’s a long-standing joke in our marriage that my vision of perfect family life includes weekly visits to farmer’s markets, bakeries, and U-pick farms, and regular picnics on grassy knolls, all of which he went along with just about until I said yes to his proposal. Luckily, I bred two small best friends who adore these things as much as I do, and András humors me on birthdays and Mother’s Day. He’s getting the hang of it more every year.
It felt good to have a weekend to marinate in life at a slightly slower pace because, starting this week, it’s a mad dash to finish school projects, soccer games, ballet recitals, and some big firsts/lasts for my grown-up girl, Greta, who graduates from 8th grade this year.
In New York, we have school straight through June, but I’m already seeing end-of-school-year posts from friends further south and west of here (I see you, Missouri!). Regardless, anyone with kids/grandkids knows this time of year is madness—field days, field trips, graduation parties, and end-of-era bashes for those moving on to new life stages.
For these times, I like the old-faithful—a reliable treat that is pure comfort and reminds me of summer days in my own childhood home. Oatmeal cookies nail it. They are the taste of that first summer storm when you’re home from school when screens have replaced doors, the pools are closed, and you don’t have anywhere to be but maybe your best friend’s house later to make friendship bracelets and bake (and my bake, we mean eat half the dough then pass it off to our mothers to finish).
Below is the recipe. These are beautifully balanced between sweet and healthy-ish, with a nice pop of plump raisins, melty chocolate, and toasted pecans, which will delight all who love a kitchen sink-style cookie with lots of texture, as I do. Feel free to play this one old-fashioned and make these raisins only if that’s more your style, which will keep them extra soft and chewy (you can see what those look like by flipping through this cookie highlight reel).
These are the second installment in my FOUR BEST COOKIES series, which I’m sharing in preparation for my LIVE COOKIE CLASS, THIS SUNDAY, May 19. The plan is to meet online and mix, roll, and freeze (or bake and freeze) a copious amount of cookie dough together in our own kitchens to get ahead for all your busy times—grad parties, pool parties, or just a houseful of guests on Memorial Day weekend.
Here are the recipes we’ll make together:
Perfect Ratio Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (recipe, below)
Double Chocolate Shortbread (coming later this week!)
This class is a bargain at only $20; let’s fill the room! The final recipe goes live later this week, and a PDF recipe packet will be available for everyone who signs up for the class. I hope to see you all soon!
xx
Sarah
This letter wouldn’t be possible without YOU! Thank you for being here and enormous thanks to all who choose to support my work with a paid subscription.
PERFECT RATIO OATMEAL-RAISIN COOKIES (WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS AND PECANS)
2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour or (300 g) gluten-free flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks/224 g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
1 1/2 cup (290 g) coconut sugar or (300 g) packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups (300 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 to 1 cup plump raisins
3/4 to 1 1/4 cup chocolate chips or pecan pieces or a mixture (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two to three baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, coconut sugar, whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, whisking vigorously.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir in the oats, raisins, chocolate chips, and/or pecans, if using, folding into a tight batter. Set the dough aside for 20 minutes while the oven preheats. (This makes it easier to roll into balls, which helps them keep their shape while baking.)
Scoop into 2 dozen tablespoon-size balls or 18 medium cookie or ice cream scoop-sized cookies (pictured) and roll lightly in barely damp hands to make them round (if using a cookie or ice cream scoop, pack the dough in and tap it out into a mound shape; no need to roll).
Spread the dough out on the prepared baking sheets and bake until puffed, golden, and a touch underbaked-looking, 10 to 11 minutes for small cookies and 15 minutes for larger ones (DO NOT OVERBAKE: they will continue to bake on the pans as they cool). Cool on the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
PREP TIME: 15 MIN // BAKE TIME: 10-15 MIN
MAKES 18 BIG OR 2 DOZEN MEDIUM COOKIES
STORE: Wrap extras in an airtight container for up to 2 days; freeze for up to 2 weeks.
Photos and styling by Sarah Copeland.
Would be perfect without the raisins 😂
similar to cowboy cookies. sounds yummy.