Monday, May 30, 2011

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies with Cinnamon Glaze

What's your favorite cookie? For me, that's a no-brainer. It's chocolate chip...crispy on the edges, chewy in the middle, and warm from the oven to be specific. But for Michael? His all-time-favorite cookie is oatmeal-raisin. Can you believe that we've been married for 7 years, and I've never baked a batch of homemade oatmeal cookies for him? I know...not exactly Wife of the Year behavior. So, I decided to rectify this sad state of affairs this holiday weekend! 

I searched high and low for the perfect oatmeal cookie recipe. Michael's only specific requirement was that they couldn't contain chocolate chips as "that's not a real oatmeal cookie." Raisins were a must. I found a great recipe for chewy oatmeal cookies at the King Arthur Flour website. I made a few tweaks, using golden raisins and adding dried cranberries. In addition to upping the amount of cinnamon called for in the recipe, I added a touch of nutmeg to up the spice factor. To make things a bit more interesting, I drizzled a simple cinnamon icing on top of half of the cookies. The rest I left plain for my purist husband!

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies with Cinnamon Glaze
adapted from King Arthur Flour


Step 1:  Preheat oven to 350, and line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat. Add 1 stick softened butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup dark brown sugar to a large bowl. Cream on med-low speed for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.


Step 2:  Add 1 large egg and 1 tbs. vanilla extract. Beat on med-low until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes.


Step 3: Add the following ingredients to the batter: 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 1/2 cups rolled oats, 3/4 cup golden raisins, 3/4 cup dried cranberries, 3/4 cup chopped pecans, 1 tbs. cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg.


Step 4: Stir well to combine all the ingredients. I used my (clean) hands at the end to make sure all the dry ingredients were fully incorporated. Use a cookie scoop or spoon to shape the cookie into balls. Place them on your lined cookie sheet, then use your hand to press down slightly. For reference, I was able to make two dozen cookies with this recipe. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned. Turn the baking sheet in the oven about halfway through baking to make sure that the cookies cook evenly.


Step 5:   Let the cookies cool  for at least 30 minutes -- but an hour is better if you can wait. While the cookies cool, make the cinnamon glaze. Combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tbs. cinnamon, and enough milk to make the glaze a good drizzling consistency...approx. 1-2 tbs. Drizzle the cookies with the glaze, and let them sit for about 10-15 minutes to allow the glaze to set. I served these cookies with the perfect accompaniment: ice-cold milk.

The verdict? These cookies definitely passed "the husband test"! We both enjoyed the combo of sweet golden raisins and tart dried cranberries...and we agreed that the nutmeg added a really nice spicy flavor in the background that complimented the cinnamon perfectly. We did differ on one thing: he preferred the "naked" cookies, but I thought the cinnamon drizzle added the perfect sweet touch. Glazing half of the cookies was a lucky decision on my part!

13 comments:

  1. Oh, I love cookies loaded with fruit and nuts! These look fabulous, and I like the idea of a glaze...mmmmmm. Hope you're enjoying the long weekend, Wendy!

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  2. WOW!! Loaded cookies... I must give this a try!

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  3. This just sounds amazing with the cranberries, especially! I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day!

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  4. Now that looks like my kinda oatmeal cookie!

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  5. My husband is a big oatmeal cookie fan, too! these look top notch!

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  6. Those cookies look amazing! I think dried cherries would be a nice touch too.

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  7. Oh those cookies are mouthwatering! I love the cinnamon glaze..well done!!!

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  8. I think you made up for the last 7 years with these cookies! Wow they are huge and mouthwatering! But I am with you - chocolate chip cookie fresh out of the oven, is my all time favorite!

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  9. I love both oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies, but you have definitely taken oatmeal raisin cookies to a new level with that gorgeous cinnamon glaze! Yummy!
    Oh and by the way, you joined us in Ina's Garden last time with your wonderful Scampi Over Spaghetti Aglio e Olio. We are meeting up again this Thursday (2nd June) to make Ina's Tabbouleh and we would love for you to join in with us if you can. (You can also link up other Ina posts you may have from the past if you like.) Hope to see you there!

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  10. Thanks for all the compliments...if it's any indication how yummy the cookies were? We polished them off last night. Good thing I only made a half batch of about 18-20 cookies! That's why I don't bake cookies often...then I have to eat them!

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  11. I am obsessed with oatmeal cookies; such a hearty body to them! I bet your hubby loved them, and you of course for baking them!

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  12. Loved reading your post about how all these years you haven't made your hubby his favorite cookies. I think now, you have a "full time" oatmeal-raisin cookie baking on your hands...LOL
    They are so perfect, crispy around the edges, and moist on the inside.
    King Arthur flour website has such a great variety of baking things, just can't go wrong with them.
    Loved the cookies...perfectly super yummy:DDD

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  13. Those are loaded for sure! Some people are picky about lots of ingredients in their oatmeal cookies, but they taste so good when there are salty, sweet, crunchy and chewy additions in the mix.

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