Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia

I think there are two types of cookie-lovers in the world: those who like raisins, and those who don’t. My sister does NOT like raisins, so I spent most of my childhood learning to bake things without raisins (my grandfather’s famous Oatmeal Molasses Cookie recipe excepted!) to accommodate her. Once something becomes a habit, it’s hard to break. But back to raisins! I bought a box of the golden variety a while ago for barmbrack, and I’ve been wondering what to do with the rest. When I found this recipe, I knew it had a good chance of success… and indeed, the cookies are delicious, buttery wonders.

Golden Raisin and Walnut Cookies (from a Bon Appétit recipe)

INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cups golden raisins

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup (packed) brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups walnuts, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two baking sheets with baking spray. Soak raisins in enough hot water to cover until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain; set aside. Roast the walnuts in a cake pan for 5-8 minutes in the oven, then cool in separate dish (if desired).

Mix flour, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Beat butter and both sugars in another large bowl until light and fluffy (to do this without a stand mixer, make sure butter is room temperature – malleable – and beat with hand mixer. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. Add dry ingredients; mix just until blended. Fold in nuts and raisins.

Using palms of hands, roll dough into 3/4-inch balls. Arrange on baking sheets, spacing evenly. Bake until cookies are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks; cool completely.

Note: The recipe says to roll the dough into balls, but I found that this only worked after I'd chilled the dough in the fridge overnight. When I first made it, the cookie batter was a little too sticky, and the cookies were more of the 'drop from spoon onto pan' variety. They turn out the same regardless. Expect thin cookies with crispy edges. Oh! And I found I got a more uniform result when I switched racks halfway through.