Oatmeal Raisin Nut Cookies

My family loves fresh baked cookies, and these oatmeal raisin nut cookies are always a first choice around here. The original recipe made a thick, chewy oatmeal cookie. The nuts and raisins are my own addition. I also found that we preferred a crisper cookie, so I flatten the dough balls down slightly before baking. I’m not sure of the recipe’s origin, although I think the recipe for the plain oatmeal cookie might have come from the back of a Quaker Oats box.

Ingredients
3/4 cup shortening or butter
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups oats (uncooked)
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup raisins (optional)
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat together shortening (I use butter), brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy. Add egg, vanilla, and water. Beat until mixture is light and fluffy. (I use my small hand mixer.)

Thoroughly combine flour, baking soda, and salt, then add to the sugar mixture. Mix well. Stir in oats, raisins, and chopped walnuts. (Either the quick or old-fashioned type of oats is fine.) The dough will be quite stiff.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets (greased). If you want a chewy cookie, leave the dough in rounded balls. For the crisp cookie my family prefers, flatten the dough slightly but not too much, because as the cookie bakes, the dough will naturally spread out.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Let the baked cookies cool for one minute on the cookie sheet, then remove them to a wire rack. Yield: three to four dozen 3 to 3 1/2-inch cookies. These cookies are extra, extra good when they are warm from the oven!

Filed Under Cooking & Baking from Scratch, Family Favorite Recipes, Frugality