Chewy Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

These oatmeal craisin cookies were the first cookies I ever made for people. I remember I was in college and still a beginner cook. I found a recipe online for oatmeal raisin cookies, and decided to use craisins (cranberry raisins) instead of regular raisins. Raisins were just never my favorite, and I LOVED craisins. They ended up being a hit with my friends, and I continued to make them for a few years. Eventually, I graduated to other baked goods, and sort of forgot about them. The other day I got a craving for them, so I thought I would revisit this recipe and update it with new pictures and a new recipe.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Unsalted butter – I use brown butter for this recipe because it gives the cookies the best flavor! Browning butter evaporates all the water, so all you have left is a nutty butter flavor. Unsalted butter is the best kind of butter to use because it allows you to control the amount of salt in your recipes.
• All purpose flour – I would recommend using AP flour for this recipe. It has the correct amount of protein to provide the best texture to the cookie.
• Baking soda – Helps provide lift in the cookie and make it chewy.
• Ground cinnamon – Any kind of cinnamon should work for this recipe.
• Salt – Brings out the flavors of the other ingredients. I used sea salt for my cookies, but you can use any kind of salt you want.
• White granulated sugar – White sugar helps the cookie spread and adds sweetness to the cookie.
• Brown sugar – Brown sugar makes the cookie moist and chewy. I used dark brown sugar because there is more molasses in dark brown than light brown sugar. It gives the cookie a better flavor. You can substitute light brown sugar for dark brown sugar.
• Eggs – Adds richness to the cookie. I would recommend bringing the eggs up to room temperature before using them.
• Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the cookie. Use vanilla paste for better flavor.
• Quick oats – You can use either quick oats or rolled oats for these cookies. I prefer quick oats because the oats are cut into small pieces before they are rolled. The size of quick oats gives the cookie the perfect texture.
• Cranberry raisins – I love cranberry raisins because they are slightly tart which is a good balance to the sweetness of the cookie. If you don’t like cranberry raisins, regular raisins should work too.

Making my oatmeal craisin cookies

First brown your butter. Heat the butter in a small sauce pan over medium high heat. Once all the butter is melted, lower to low. Cook until the butter becomes golden and brown solids start to appear. Remove the heat and set aside. The butter will continue to brown as it sits. Combine AP flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside. Combine white and brown sugar in a large bowl. Pour in the brown butter and mix until just combined. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk until a thick, creamy texture forms. Add the dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and mix with a spatula until just combined. Lastly, add the quick oats and cranberry raisins. Mix until just combined. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

While the dough is resting, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. After the dough has rested, use a 3 tablespoon (1.5 oz) ice cream scoop to scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets. There should be 2-3 inches of space between each cookie. Sprinkle some flaky sea salt on each cookie. Bake for 11-13 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool for 10 more minutes before serving.

Tips on how to make the perfect oatmeal craisin cookies

1. Make sure the brown butter is not too hot – Cool down the butter before combining with the rest of your wet ingredients, so the heat from the butter doesn’t cook the eggs.
2. Why use brown butter – Brown butter creates a cookie with a crispy outside and a chewy center.
3. Which pan should you use to brown butter? – Make sure to brown your butter in a light colored pan so you can see the color of the butter as it browns. This helps to prevent you from burning the butter.
4. Rest the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes – Resting the dough allows the liquid to distribute throughout the dough and ensure the cookie bakes more evenly.
5. How to get the perfect texture – Whisk your wet ingredients until you get a light and creamy mixture. This is the key to getting a crispy and chewy cookie.
6. Storing cookie dough –  Freeze cookie dough for safe storage and pull out in case of cookie emergencies. You don’t need to thaw them out before baking. Simply put them on a baking sheet and throw them in the oven.
7. Use an oven thermometer – Most ovens are not very accurate, and oven temperature is important when trying to make the perfect cookies. For example, my oven is 50 degrees hotter than what it says on the oven dial. To help me gauge the oven temperature, I place an oven thermometer in the center of the oven to tell me the actual temperature. It’s $7 thats well worth it.

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