| 1/2 pound (2 sticks) | butter or margarine, softened |
|---|---|
| 1 cup | firmly packed brown sugar |
| 1/2 cup | granulated sugar |
| 2 | eggs |
| 1 teaspoon | vanilla |
| 1-1/2 cups | all-purpose flour |
| 1 teaspoon | baking soda |
| 1 teaspoon | cinnamon |
| 1/2 teaspoon | salt (optional) |
| 3 cups | rolled oats (Quick or Old Fashioned, uncooked) |
| 1 cup | raisins |
| 1 | Heat oven to 350 F. |
|---|---|
| 2 | Beat together butter/margarine and sugars until creamy. |
| 3 | Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. |
| 4 | Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. |
| 5 | Stir in oats and raisins; mix well |
| 6 | Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. |
| 7 | Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. |
| 8 | Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack. |
Makes 3 or 4 dozen, depending on size.
I've also made these with other rolled grains, such as rolled rye, and it works just as well.
The brown sugar can be light or dark, but dark has a richer flavor. If you don't have brown sugar, white sugar plus one or two tablespoons of molasses will work.
Dried currants or dried (and chopped) dates are very good substitutes for raisins. You can also add Chocolate chips and/or any kind of nuts chopped to a similar size. I've also tried candied orange peel, which was delicious, but I'd recommend only 1/2 cup if you try it.
You can double or triple the recipe without problems.
The Quaker Oats web site has a lot more good recipes, including a number of different oatmeal cookies.