It must be 20 years since I have made these oatmeal cookies. I came across the recipe recently and decided to give it a go. When I was first married I made this recipe regularly. After all these years, these cookies did not disappoint me, they are moist, chewy, and delicious. The combination of raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon gives them the perfect balance of sweetness, texture, and spice.

Ingredients:
1 – cup raisins
1 1/2 – cups water
3/4 – cup unsalted butter (softened)
1 1/2 – cups sugar
2 – eggs
1 1/2 tsp. Pure vanilla extract
2 – cups raw oats
2 1/2 – cups all purpose flour
1 – tsp. Baking soda
1/2 – tsp. Baking powder
1 – tsp. salt
1 – tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 – cup walnuts (chopped)

Directions:
In a small sauce pan, add the water and raisins. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Drain the raisins, reserving the liquid in a small bowl. You should have about 1/2 cup of liquid. If it is less you can add water to bring it up to 1/2 cup.

Mix the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl, mixing on medium speed about 1 1/2 minutes.

Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix another minute.

Meanwhile, in a medium sized bowl, mix together the dry ingredients–oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon.

Pour the 1/2 cup of reserved raisin water into the butter, sugar, and egg mixture. Mix briefly (it will look curdled, but do not worry this is normal).

Now add the dry ingredients and mix until all incorporated, about 2 minutes.

Add the raisins and mix briefly to incorporate them into the dough.

Place rounded spoonfuls of the dough about 2 inches apart onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.

Bake in a pre-heated 375° oven for about 15-18 minutes or until golden brown on bottom.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen

Enjoy!