Cookies part 2: less healthy but very tasty oatmeal raisin

It's December!! The count-down begins to the baking and food extravaganza that is Christmas. I will of course be partaking, as usual, although with my new location to consider and traveling with food a less than appealing process I imagine that my baking will be condensed into about 24-48hrs when I return home before Christmas Day. I will inevitably share some of the spoils with you in perhaps a Christmas round-up type post.

However now we can return to the second of my cookie series. A less healthy attempt at the oatmeal raisin cookie. These cookies were fun to make, particularly so because I was making them in the dark. For some reason, while our electricity worked perfectly, our kitchen lights fell into darkness last week, which made for entertaining baking and actually quite interesting photography.

 

These was taken using only the light from a street light outside but somehow the camera picked up lots of detail

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
200g Unsalted Butter melted
200g Muscovado Sugar
75g   Granulated White Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 whole egg + 2 egg yolks

200g Oats
175g Bread flour (plain flour can be used here but it results in a less chewy cookie)
100g Plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon (for flour)
1/2 tsp nutmeg  (for flour)
1/2 tsp all spice

150g Sultanas or Raisins
100ml Boiling water
2 tsps honey
1 tsp cinnamon (for water)
1/2 tsp nutmeg (for water)
1 tsp cloves

1. To start  mix your boiling water with the honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves until you have a
    very spicy tea. Let seep for about 3-4 minutes and then pour through a large holed sieve (to
    remove the cloves but let the spice through) over the raisins and then let the raisins soak in this
    until you are ready to a them.

2. Pour the melted butter over the sugars and mix to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and beat into
    a smooth mixture. Finally add in the vanilla and beat again.

3. Sieve together the flours, baking soda, salt and spices.

4. Add the flour mixture into the butter and egg mixture and beat to combine.

5. Remove the sultanas from the spice soak and add spoonfuls of raisins alternating with 1/3 portions
    of the oats until everything is combined.

6. Chill the mixture in the fridge for approx 15 mins (this can be stored like this for c. a week, or
    frozen for longer) before you preheat your oven to 180' C/350'F/ Gas mark 4.

6. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and then drop cookies onto the sheet, spaced well apart.

7. Bake for 10-12 mins max, put keep an eye on them. You want to take them out when they have
    browned and look solid but before they puff up. As soon as they come out of the oven, press them
    down with the back of your spatula. Some raw looking mixture may spill out but trust that the
    remaining heat will cook this bit enough. The centre of all great cookies (imho) is gooey.
8. Let cool before you dig in as these need the time to finish but once they've cooled you will thank
    me. So enjoy =)

Look at that delicious center!