Shortbread biscuits sandwiched with lemon icing. Melting Moments are a timeless Australian cafe favourite! True to their name, they literally “melt” in your mouth. They are delectable!

Melting Moments – flashback!

I am pretty sure Melting Moments is one of the first baked goods I ever attempted to make. The recipe from the Women’s Weekly “Best Ever Recipes” cookbook published back in the 1970’s or 1980’s which, to this day, is still my all time favourite cookbook. It holds such sentimental value, being the very first cookbook I ever owned. (Actually, “owned” is a bit of a loose term given I stole it from my mother. 😂)

The recipe I use today is based on the original Melting Moments recipe from this cookbook, though the ingredient quantities and mixing method has been slightly tweaked for what I think is a better “melt in your mouth” texture.

Also, the original recipe called for star shaped biscuits to be half dipped in chocolate then sandwiched with orange buttercream frosting, as pictured above. These days the popular cafe variety is plain biscuits joined with lemon frosting which is what I’m sharing today.

Ingredients in Melting Moments

Melting Moments are shortbread cookies joined together with lemon buttercream frosting. While some recipes call for custard powder to make the cookies more yellow, I personally prefer the flavour without imitation custard flavour.

The cookies

• Flour – Just plain / all-purpose flour.

• Cornflour / cornstarch – This is what gives shortbread cookies the signature soft “crumbly” texture.

• Icing sugar (soft) / powdered sugar – This is the sweetener for melting moments which gives the cookies the signature shortbread cookie texture (ordinary sugar makes them harder).

  ⚠️ Australia – Get packets labelled “SOFT icing sugar” or “icing sugar mixture” not pure icing sugar (packet labelled as such). Soft icing sugar is sugar mixed with cornflour/cornstarch, tapioca that is used for fluffy frostings. Pure icing sugar (packet labelled as such) is made with 100% sugar only and is used for icing that sets hard, like royal icing.

• Unsalted butter – Softened to room temperature which is (technically!) 17°C / 63°F. Don’t let the butter soften too much else the dough is a little more tricky to roll into balls.

• Vanilla extract – For flavour. Extract is better than imitation essence. I wouldn’t use vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste for this purpose – it’s a waste!

lemon ICING

Older-style recipes, such as the original Women’s Weekly recipe, tended to use icings which are not as creamy but firmer and a bit crumbly. These days, the cafe versions use buttercream frosting which is soft, creamy and fluffy, with the most common being lemon flavoured. So that’s what I use in my recipe. However, I’m also including a passionfruit version too!

• Unsalted butter – Softened to room temperature so it can be whipped into a fluffy frosting.

• Soft icing sugar / powdered sugar – As noted above, be sure to get soft icing sugar! If you use pure icing sugar the frosting will not be soft and fluffy, it sets hard.

• Lemon – Both zest and lemon juice.

For a passionfruit frosting, you will need passionfruit pulp (fresh, not canned, it’s too sweet) plus a bit of lemon to balance out the flavours.

How to make melting moments

1. Cream butter – Place butter, vanilla and icing sugar in a bowl. Beat for 1 minute until smooth and fluffy, starting on low speed to avoid an icing sugar cloud-storm.

2. Stir in dry in 3 lots – Add 1/3 of the cornflour and flour, then stir it in with a rubber spatula. Once the flour is incorporated, add half the remaining cornflour and flour, stir in, then repeat. The mixture is a a little softer than usual cookie dough, but it shouldn’t be pourable.

3. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto the trays – 28 mounds in total. A cookie scoop with a lever is handy here!

4. Roll – Then roll into balls using lightly floured hands to prevent the dough from sticking. As mentioned above, this dough is a little softer that typical cookie dough.

5. Flatten with fork – Use a fork dipped in flour to press the balls down to 1 cm / 0.4″ thickness.

6. Bake for 15 minutes in a 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced) oven, switching the tray shelves and rotating at the 10 minute mark. The cookies should be very pale golden, not browned.

7. Fully cool on the trays.

8. Lemon icing – Meanwhile, make the lemon icing. Beat the butter first until creamy, then gradually add the icing sugar, starting on low with the handheld beater to avoid a snow-storm. Add the lemon zest and juice, then beat on high for 2 minutes to make the frosting nice and fluffy!

9. Sandwich the melting moments together with lemon frosting. A piping bag makes short work on this as well as making the edges of the icing nice and tidy, but you could just spread with a spoon or knife.

10. Refrigerate 1 hour – You can eat the cookies straight away but the frosting will be a little soft so it squirts out when you bite into the cookies. So to reduce squirt-age, I like to refrigerate the melting moments for 1 hour to set the frosting. Then bring to room temperature before eating which softens the frosting again, but it’s still not as soft as when freshly made so it won’t squirt out as much.

    (I really never thought I’d use the word “squirt” so much in one paragraph. What has become of me?? 😂)

Why homemade tastes better

Make these for afternoon tea, for a bake sale, for book club with your friends. Or, just because homemade Melting Moments really are that much better than mass-produced store bought ones. Yes, I really did buy some so I could tell you that the cookies aren’t as “melt in your mouth” and the frosting is usually dried out rather than creamy inside.

But the thing that bothers me the most is that many store bought cookies aren’t made with butter but instead use more cost effective fat options like vegetable shortening which have no flavour. Butter is what makes these so good!!

I hope you get a chance to make these one of these days. They really are special! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Melting Moments

Recipe video above. These special cookies are an Australian cafe favourite. Shortbread cookies joined with lemon buttercream frosting, they are beautifully buttery, lemony and true to their name, literally "melt in your mouth" unlike any other cookie I know!

My cookies are generous sized because I like them big: 6cm / 2.4" diameter, 3.5-4cm / 1.5" thick. I wouldn't go any larger (too much cookie) but feel free to go smaller!

Course Sweet

Cuisine Australian

Keyword melting moments

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Cooling 1 hour hour

Servings 14 cookies (sandwiched)

Calories 335cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Melting moments:

• 250g (2 sticks + 1 tbsp) unsalted butter , softened (Note 1)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted (not PURE icing sugar, Note 2)
• 1 1/2 cups plain / all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornflour / cornstarch

Lemon icing:

• 100g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
• 2 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted (not PURE icing sugar, Note 2)
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Passionfruit icing:

• 80g / 6 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
• 2 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted (not PURE icing sugar, Note 2)
• 4 tbsp fresh passionfruit pulp , (not canned, too sweet)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced). Line 2 trays with paper.
• Cream butter – Place butter, vanilla and icing sugar in a bowl. Beat for 1 minute until smooth and fluffy (start on low to avoid an icing sugar cloud-storm).
• Dry in 3 lots – Stir in cornflour and flour in 3 lots using a rubber spatula. (ie add 1/3 of flour + cornflour, stir in, repeat twice more).
• Scoop 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto the trays (cookie scoop handy here), then roll into balls using lightly floured hands (to prevent it from sticking). You should have 24 – 28 balls.
• Bake – Press down into 1 cm / 0.4" thickness using a fork. Bake for 15 minutes, switching the trays at the 10 minute mark. Fully cool on trays.
• Sandwiching – Pipe frosting onto half the melting moments, then sandwich with remaining cookies.
• Set – Refrigerate for 1 hour to set the frosting (else it's so soft, it squirts out!). Then remove from the fridge 30 minutes prior to serving.

Lemon icing:

• Cream butter – Place butter in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium high for 1 minute until smooth and fluffy. Add 1/3 of the icing sugar, then beat in starting on low and increasing to high (to avoid snow-storm!). Repeat another 2 times.
• Beat 2 minutes – Add lemon zest and juice. Then beat on high for 2 minutes until fluffy. Transfer to piping bag, snip end off to make a 1cm / 1/2" hole. Use per recipe.

Passionfruit icing:

• Same method as above for lemon icing.

Notes

 1.Butter US measurement – You’ll need 17 tbsp of butter for this recipe which is 2 sticks + 1 tbsp.

2. Icing sugar type – If you’re in Australia, don’t get pure icing sugar, sets hard like for royal icing. Get packet labelled SOFT icing sugar or “icing sugar mixture”, or check the ingredients and ensure there’s either cornflour/cornstarch, tapioca or similar as well as cane sugar/sugar.

Storage – Keep in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days. It’s best to store in the fridge but bring to room temperature before serving. Though if it’s fairly cool weather, you can just keep in the pantry.

Nutrition per Melting Moment. Remember, these are generously sized!

Nutrition

Calories: 335cal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 22mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 625IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

Life of Dozer

This happens a thousand times a day. You can see how much he loves it. 😂

The post Melting Moments appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Meet my favourite cookie in the whole world – Brown Butter Oatmeal Choc Chip Cookies. Buttery. Nutty and caramel-y undertones. Melty pockets of chocolate, crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle. Unbelievably quick and easy – no electric beater, no waiting around for butter to soften.

I know there are more “perfect” cookies out there in this world. But for effort vs results, these cookies leave them in the dust. It’s one of those rare gems where the end result is not compromised by speed and ease. In the world of baking, this is so rare, I am confident that you, like me, will try these once and know that it’s a Keeper!

They are everything you dream of a chocolate chip cookie to be. Chewy inside (thanks to the oats), crispy edges, very buttery flavour (from the browned butter!) and big melty pockets of chocolate from chunks of chocolates rather than using chocolate chips.

They are perfect. And they are fast and easy!

Ingredients in brown butter choc chip cookies

When I’m making to impress, I prefer to chop up good dark chocolate myself. Lindt is my choice – not cheap, so I stock up when discounted! For everyday purposes, I’ll just use good ole’ choc chips. Bakers’ choice!

• Chocolate or chocolate chips – See notes above photo.

• Unsalted butter – This recipe calls for the butter to be browned which intensifies the buttery flavour. It’s really easy – just melt the butter then simmer for a few minutes until it turns brown and smells beautifully nutty. That’s it!

• Oats – Just ordinary rolled oats. This is what gives these cookies a great chewiness! Recipe should work with quick oats, but not sure about steel cut oats.

• Sugar – Brown sugar for caramely flavour and to make the cookies a bit chewy rather than crisp.

• Flour – Just plain / all-purpose flour. Please don’t substitute with self raising flour as it doesn’t have enough rising agent in it.

• Baking soda (bi-carb) – This is the leavening agent used in these cookies (ie to make them rise a bit). It is stronger than baking powder and has slightly different leavening effect depending on what you are making. Baking powder makes these cookies dome slightly whereas baking soda makes them rise more evenly which is better.

• Vanilla – Just a bit, for flavour.

• Salt – It’s generally good practice to add a bit of salt into sweet baking recipes as it brings out the flavours in other ingredients. It doesn’t make these cookies salty. But there’s certainly the option to finish them with a sprinkle of salt flakes!

PRO TIP – Don’t use the chocolate “dust”. It melts and smears in the cookie dough and makes it look a bit messy. Save the dust for your cappuccino and just use the chunks for your cookies!

How to make brown butter chocolate chip cookies

Are you ready to see how shockingly and dangerously easy these are to make?

1. Brown the butter

Browning butter is as simple as melting butter then letting it simmer until it changes from yellow to golden brown which only takes a few minutes. This intensifies the buttery flavour and adds nuttiness. Both good things!

1. Melt butter in a silver or other non-black saucepan or small pan. Why does the colour of the cooking vessel matter? Because it’s impossible to see when the butter changes from yellow to golden in a black pan. You’ll need to rely on your smell or using a spoon to scoop the butter up to check the colour!

2. Brown butter! Simmer the melted butter on medium to medium high for 3 to 5 minutes or until you see little golden bits (which are the dairy bits that go toasty) and you can smell the nuttiness. The butter will also change from yellow to golden brown in colour.

   Remove from the stove immediately to prevent it from going too brown / burnt. Pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl (including all the little brown bits – extra flavour!). Then let it cool for 5 minutes.

2. Cookie dough – just mix by hand

3. Whisk dry ingredients in a bowl – the flour, oatmeal, salt and baking soda.

4. Whisk wet – Add sugar into the still warm brown butter and whisk. It will look a bit split, that’s ok, it will come together when you add the egg. Add egg and vanilla then whisk.

5. Combine wet and dry – Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon until the flour is mostly incorporated.

   Then add the chocolate chips and mix through until you can no longer see flour.

6. 5 minutes rest – Set the cookie dough aside for 5 minutes to let it firm up slightly so it’s scoop able into mounds.

3. Use a cookie scoop for speed!

7. Scoop mounds of cookie dough onto lined trays, 5 cm / 2″ apart. I use a size 40 cookie scoop which is 1 1/2 tablespoons (a heaped tablespoon measure). You should get 22 cookies.

   I use 3 trays – 8 cookies on 2 trays and 6 cookies on a 3rd tray.

8. Press the mounds down to 0.8 cm / 1/3″ thick rounds, reshaping as needed if they split or go wonky.

4. Bake 11 minutes

9. Bake – Bake 2 trays for 11 minutes, switching and rotating the trays at the the 7 minute mark until light golden. Remove, then bake the 3rd tray for 10 minutes, rotating at the 6 minute mark.
   

10. Cool cookies on the tray for 10 minutes – they will continue to cook and go a bit more golden. Then transfer to a cooling rack to fully cool. They will crisp up on the edges and base, but be chewy in the middle – best of both worlds! 🙌🏻

You know the hardest part about these cookies? Picking that point in the cooling time when the cookies have firmed up enough so they aren’t too soft, but the chocolate is still (very!) melty. The window of opportunity is actually wider than you think – around 25 minutes to 50 minutes after pulling them out of the oven.

But I always fret, not wanting to miss the chance – because once the chocolate has hardened, you cannot re-melt it without compromising the cookie itself – and I find myself hovering over the cookies, prodding them every 5 minutes or so wondering if I should go in for the kill.

The Kill being THIS moment:

Now you understand, right?

25 to 50 minutes out of the oven. Set your timer, my friends. Don’t miss it.

Or, if you do, just make them again. They’re so easy, why not! 😈 – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Brown butter oatmeal choc chip cookies

Recipe video above. This is extremely fast and easy, and ridiculously good. No creaming butter, no chilling cookie dough. Don’t pause to wonder if it’s worth the extra 3 minutes to brown the butter. I’m telling you it is! It makes them extra-buttery with a nutty edge. Off the charts delish!

DESCRIPTION: Chewy in the middle (thanks to oats) with crispy edges. Extra buttery flavour! Use choc chips for convenience but if you're making to impress, chop your own. Makes 22 cookies 7cm/2.7" wide

Course Sweet Baking

Cuisine Western

Keyword oatmeal choc chip cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Cooling 30 minutes minutes

Servings 22 cookies

Calories 179cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 150g/10 tbsp unsalted butter , cut into 1cm / 1/2″ cubes
• 1 cup flour , plain/all-purpose
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick or steel cut)
• 1 tsp baking soda (bi-carb) , sifted if lumpy
• 1/8 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 1 cup brown sugar (tightly packed)
• 1 large egg , at room temperature (~55g/2oz)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200g/ 7 oz 70% dark chocolate block, I use Lindt (Note 1, sub 1 cup / 200g chips)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan). Lightly grease then line three baking trays with paper.
• Brown butter – Melt butter in a small silver pan or saucepan over medium heat (Note 2). Leave to simmer on medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring every now and then, until (when you push foam aside) you see little golden-brown bits. Immediately pour into a bowl (including the golden bits) and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
• Chop choc – Cut the chocolate into 1cm /1/4" pieces. Transfer the chunks into a bowl and leave the fine chocolate dust behind for another purpose (makes cookies speckled, Note 1).
• Mix dough – Whisk flour, oats, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add sugar to the brown butter and whisk (it might not combine fully). Add egg and vanilla, whisk until smooth.
• Finish dough – Add dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until the flour is almost mixed in. Add chocolate, and stir until mixed through and you can no longer see flour. Set aside for 5 minutes to let the mixture firm up a bit.
• Cookies – Scoop a heaped tablespoon of dough onto the tray, 5 cm / 2 " apart. (I use a size 40 cookie scoop, makes 22 cookies) Flatten to 8 mm / 1/3" thick, reshaping sides if needed if they split/go wonky.
• Bake – Bake 2 trays for 11 minutes, switching shelves and rotating the tray at the 7 minute mark, or until the surface is light golden. For 1 tray, bake 10 minutes, rotating the tray at the 6 minute mark.
• Cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer onto a cooling rack to fully cool. (A sprinkle of salt flakes wouldn't go astray!)

Notes

1. Choc dust – When you chop your own chocolate, you’ll end up with “dust”. I prefer not to use the chocolate dust as it leaves speckles on the cookie. It’s just a visual thing! I reserve for cappuccinos.

Lindt is my preferred, I stock up when it goes on sale! Else any dark eating chocolate is fine.

Substitute with 1 cup / 200g dark choc chips / semi sweet chips.

2. Browning butter – Easier to use silver or other light colour pan when browning butter so you can see the golden brown bits (can’t see against black base). Don’t forget to scrape in all the golden bits – it’s free flavour!

3. Baking – For 2 trays, bake 11 minutes, rotating the tray and switching shelves at the 7 minute mark. For 1 tray, bake 10 minutes, rotating at the 6 minute mark.

4. Keeps 5 days in an airtight container, they start softening on day 3+. Keep in fridge if it’s super hot where you are.

Nutrition per cookie, assuming 22 cookies.

Nutrition

Calories: 179cal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 185IU | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg

Life of Dozer

Dozer, no amount of hovering is going to get you any chocolate! It’s bad for you!

The post Brown Butter Oatmeal Choc Chip Cookies (easy!) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Take a break from the Christmas madness to make Christmas Cookies! These sugar cookies are classic vanilla biscuits that are made for cutting out shapes because they hold their shape perfectly when baked.

NO CHILL time, make them soft OR crispy. Ice them my EASY way, dip in chocolate, dust with icing sugar or serve them plain!

 Christmas Cookies

What I call “Christmas Cookies” are simply vanilla biscuits cut out in Christmas shapes and iced with colourful festive frosting. They taste like shortbread cookies, but not quite as buttery or crumbly. They are as classic as vanilla biscuits can be.

This particular biscuit recipe is made for cutting out shapes – in this case, Christmas shapes. Most cookies spread snd puff up so they bear little resemblance to the shape you expected!

But these hold their shape perfectly – as you can see by the sharp ridges and corners in the photo below.

What you need for Christmas Cookies

The nice thing about these Christmas Cookies is that they’re made with pantry staples – so there’s no need to add to your ever growing Christmas grocery shopping list!!!

How to make Christmas Cookies

Unlike most cookie doughs suitable for cutting out shape, there’s no chill time required for this recipe. Ain’t nobody got time for chilling during Christmas madness – right??!

Bonus: the dough is easy to handle and can be scrunched up and rolled up again over and over until you’ve used up every scrap.

Because these are sweet vanilla biscuits, they are flavoured enough and sweet enough to serve plain. But if you are inclined to ice them, pop over to my Icing for Christmas Cookies (PS I also share my quick ‘n easy way to ice them!)

So. Many. Cookies.

A sight that will catapult anyone into serious Christmas spirit!!

Make these for Santa, your family, or (if you’re really feeling the holiday spirit) maybe even to gift to someone.

And don’t worry. This is a big batch recipe. Nibble away, no one will miss one or two or five!! 😉 – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Christmas Cookies (Vanilla Biscuits / Sugar Cookies)

Recipe video above. These cookies are made for cutting out into shapes because they hold their shape when baking! They are plain, sweet vanilla biscuits that are perfect for icing and decorating as you please – and wonderful served plain too. NO CHILL!

Course Sweet Baking

Cuisine Western

Keyword christmas biscuits, christmas cookies, vanilla biscuits

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 40 cookies

Calories 96cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 225g / 1 cup unsalted butter , softened (or use salted, skip salt)
• 1 cup caster/superfine sugar (granulated/ordinary white sugar ok too)
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg (55-60g / 1.9-2oz)
• 3 cups flour , plain / all purpose
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt

Icing for Sugar Cookies

• Icing for Sugar Cookies

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat Oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamy (1 minute on speed 5)
• Add egg and vanilla, beat until completely combined.
• Add flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Start mixing slowly, then beat until the flour is incorporated – it will be clumpy.
• Dust work surface with flour, scrape dough out of bowl. Pat together then cut in half, then shape into 2 discs.
• Roll out to 0.3cm / 1/8" (for thinner, crispier cookies) or 0.6cm / 1/4" (for thicker, softer cookies), sprinkling with flour under and over the dough so it doesn't stick.
• Use cookie cutters to press out shapes and use a knife or spatula to transfer shapes to prepared baking sheets. (Keep dough that doesn’t fit in the oven in the fridge).
• Bake for 10 minutes, swapping trays halfway (Note 2), until the surface is pale golden and the edges are just beginning to turn light golden.
• Allow cookies to cool completely on trays (they will finish cooking on the trays).

Decorating options:

• Icing – see Icing for Christmas Cookies recipe.
• Melt chocolate then dip the surface into chocolate.
• Dot with icing sugar and decorated with silver balls
• Dust with icing sugar
• Serve plain! They are sweet vanilla biscuits so they are wonderful eaten just as they are!

Notes

1. Number of cookies will depend on cut out size and how thick you roll your dough. It fills 3 baking trays.

2. Swapping trays halfway – this means that you put both trays in the oven with one in the middle of the oven and the other underneath. Halfway through the bake time, switch them around so the one underneath moves to the top shelf, and the tray on top moves to the shelf underneath. This ensures they both bake evenly because the top shelf bakes faster than the shelf underneath.

3. Source – adapted from this Sugar Cookies recipe by Sugar, Spun, Run. 

4. Storage – Keeps in an airtight container for a week. After this, they are still edible and totally delicious but they do start to dry out a touch (I think….I may be a bit too picky when I’m estimating shelf life of food for recipes I share!!). I would never describe them as stale, but they are better in Week 1.

Nutrition

Calories: 96cal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 46mg | Potassium: 20mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 147IU | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg

Originally published 2019. Reviewed and refreshed as needed every year or so. No change to recipe, it’s a classic!

Life of Dozer

When Dozer got his very own personalised Christmas cookie!!

The post Christmas Cookies! (Vanilla Biscuits/Sugar Cookies) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

If you love your oatmeal cookies soft and chewy, this is THE Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe for you! Nicely crispy around the edges, studded with plump and juicy raisins, and buttery in taste with the faintest wisp of cinnamon, these cookies smell heavenly when they’re in the oven and also keep really well!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Being more of a savoury than sweet-toothed gal, I’m rarely a victim of the urge to buy cookies or sweet tarts lined up in temptation on the counters of coffee shops. Unless, that is, they have big and fat Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

Here’s the thing: I’m all about fruit and spice oatmeal cookies, and they rate higher than chocolate chip cookies in my world. For me that magical mix of warm cinnamon and fruit studding a caramelly, chewy cookie just tastes like pure comfort and, well, home. Keep your Insta-friendly hipster cookies and call me a granny, I don’t care – just leave me all the Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!!

Ingredients for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

This is a recipe adapted fairly closely from a Cook’s Illustrated recipe. I read that it took them 6 months to come up with the perfect soft and chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. I applaud them for their persistence, not least so we may feast on the sweet fruits of their labour!

Here’s what you need:

• Butter (at room temperature) – When recipes call for butter at room temperature or softened butter, the butter needs to be firmer than you probably think. Ideally it is 18°C / 64°F. This is soft enough to whip until creamy, but still cool enough such that when you touch it, you don’t end up with a slick of grease on your finger.

  Butter that is too soft can lead to cookies that split or spread too much in the oven. In fact, this is one of the most common problems people have when making cookies! 

  A quick way to bring butter to room temperature: Cut fridge-cold butter into 1.5cm cubes (1/2″ thick slices if you have a US stick of butter). Scatter on plate. Microwave 2 cups of cold tap water for 4 minutes on high. Remove jug, quickly put plate in, close door. DO NOT turn microwave back on. The residual heat will soften the butter in 5 minutes.

• Baking powder – Most recipes call for baking soda / bicarb, or a combination of baking soda and baking powder. This recipe specifically calls for only baking powder which Cook’s Illustrated found makes the cookie chewier. So, just baking powder it is!;

• Flour – Just plain / all-purpose flour. For this recipe, self-raising flour cannot be used in place of the flour and baking powder, because self-raising flour has too much baking powder in it;

• Brown sugar AND white sugar – Brown sugar makes the cookie chewier and adds a pleasing caramelly note, while the white sugar gives the cookie crispy edges. The contrast some crispiness around the edges brings to the soft cookie centre is part of the magic of these cookies!;

• Raisins – I like my raisins tender and plump, so I soak them briefly in hot water. This is not a step in the Cook’s Illustrated recipe, it’s just something I like to do – a personal preference!

• Eggs at room temperature – The eggs need to be at room temperature and not fridge-cold, to ensure it incorporates properly into the cookie dough easily. A quick way to warm up fridge-cold eggs: Place eggs in a large bowl, cover with warm tap water (just warm, not hot) and leave for 5 min. Wipe dry, then use per recipe. 

  Egg size (“large eggs”): 50 – 55g / 2 oz per egg is the industry standard of sizes sold as “large eggs” in Australia and the US. If your eggs are significantly larger or smaller in size, just weigh different eggs and use 100-110g / 4 oz in total (including shell) or 90 – 100g / 3.6 oz in total excluding shell (useful if you need to use a partial egg to make up the total required weight. Crack eggs, beat whites and yolks together, THEN pour into a bowl to measure out what you need);

• Cinnamon – The king of cookie spices! Just a hint in the mix so you know it’s there, but it doesn’t overwhelm. This is another deviation from the Cook’s Illustrated recipe. They omit it so you can taste the oats more. I cannot process that idea! I need the cinnamon!

• Salt – Just a touch to bring out the flavour in sweet baked goods.

How to make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Part 1: Cookie dough

1. Soak the raisins to plump them (this is optional);

2. Drain the raisins then leave to dry, or pat dry to speed things up;

3. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl;

4. Beat butter, sugar and egg: In a separate bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Then add both brown and white sugars and beat until fluffy – around 2 minutes on high using a handheld beater.

   Now beat the eggs in one at a time until incorporated;

5. Add dry ingredients: Next, switch to a wooden spoon and mix the sifted dry ingredients in. I prefer doing this step by hand rather than the electric beater to ensure I don’t accidentally overwork the cookie dough, which would result in a tough cookie; and

6. Oats and raisins: Lastly, stir in the oats and raisins. At this point the cookie dough will become quite thick and hard to stir. Dig deep to find the strength – it’s worth it!! 😂 (Just kidding, it’s not that hard! 😇)

Part 2: Rolling and baking

Cookie dough made, now it’s time to bake!

1. Portion out cookies on to tray: Scoop 2 tablespoons-worth of cookie dough and place in a mound on a tray, for one cookie. An ice cream scoop with a lever or a cookie scoop will make this step speedy!

2. Repeat: Repeat with the remainder of the dough. I like to portion all the dough out first on to trays before I start rolling because I just find it faster;

3. Roll into balls: Wet your hands if needed to stop the dough from sticking. Lightly roll each dough portion into a ball. They should be around 5cm / 2″ wide;

4. Squash dough balls: Distribute the balls across two trays lined with baking / parchment paper, ensuring you leave plenty of space between them (see photo #5). Lightly press each down to flatten. This is just to help ensure the cookies spread evenly, rather than leaving a mound in the middle;

5. Bake: Place both trays in the oven with one tray on the middle shelf and the other on a shelf below, ensuring you leave 10cm / 4″ of space between each rack. Bake at 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan) for 11 minutes. Switch the position of the trays and bake for a further 11 to 14 minutes until cookies are golden on the edges and LIGHT golden in the middle. If you cook too long, the cookies will be crispier;

6. Cool: Cool on the trays for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Cool for 30 minutes before serving.

This recipe has been the only Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe I have ever used since I found it. It is absolutely perfect, in my humble opinion.

Having said that, I also came across this recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies on a fabulous baking blog called Brown Eyed Baker, run by a talented lady named Michelle. That recipe is by a famous bakery in New York called Sadelle’s. Michelle thinks it is even better than this Cook’s Illustrated one (which I noticed she also has on her blog!) I, for one, trust her judgement on that call.

But there’s one big catch. The Sadelle’s recipe requires the cookies to be flattened onto the cookie sheet, then refrigerated for four days supposedly to enhance the depth of flavour. Yes, FOUR WHOLE DAYS!!!

So if that makes my preferred recipe the world’s second best Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, I’m totally ok with that because at least you can make these RIGHT NOW!!! 😉 – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Print

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie (Soft & Chewy)

Recipe video above. If you love your oatmeal cookies soft and chewy, this is THE Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe for you! Crispy on the edges, buttery with the faintest waft of cinnamon and studded with plump juicy raisins, these keep really well and smell heavenly when they're in the oven.

This is a Cook's Illustrated recipe and they found the key to achieving this are: a) the size (these are larger than usual) and b) using baking powder, not baking soda.

Course Cookie

Cuisine Western

Keyword Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 16 – 18

Calories 265cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups raisins (Note 1)
• 1 1/2 cups flour (all purpose / plain)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 250g / 8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter , at room temperature (Note 2)
• 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1 cup white sugar (granulated. Superfine/caster also ok)
• 2 large eggs , at room temperature (Note 3)
• 3 cups rolled oats (Note 4)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan). Adjust oven racks to middle and low position, ensuring you have 4"/10cm between each rack. Line 2 trays with parchment/baking paper.
• Optional: Soak raisins in boiled water for 10 minutes. Drain then pat dry. (This makes them plumper).
• Sift dry ingredients: Sift flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl.
• Cream butter and sugar: Using a stand mixer or electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Then beat in sugar until fluffy – about 2 – 3 minutes.
• Add eggs: Beat in eggs one at a time until incorporated.
• Mix in flour: Use a wooden spoon to stir the flour mixture in.
• Stir in oats and raisins: Stir in oats and raisins – this requires a bit of effort as the dough gets firm!
• Roll and flatten balls: Form 4cm / 1.6" balls (~18) and place onto baking trays 4"/10cm apart. I use an ice cream scoop. Then press down to slighty flatten into a thick disc shape.
• Bake for 11 minutes. Then swap the trays between the shelves AND turn the trays around. Bake for a further 11 – 14 minutes, or until cookies are golden on the edges and LIGHT golden on the surface.
• Cool on the trays for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

1. Raisins – Measure raisins by packing them into the cup, then use your fingers to separate them .

2. Butter – Don’t let the butter get too soft. This is a common error with cookies and cakes that call for butter to be creamed. Target 18°C/64°F for the butter. This is soft enough to be whipped, but you should not be left with a thick, shiny slick of grease on your finger when you poke it. If you get greasy fingers, this means the butter is too soft which will cause the cookie to spread too much in the oven. 

If the butter is >20C/68F, I would chill the butter a bit before using.

3. Eggs – Need to be at room temperature and not fridge-cold, to ensure it incorporates easily. Quick way to warm up fridge-cold eggs: Place eggs in a large bowl, cover with warm tap water (just warm, not hot) and leave for 5 min. Wipe dry, then use per recipe.

Egg size (“large eggs”): 50 – 55g / 2 oz per egg is the industry standard of sizes sold as “large eggs” in Australia and the US. If your eggs are significantly larger or smaller in size, just weigh different eggs and use 100-110g / 4 oz in total (including shell) or 90 – 100g / 3.6 oz in total excluding shell (useful if you need to use a partial egg to make up the total required weight. Crack eggs, beat whites and yolks together, THEN pour into a bowl to measure out what you need);

4. Rolled oats are plain traditional oats, like this one I get from Woolworths (Australia). Do not use steel cut oats. Instant / quick oats can be used but the texture of the cookie will be a bit different because they are chopped smaller.

5. HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING: Readers at high altitude have reported that this recipe works fine with no adjustment!

6. Storage – Keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

7. Recipe source: Adapted from a Cooks Illustrated recipe. Note: 2 sticks of butter is 226g not 250g. However, Australian and UK/European cups are 250ml which is larger than American cups (226ml) so we need slightly more butter in grams to achieve the same outcome.

8. Nutrition per cookie.

Nutrition

Serving: 66g | Calories: 265cal | Carbohydrates: 41.3g | Protein: 3.6g | Fat: 10.6g | Saturated Fat: 6.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.5g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 168mg | Fiber: 1.9g | Sugar: 23.7g

Originally published July 2016. Updated June 2021 with new photos, video and a streamlined recipe subsequent to further testing to improve the recipe!

For Cookie Monsters 🙋🏻‍♀️

• World’s Easiest BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

• Shortbread Cookies

• Anzac Cookies

• Ricciarelli (Italian almond cookies)

Life of Dozer

Dozer with his friends post Winter-evening-beach session. It’s a photo from the Golden Retriever boarder where Dozer is boarding while I’m away in Tasmania! I think that’s him in the middle in a red robe…. not 100% sure! 😂

And from the original publication date:

No cookie dough for Dozer!!

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