Oatmeal raisin cookies

I've been on a bit of a library streak lately. Like a serious one. I'm talking about a once a week habit, my friends.

I'm not sure if it's because summer's here and there's not as much on TV, or if it's because I've been making more of an effort to read at lunch and before bed, but I've been plowing through the reads. Part of the reason for the weekly visits is because I've been using the OPL's Express Reads program, whereby you can take out a book for only one week, as opposed to the usual three. Express Reads are usually popular, in demand titles, so the library limits the amount of time you get with the book, meaning more folks can enjoy it. It's a good system, but also pretty stressful, because if you're late with your Express Read, you have to pay a hefty $2 a day fine. But the thought of that rapidly increasing tab also spurs on some pretty fanatical flipping of pages, which really can't be a bad thing.

A few weeks ago I happened upon the new Barefoot Contessa book on the old Express shelf. I usually tune into Ina Garten's show on the Food Network, partly for her tasty-looking recipes, but also for the cast of 'colourful' characters, with more money than acting sense, who seem to traipse around the Hamptons, with no evident day jobs, spending inordinate amounts of money on produce that always seems to be in season, and ridiculously creamy milk that only seems to be sold in glass bottles. How could I not pick up the book for a look inside that unrealistic lifestyle?

The book is very nice looking, and it's basically a mirror image of the TV show by the same name. If you've watched the program, then you've seen the recipes, and there's not much additional content worth mentioning. Still, I like Garten's approach -- it's straightforward and her ingredients and instructions are fairly ordinary and accessible.

I stopped on the recipe for Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies, because the picture looked fabulous, and Garten proclaims it was her ultimate recipe find, after years of trying to perfect the ultimate oatmeal cookie. As I happened to have all the ingredients on hand (sometimes stocked cupboards can be a dangerous thing), I decided to give them a try.



Don't these pages beckon to you, too?

Start by toasting a cup and a half of pecans. I didn't even bother chopping them once they were done, I just broke them up with my fingers.

Creaming the butter and sugars together until light in colour and you can't feel any grains of sugar between your fingers.


Mix up the dry ingredients and add to the wet.

Use a small scoop to form the cookies on the pan.

And here they are, cooling from the oven.

Yummy with a glass of iced coffee!

Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies (recipe from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics)

These make chewy, slightly salty cookies, full of raisins and toasted nuts.

1 1/2 cups pecans
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 1/2 cups raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the pecans on a sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to cool. Chop very coarsely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together into a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add the oats, raisins, and pecans and mix just until combined.

Using a small ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop 2-inch mounds of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with a damp hand. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.