When my husband brought home 5 pounds of raisins, I did what any reasonable person would do with that ridiculous amount of raisins… make oatmeal raisin cookies! Oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, M&M, chocolate walnut, chocolate candy bar… these are some delicious cookies that you can make with this versatile dark cookie base. I like my cookies with a fluffy cake like perimeter, soft and chewy in the middle, a slight crisp along the rim, and one that doesn’t give you sugar shock. After MANY batches of adjusting ingredients, we’ve created the perfect cookie recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups (or your heart’s content) of filling such as oatmeal & raisins, chocolate chips, chocolate chips & walnuts, or even chopped chocolate candy bars, etc.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Using a mixer, cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.
4. Add baking soda, salt, and flour to the batter. Mix well.
5. Fold in filling ingredient(s).
6. Roll dough into 1 ½ inch balls and place on a cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. You do not need to spray your cookie sheet. If you prefer flatter cookies, slightly depress the dough ball with your palm (but be sure to cook a few minutes less as they will cook faster than if they are left as a ball).
7. Bake for about 14-16 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely brown and cookie is cooked to your preference.
8. Take cookie sheet out of the oven and allow for them to sit on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.