Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

More raisins!

I've discovered raisins again! :D

After that bread pudding, I realized that there were raisins in the pantry.  Raisins.  And I had no idea what do to with them.

Don't you remember when you were little and you'd get those little red boxes of raisins for a snack?  As far as snacks go, that was a so-so one, but it was infuriating to get those last raisins out of the box.  They would stick to the bottom of the box and little toddler fingers just aren't made for reaching like that.  They just aren't.

It was a great source of frustration for me.  Maybe that's why I'm a little loopy nowadays! xD I also hated the sticky feeling of raisins on my hands.  I could never wipe my hands enough after eating raisins.  So I began to not like raisins so much.  Stickiness = ickiness in my book.

But then I discovered chocolate-covered raisins at the movie theaters.  Those are seriously the best movie snack I've ever had ever ever.  They are SO GOOD.  And the dark chocolate ones?  I'll seriously buy a huge bag of those, pop on a mindless movie, and just chow those puppies down.

Well, that's what I'd like to do, but c'est la vie.

And then, shopping in the kiddie snack part of Target, I came across yogurt-covered raisins in those little red boxes.  So I had to buy them.  For myself.

And they're really good!  They're like healthier versions of the chocolate-covered raisins!  And I've found them in trail mixes and everywhere.

But back to regular raisins.

I've finally accepted them for what they are: really good in oatmeal cookies.  Normally, as a chocoholic, I'll take chocolate chip over oatmeal raisin any day, but that all changed back in June . . .

I was at a party where there were two kinds of cookies: chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin.  And after dancing my butt off, I was trying my hardest to avoid them.  Because they were very large cookies, and, despite all this baking I do, I would not like to become very large myself.

So there I was, avoiding those cookies, when they looked my in the eye and said, "Eat me."  I swear they talked.  I had no choice but to obey - to find that all the chocolate chip cookies were gone!  So I settled for an oatmeal raisin cookie and became addicted.

For serious.

And so I made Quaker's Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies - you know, that one recipe on the thing (can?  cylindrical box?) of oats that everyone knows.

I feel a Quaker history lesson on the tip of my tongue - or fingertips, since I'm typing - but I'll force it back down.  You've had to listen (or scroll past) enough of me already.

So here they are - and I promise you, it's very hard to not eat more than five.

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
REQUIRES SOFTENED BUTTER

1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups oats
1 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Beat well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and cinnamon with a fork.  Gradually add to wet mixture, stirring well after each addition.
4. Stir in oats and raisins.
5. Drop by tablespoon-sized cookie scoop onto ungreased baking sheets.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Remove from oven and cool 1 minute on baking sheets before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.  Store tightly covered.

The classic oatmeal raisin cookie in a nutshell:

Make your glorious batter and try not to eat it.

Plop onto your cookie sheets and try not to eat the adorable little dough balls.

Bake them and they turn into this beautiful thing:

Now you can eat it!  Enjoy!
-JJ

Raisin Bread Pudding

Time for a confession - I don't like bread pudding.  Never have, never will.  It's just one of those facts of life that you take for granted.  Like gravity.  Or Sherlock.

But there was all this whole wheat raisin bread that I was never going to eat - because I've found a new breakfast food!  (Begin tangent!)

Scrambled egg whites.  Yes.

There's this whole debate about whether eggs are good for you or bad for you or whether you should eat the yolk or not, but I'm just like, well, there are egg whites in a carton - like, just pour and scramble - so that's what I'll eat for breakfast.  And it only takes like three minutes to heat, pour, scramble, and eat. It's really awesome, and it gets some protein into the beginning of my day.

I used to eat a slice of raisin bread for breakfast.  But that's not very nutritious, nor did it taste awesome.  Salt-and-pepper egg white scramble?  Yes, please.

So I had all this leftover raisin bread.  And what can you do with raisin bread?  Bread pudding.

And that doesn't tempt me at all, so I'm skipping dessert and being doubly healthy.

Which means you know I'm going to post something fattening next! ;)

And one more thing before the recipe - this is crockpot style!  Yes, we have a crockpot now!  So pop this in there, let it cook, and enjoy!

Raisin Bread Pudding

4-5 HOURS COOKING TIME

Pudding:

8 slices whole wheat raisin bread

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/4 cup raisins

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Grease slow cooker.  Cut bread into cubes and place in cooker.
2. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and milk.  Add sugar, butter, raisins, and cinnamon and stir well.  Pour over bread cubes and stir gently with a wooden spoon.
3. Cover and cook on High 1 hour.  Reduce heat to Low and cook 3-4 hours.  Make sauce while pudding just finishes baking.

Sauce:

1/4 stick butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan.  Stir in flour until smooth.  Gradually add water, sugar, and vanilla.  Bring to a boil.
2. Stirring constantly, cook 2 minutes or until sauce has thickened.

Serving:

1. Serve bread pudding warm in individual bowls.
2. Pour sauce over portions and serve.  Makes 6 servings.

Now, wasn't that easy?

To make it easier, here's the breakdown:

You've got your bread...

Now cube it!  I cut mine into ninths.

Combine the eggs, milk, butter, raisins, and cinnamon...

And pour over the bread cubes.  Cook 1 hour on High, then about 3 hours on Low.

Make your sauce and serve!

I've got to admit, that does look good.
Maybe I'll come around eventually... ;)
-JJ