Another week, another Monday, another round of baked goods. As I’ve mentioned before, I try to send baked goods of some sort into the office with my husband each week. It’s Mondays you need a pick-me-up, not Fridays when the work week is already over. You need something comforting right off the bat, helping you feel like you can do it all over again in the coming days until Friday visits again. Comfort in the form of something sweet, something to warm your taste buds, something that dips easily into coffee or tea. Who doesn’t need that, whether you’re in an office setting or not, right? This one fits the bill, my friends.
With most families, there are those food stuffs that tradition dictates MUST be made and enjoyed at some point throughout the year. It’s imperative. There are those that are of the savory type, like our family’s lasagna-on-Christmas Eve tradition. There are those that are of the sweet variety, like the Raisin Bran muffins that just HAVE to be there on Christmas morning. And then there are those that are not so much day-specific as family specific, like these Soft Raisin Cookies.
Gram’s Cookie Recipe
I know most food bloggers will go on about which of their recipes are their favorites, but this one holds particularly high status as one of MY favorites. I only make it during the winter, and truth be told, generally only around Christmas. But this year I made enough of these delicious raisin cookies to freeze so that I could I enjoy the tastes and smells of this family tradition further into the winter months. This, along with many other family food traditions, came from Gram, my dad’s mom. She was a prolific baker, and this was one of her secret recipes that was passed down. I hope you like it enough to pass it down to your family and friends–on a Baked Good Monday or any other old day!
Soft Raisin Cookies--Baked Good Mondays
Print Recipe
My grandmother was a prolific baker, and the smell of these little lovelies baking in the oven make me look for her over my shoulder. These chewy, spicy, comforting, cake-like, soft raisin cookies are a strong kick to nostalgia for me. They can be enjoyed with coffee, teas, or whatever morning beverage you may have handy. Of course, they can satisfy an afternoon (or evening, or any time!) sweet tooth craving. Yum.
My grandmother was a prolific baker, and the smell of these little lovelies baking in the oven make me look for her over my shoulder. These chewy, spicy, comforting, cake-like, soft raisin cookies are a strong kick to nostalgia for me. They can be enjoyed with coffee, teas, or whatever morning beverage you may have handy. Of course, they can satisfy an afternoon (or evening, or any time!) sweet tooth craving. Yum.
On stove top, boil the cup of water with raisins for 10 minutes. Allow raisins to cool completely. Reserve cooking liquid.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift flour into mixing bowl. If you do not have a sifter, you can use a mesh strainer.
Mix all ingredients together except raisins & cooking liquid.
Fold in raisins and cooking liquid to form batter.
Drop tbsp of batter onto cookie sheet coated with cooking spray.
Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool on wire rack.
Store for up to 4 days in airtight container, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes
A couple important notes:
1. Boiling the raisins is an important step. It helps plump up the raisins so that they remain juicy, and the extra cooking liquid ensures a perfect batter consistency.
2. Sifting the flour helps make sure that the cookies are cake-like in texture, rather than dense heavy. If you don't have a sifter, a mesh strainer or colander will work well. Don't have one? Click on the link here, or on the link to the right of this post to get yours now!
Two things here, Sissy…
LOVE the fabric napkins in these pics!!! Someone with really good taste that loves you a lot must have picked those out for you!!!
Greetings! I'm Dee Dee. Nonprofit escapee, military spouse, home cook, and purveyor of tasty goodness. My Midlife Kitchen is where I cook, blog, and give my not-so-humble opinions on topics big and small. Join me for a peek inside My Midlife Kitchen!
Raisin cookies. Do you sift flour before measuring or after
Hi Marlene,
I sifted after measuring. Let me know if you try the cookies! :o)
I love the old stained recipe card. I keep those too =) Wonderful story and tasty looking cookies.
I love that, too. Gotta love the handwritten recipes–they remind me of all the people I love who first wrote them! :o)
Two things here, Sissy…
LOVE the fabric napkins in these pics!!! Someone with really good taste that loves you a lot must have picked those out for you!!!
That person must have GREAT fashion sense!