Cookie Time Tuesday

I know, due to recent events, the last thing I should be thinking about is cookies.

But, also due to recent events, it should come as no surprise that I am.

I mean, really, what else do you think someone who gained 9lbs in 3 months thinks about?

But, just to make the cookies less appealing to my cookie-loving-bubble-belly I decided to go with oatmeal raisin cookies.

Because, there are few things in this world I hate more than a raisin.

Don't ask me why, but the shriveled little creatures make me want to barf just looking at them.

So, dumb genius that I am, thought the perfect solution to keeping myself away from the cookie jar, is to fill it with something I loathe.

And, it totally worked for about 5 minutes at which point I realized that I couldn't, in good conscious, post about a recipe for a cookie I didn't even sample.

So, I picked out the only thing keeping these cookies remotely healthy (and, please don't leave a comment about how all of the nutritional value of the raisin is essentially baked out in the oven, because I need something to make these okay) and had a taste.

Lemme tell you, picking raisins outta cookies is WAY easier than it looks.

Wanna try it for yourself?

Dumb Mom's Fatten You Up Good Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies (with #3 on sous chef duty)



3/4 cup butter flavored shortening (regular works too, but I kinda like the butter type)*
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In large bowl, beat shortening on high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Beat until combined.
3. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.
4. Beat in flour.
5. Stir in oats and raisins if you don't find them repulsive.
6. Drop dough onto ungreased sheets.
7. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges look golden.
8. Let cool on sheet about 1 minute before removing.

And, bada bing...



A note about the shortening.

I know it's bad.

I know it clogs your arteries and makes you all fat and goopy.

I.

Know.

but. And, I hate adding a but in favor of artery clogging goopiness especially because I'm all eating healthy mom these days (except for when it comes to cookies, and myself apparently).

BUT. There are three good reasons to go with the shortening.

1. It allows the cookies to stay soft. For days. I'm a chewy cookie girl myself and I hate it when the cookies come outta the oven all soft and moist and perfect and then turn into little cookie flavored potato chips the next day. Use shortening, won't happen.

2. It's only like 3 times per year. I mean, how many times does one require the presence of the perfectly baked, homemade, oatmeal cookie? This is my first batch of oatmeals this year (you know b/c of the raunchy raisins, oh and the fact that I'm pretty heavy into choc. chip). I've heard it's all about moderation, something I am wholly unfamiliar with, but if you have it, a few shortening baked oatmeal cookies a year probably won't kill you.

3. Does it even matter? The three baking options (shortening, butter, and margarine) are all just different shades of the same trans fat evil (this explains it some). Plus, now that Crisco has been reimagined to include NO TRANS FATS its fat content is not much different from that of butter. Just sayin'. If you wanna use it like twice a year to make some funky fresh cookies, don't go beating yourself up about it. Just don't lock yourself in your pantry and eat them all alone in the dark, either. Take it from me, that's not a pretty thing for the kiddies to walk in on.