‘Fat’ raisins give cookies special heft

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Pastry chef Sherry Yard always made these cookies for events attended by Bill Clinton when he was president, she writes in her book, “Desserts by the Yard.”

Yard adds that oatmeal cookies can present a problem to bakers who like to prepare the batter in advance: “If you don’t bake them straightaway after mixing the dough, the cookies will be hard and dense,” she writes. “That’s because the oatmeal will continue to absorb liquid as the dough sits. I’ve taken that into consideration with my recipe, providing enough butter and sugar so that the dough can be stored for three days in the refrigerator or in the freezer for a month with no danger to the cookies.”

Note that her signature “fat” raisins need to be made ahead of time.

OATMEAL COOKIES WITH ‘FAT’ RAISINS

11⁄2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

13⁄4 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup each: granulated sugar, packed brown sugar

11⁄2 teaspoons nutmeg, preferably freshly grated

3⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large eggs, room temperature

3 cups rolled oats

11⁄2 cups fat raisins, recipe below

Sift together the flour and baking soda; set aside. Cream the butter with an electric mixer on high speed until lemony yellow, about 2 minutes. Add the sugars, nutmeg and cinnamon; continue creaming on high speed until mixture is smooth and lump-free, about 2 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed until fully incorporated. With mixer still on low, add the flour mixture until fully incorporated; beat in the oats and raisins until combined.

Scoop out half the dough; center it along the bottom of a sheet of parchment paper. Roll it up in the paper, creating a log about 2 inches wide and 1 foot long. Repeat with the remaining dough. Roll up the parchment, twisting the ends; wrap in plastic. Chill dough at least 1 hour. (At this point dough can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 1 month; Alternatively, you can drop tablespoons of the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets and bake immediately.)

Place racks in the middle and lower third of the oven; heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice 1⁄2-inch rounds with a serrated knife; place cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes; rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back. Bake until nicely browned, about 5-8 minutes. Remove parchment from the baking sheets; let cool on wire racks. Store cookies in airtight container up to 3 days at room temperature.

Note: For fat raisins, combine 11⁄2 cups golden raisins, 3⁄4 cup dry white wine, 3 tablespoons each orange juice and granulated sugar and 11⁄2 tablespoons dark rum in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat; stirring constantly, heat mixture to a boil. Lower heat to a bare simmer; poach raisins 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat; cover pan. Let cool to room temperature; store in refrigerator in an airtight container up to two weeks.

Yield: 48 small or 24 large

Nutrition information per serving: 120 calories, 29 percent of calories from fat, 4 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 18 mg cholesterol, 20 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 32 mg sodium, 1 g fiber

—Adapted from “Desserts by the Yard,” by Sherry Yard.