Many people come to the same conclusion about Raisins… They are dry, they have a crispy/thin texture in bakes, and don’t really enhance the flavor of cookies… right?
I have found this to be true IF you simply dump your raisins right into your cookie mix and pop right into the oven. DING! Out come your ooey gooey cinnamon oatmeal cookies… you take a bite, excited to experience a heavenly, warm, soft treat… only to be interrupted by a stale crunchy texture…. Totally ruining the experience of your homemade oatmeal cookies.
I am here to tell you that I have discoverd a way to undo this madness. Long gone are the days of raisins ruining your oatmeal cookies. Instead, you’ll be saying…”OF COURSE RAISINS NEED TO BE IN MY OATMEAL COOKIES.” I cannot take credit for this technique, many moms and grandmas and fellow bakers know this trick in the hat. I am only passing along what I have learned and personally found to be helpful. I do this for Faith’s Cookies Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Many of my clients have found that my oatmeal cookies are soft, and the raisins are juicy. I have even convinced a few to turn away from plain oatmeal cookies.
So, here is the secret: Rehydrate your Raisins. Bring them back to life. The reason your raisins are crunchy and flavorless in the end result is because you are taking an already dehydrated fruit and dehydrating it more. It’s like having sunburned skin and turning around and sitting in a tanning bed. You are just further drying out and adding to the crispiness.
To bring your raisins back to life, it is quite simple. Start by pouring the amount of raisins you need into a bowl and pouring warm or hot water into the bowl until all the raisins are covered. Let them soak for 10-15 minutes (preferably while you are mixing your oatmeal cookie dough). Once they look a little bigger than their original size, drain the water. It’s okay to pat them dry with a paper towel. You do want to make sure when adding to your cookie dough that you do not pour water into the mix.. That could cause complications to your cookies.. But it is okay that the raisins aren’t completely dry. If anything, it adds moisture to the dry oats. Bake your cookies to the set time and temp, and VOILA!! Taste for yourself… I bet you’ll simply require raisins now in all of your oatmeal cookies. This also works for breads and other pastries.
ENJOY!! - Faith, Baker and owner of Faith’s Cookies