First and foremost, how are you doing? Hanging in? I’m hoping so since there seems to be a lot to be optimistic about these days. We still have a very long way to travel, but I’m seeing a light at the end of this tunnel of ours. Let’s go ahead and envision our world a year from now, filled with happy faces and light hearts. In the meantime, let’s try to keep our eye on the prize and dig deep to find our joy every day. It should come as no surprise to you all that I can often find joy in a cookie jar. These granola cookies with oatmeal, hazelnuts and raisins are a sure thing to bring sunlight into any cloudy day. The oatmeal and raisins make these guys incredibly chewy, and the granola and coarsely chopped hazelnuts offer a nice crunch in contrast. These granola cookies are a favorite in our household, and the freezer is never without a stash of them to grab at a moment’s notice.
As is the case with all of my cookie recipes, these are on the large size. It takes about 2 tablespoons of dough to make one of these guys , and about 8 fit on a regular sized cookie sheet. The secret to granola cookies that are crispy on the edges and soft and chewy in the middle is to slightly under-bake them. Underbaking doesn’t mean raw, so no need to panic. They come out of the oven when the edges are brown, and the centers are still light. They should look set, but not like raw dough. These granola cookies need to set up on the cookie sheet for about ten minutes after coming out of the oven or else they will fall to pieces which would not stop me from eating them but it’s not that great in the aesthetics department.
Another sure way to make your granola cookies something you will make again and again is to use the best granola you can get your hands on. The more nuts and dried fruit the better as far as I’m concerned. I use my own, homemade granola in this recipe which means I can control everything that goes in there. Being the control freak I am, this works for me. Here’s the link to my recipe for Hazelnut, Almond and Raisin Granola if you’d like to give it a try. It’s also delicious on it’s own, or sprinkled over yogurt or ice cream for that matter.
Once they come out of the oven and have set up, lay your granola cookies out on a cooling rack until they come to room temperature. After that, dive in head first. You can keep them on the counter for a day or two, but I think it’s best to store them in the refrigerator for probably up to a week, or better yet, pop them into the freezer to pull out whenever you get the urge. You can microwave for a few seconds for a ‘just out of the oven’ experience, or allow to come to room temperature on their own. I will admit to breaking off pieces and eating them straight out of the freezer, as I have a tendency to be impatient.
It always makes me happy to be able so share my very favorite recipes with you, and these granola cookies are right up at the top of the list. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
I’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to send me an email at birdsnestbites@gmail.com with any comments, questions, or suggestions you may have. I promise to reply to each and every one of them. And thank you so much for sharing your time reading the Blog today. I really appreciate you!!! Until next time, take care. xoxoxoxo
Chewy Granola Cookies with Hazelnuts and Raisins
Ingredients
- 2 sticks of butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 2/3 cup unbleached flour
- 1 cup rolled oats not the quick cooking variety
- 1 ½ cups of your favorite granola the more stuff in it, like nuts, dried fruit, etc., the better
- 2 cups coarsely chopped hazelnuts don’t worry about rubbing the skins off
- 2 cups raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, then add in the sugars and continue beating until well incorporated and, yes – light and fluffy.
- With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, pausing one minute before adding each egg. This allows the eggs to emulsify and blend with the butter more evenly. Strange as it may seem, it makes a big difference in your finished product.
- When the eggs are blended in, add the vanilla and blend until just mixed in.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until blended.
- Add the flour and mix until blended, then add the rolled oats and mix until blended.
- Still on low speed, add the granola, then the hazelnuts, and finally the raisins.
- At this point you can either chill the dough until you are ready to bake cookies (I’ve let this dough sit for four days in the fridge with absolutely no problem) or get on with the baking right away.
- Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. Using a small ice cream scoop that holds 2 tablespoons of dough (which is what I use), scoop out 8 cookies per sheet. They have a tendency to spread out a little, so you want to give them some room.
- Pat the dough down slightly with your hand. This helps the cookie spread out more uniformly.
- Here’s the trick: Bake until just a little underdone. This took about 12 minutes in my oven but might take longer in yours so best to judge by what you can see. The edges should be browned, and the centers of the cookie will look much lighter but appear ‘set’ and not like raw dough.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for about 10 minutes, or until firm enough to remove to a cooling rack. They are pretty soft when they first come out of the oven, so give them a little time to chill out on the baking sheet and you will be well rewarded with a cookie that doesn’t fall to pieces when you pick it up.