I’m finally back with another one of my Great Grandma’s recipes!
I took a little break the past couple weeks mainly because I was so busy finishing the final edits of my book, traveling to Florida to help out Jaden with her book, starting yoga teacher training and developing new recipes for this site. Through all of that craziness, the big plastic orange box of Great Grandma’s recipes sat untouched on my desk and I knew I needed to get back in the game with the challenge.
For any new readers or any of you that have forgotten, last November I decided to take on the challenge of baking through my Great Grandma’s recipe collection. She worked as a cake decorator and baker during World War Two and I inherited all of her recipes (and some of her tools!) a few years ago. To see the recipes I’ve done so far, head to my recipe page and scroll to the bottom. I’m keeping track of her recipes there.
So far, I would call the project a success because I’ve only encountered one, err, questionable recipe. But hey, prunes in brownies might just be your thing— so if it is, check it out. But don’t say I didn’t warn you first.
Up today, though, are her “famous” oatmeal raisin drop cookies! At the top of the faded index card, Great Grandma wrote “Don’s favorite cookie!” and I have to agree (Don was my great uncle who just passed away a few months ago).
These cookies are small, fluffy cookies full of oats, raisins and spices. If you’re like me and not wild about the idea of raisins in your cookies, try replacing the raisins with chocolate chips.
To start, you need to cream your butter and brown sugar together then whisk together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl:
Then cream together the butter and brown sugar followed by the egg. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream and you’ll end up the yummiest oatmeal cookie dough that you’ll ever taste.
It’s all about the sour cream, folks.
I like recipes that yield small cookies. Easier to pop into my mouth that way.
Keep your oatmeal raisin drop cookies in a Tupperware container in the fridge and they’ll last about a week….or a day, depending on how much of a cookie monster you choose to be.
Oatmeal Raisin Drop Cookies
makes about two dozen small cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 cup oats (either quick-cooking or old fashioned)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, then add egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and oats in a large bowl.
Add dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream to the butter and sugar mixture. Then, fold in the raisins.
Drop mixture by the tablespoon onto lined baking sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes.
Time:
30 minutes
Brittany
February 20, 2012 at 3:30 amThese cookies look so nummy. This project you’re doing with your grandmother’s recipes is so interesting, and I’m sure a very special experience for you. I’m new to your blog and food blogging in general (www.brittanycooks.com), and am having a lot of fun with it. I love all of your pictures! They for sure keep me coming back! I wish I could eat one of those cookies right now! Thanks for sharing! π
Caroline @ chocolate & carrots
February 20, 2012 at 3:32 amYay for Grandma’s recipes! π These look great and I can see why they’re famous! π Yum!
Julia Steele
February 20, 2012 at 3:44 amThat is such a great idea and a great tribute to your grandmother!
Lindsay @ biking before bed
February 20, 2012 at 3:52 amMy boyfriend would love these! He is an oatmeal cookie monster.
Lauren @ What Lauren Likes
February 20, 2012 at 4:02 amlove it! Oatmeal raisin is such a classic π
Molly@RDexposed
February 20, 2012 at 4:29 amReplace the raisins with chocolate chips?! That’d be a sin! My grandmother has her own famous oatmeal raisin cookies that turn raisin haters into exclusive raisin lovers when it involves her cookies.
I love that any oatmeal cookie screams grandmother.
TeoBucatar
February 20, 2012 at 4:30 amDelicious cookie! Old recipes are so good. Tks. for share!
Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat
February 20, 2012 at 4:42 amOatmeal raisin are my #1 favourite cookie EVER! These sound delicious Jenna, and oh my goodness you’ve been busy!! Speaking of prunes, I actually baked with them this weekend and they weren’t nearly as bad as I thought they’d be! The recipe I was creating didn’t have the right texture though, so I need to make some edits. Prunes will still be in it though. Your great grandmother was a clever one!
Tabitha (From Single to Married)
February 20, 2012 at 5:04 amThese totally make me think of home and my husband would love them! Thanks for the recipe.
Sally @ Spontaneous Hausfrau
February 20, 2012 at 5:17 amOh yay! I was worried you had abandoned the great grandma recipe box. The sour cream in these looks really interesting! I bet they are super moist.
RJ
February 20, 2012 at 5:47 amYum! I’ve been craving oatmeal cookies recently! Looking forward to trying these!
Heather Michelle @ A Sweet Simple Life
February 20, 2012 at 5:50 amThese looks delicious and I love the history behind this recipes. ;.)
kathleen @ the daily crumb
February 20, 2012 at 6:08 amhooray for the return of grandma’s recipes! OMR are my all-time favorite cookies… always looking for delicious twists on the classic recipe π
joelle (on a pink typewriter)
February 20, 2012 at 6:31 amGotta love old fashioned oatmeal cookies!
Leslie Means @ Her View From Home
February 20, 2012 at 6:35 amLOVE oatmeal cookies. Reminds me of my mom! π
jenna
February 20, 2012 at 7:30 amthis is such a classic grandma recipe. I can almost smell them baking. These look so home-y and full of flavor.
Cait's Plate
February 20, 2012 at 7:31 amI love drop cookies. They’re just too easy not to make. And I also am so happy about the return to the Grandma’s recipes series. I LOVE it.
amy walters, aDESIGNdock
February 20, 2012 at 7:34 amMmm….I love a good oatmeal raisin cookie! So excited that you’re back at it with your Great Grandmother’s recipes. I love this retro series!
Andrea @ The Skinny Chronicles
February 20, 2012 at 7:36 amBeautiful Jenna. Glad you were able to find some time to return to your grandmother’s recipes. Such a treat.
Urban Wife
February 20, 2012 at 7:47 amOatmeal cookies are definitely a favorite around our house. Thanks for sharing!
Nicole @ Giraffelegs
February 20, 2012 at 7:57 amYum. Oatmeal raisin dough is by far my favorite to eat pre-baking!
Moni'sMeals
February 20, 2012 at 7:58 amWow, Grandma sure knows best…SOUR CREAM, eh? Never would of thought. Never~
Looks like a fantastic and special recipe. π
Deva @ Deva by Definition
February 20, 2012 at 8:00 amI have not made oatmeal cookies in a very very long time. These sound delicious!
Em (Wine and Butter)
February 20, 2012 at 8:13 amYum! Oatmeal raisin cookies aren’t nearly as big over here and I’m always trying to convert everybody. Not entirely because oatmeal raisin cookies also scream ‘breakfast cookie’!
(Okay – every cookie screams breakfast cookie, but oatmeal raisin ones invoke less guilt when I indulge…)
Margarita
February 20, 2012 at 8:15 amI love classic recipes that are not shy about what ingredients to use to make it taste good and get the perfect texture. I’m always one who modifies everything because I want to make everything healthy, then it just results in overindulging. Maybe if I stuck to the original, it will limit me to eat just a few because it’s so rich and so good, right? Love this recipe and because I love raisins, I will definitely stick with them.
Blog is the New Black
February 20, 2012 at 8:17 amThese look awesome! I made a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies on Sat!
Liz @ Tip Top Shape
February 20, 2012 at 8:32 amThese sound fantastic! Glad to see this series started up again π
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga
February 20, 2012 at 8:53 amThe cookies look perfect and glad to see you back posting some of your Grandma’s recipes. I love the nostalgia!
Interesting she used 1/2 c sour cream in the cookies. My grandma and mom always put sour cream in baked goods…they said to keep it moist.
Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out
February 20, 2012 at 9:55 amYum. Sour cream in cookies is always a good idea.
Angela @ Happy Fit Mama
February 20, 2012 at 9:59 amOatmeal Raisin Cookies + chocolate chips = yummy!
Love your mixer! The orange is gorgeous.
Joss
February 20, 2012 at 10:21 amYay for old family recipes! These look extra yummy π
Hilliary @Happily Ever Healthy
February 20, 2012 at 11:26 amLove the color of your kitchen aid! And these cookies look delicious. I would love one right now with a cold glass of milk!
Cardinal Cyn
February 20, 2012 at 12:03 pmlove the idea of cooking your way through your grandmother’s recipe box. fantastic of you to share these as well. i have some of my own grandmother’s recipes which are precious to me – her pound cake, cheesecake, carrot cake recipes have been winners in our family for years! also thought the prune brownies sounded pretty good actually!
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More
February 20, 2012 at 1:04 pmYUM! Those look super delicious! And I love the whole cooking through Grandma’s recipes. π
Jess
February 20, 2012 at 1:11 pmI am really loving this series. Some of my best memories from my childhood are those spent baking with my Grandma. I still make her sugar cookies every Christmas. Thanks for sharing another wonderful recipe π
Gina
February 20, 2012 at 2:06 pmWhat an experience that must have been, can’t wait to read your book. I thought I’ve been busy, but now I feel like I’ve been slacking, lol. I was working on a cookie recipe the other night and used sour cream, it changed it in a good way. That’s sweet you have your grandma’s recipes, I wish I had mine. Hope you are having a great week.
-Gina-
Luv What You Do
February 20, 2012 at 6:10 pmOatmeal cookies are my favorite!!! And there is nothing better than grandma’s recipe, except for maybe great grandma’s recipe!
Michelle
February 20, 2012 at 6:46 pmYum- I love how bright and colorful your photos are. And where or where do those straws (and milk jug) come from??
Emily @LivingLongfellow
February 20, 2012 at 7:01 pmGood to see you’re back. Exciting adventures in yoga training. What type of yoga are you getting trained in?
Jacqueline@digintobooks
February 20, 2012 at 8:00 pmThese cookies look so simple but awesome! And I love your KitchenAid too-what a fun splash of color to have in the kitchen!
Krissy's Creaions
February 20, 2012 at 9:37 pmWhat a great recipe from your Great Grandmother. I haven’t made simple Oatmeal Raisin Cookies in SUCH a long time. I MUST make this recipe!
Jaclyn
February 20, 2012 at 9:59 pmI would love to hear more about your yoga teacher training! You should really REALLY do a post on it! I want to get trained this spring/summer as well, so I would love to hear your thoughts and experience!!
Kristen @ Popcorn on the Stove
February 21, 2012 at 5:43 amOh these look wonderful! I would swap the raisins out for chocolate chips, too!
Lauren @ Oatmeal after Spinning
February 21, 2012 at 6:31 amI love the idea of working your way through your great-grandmother’s recipes!! My aunt gave me a book of handwritten recipes from my grandmother as a bridal shower gift last year, and I’ve yet to make one of them. I did make her bread with my mom though- which was an overwhelming experience!
Kristin
February 21, 2012 at 9:03 amMy great-grandmother was my best friend and this post reminds me of many weekends spent in the kitchen with her. Grandmas make the best cookies! How cool that you not only inherited all of her recipes, but that you’re venturing through them all!
Maria
February 21, 2012 at 1:33 pmYour grab-grandmother sure knows her cookies! Love these!
Heidi - Apples Under My Bed
February 21, 2012 at 1:35 pmYum, love it! Love the cookie monster comment too π Sour cream, such a great idea. Thanks for sharing, happy to have more of your Great Grandma’s recipes!
Heidi xo
Aylin @ Glow Kitchen
February 21, 2012 at 1:46 pmthese are so quaint and perfect for a small treat with tea. just have to control how many i have in one sitting…
Vanessa @ Project Zen
February 21, 2012 at 3:39 pmDrop cookies never last long!
Caroline
February 21, 2012 at 6:02 pmYUM! Oatmeal Raisin cookies are my absolute fav π Deff trying this recipe this week!!
Lauren @ Sassy Molassy
February 21, 2012 at 8:41 pmI just made some tonight and they are delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!! I added a few crushed pecans as well.
Carolyn
February 22, 2012 at 11:17 amYUM. Made these last night and you were right, the dough is to die for!!! My cookies ended up a little more on the flat side (perhaps I over-beat them or made them too large?) but still very good. Light and fluffy, almost more of a muffin texture (did I do something wrong or is that how they’re supposed to be?)
I added some chopped walnuts because I really like a little crunch with my cookies. Thought about switching in chocolate chips, but can’t quite imagine how well that would taste with the spice in the cookies (besides, I love raisins!).
Alicia @ The Reluctant Home Cook
February 27, 2012 at 9:36 amDo you think it would work to use fat-free sour cream? I just made some lower-calorie Snickerdoodles this weekend using fat-free sour cream, and they turned out very fluffy and delicious!
Locallady
February 27, 2012 at 11:03 pmI love the great-grandmother posts! I wish that I had something like that to follow…I have a couple old family recipes that I love, but not the same volume as you do. Anyhow, I knew that I would love these cookies, but just to let you know how much of a hit they are, I have three men in the house this week and I have made them twice due to requests. I also have a request for the recipe so I will be sending him to your site. π Keep up the great cooking and posting. Thank you!
» Iced Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Eat Your Heart Out
March 12, 2012 at 7:02 am[…] From Eat, Live, Run […]
chocolate mint stuffed cookie recipe β Eat, Live, Run
March 21, 2012 at 3:01 am[…] cookie with an Andes mint stuffed in the center, but oh my goodness is it ever tasty! I thought her oatmeal drop cookies were my favorite, but these have just shoved this over to take first place so far in the recipe box […]
Mary Catherine
March 21, 2012 at 1:52 pmMy fav are the vegan Super Charge Me Cookies you introduced me to years ago! I still can’t get enough π
Liz
February 25, 2013 at 8:33 pmYUM!!! Made these tonight for a snack to bring to bible study and I hope they last until tomorrow! The sour cream sounded weird but its delicious!! Thank you for posting.
mcgee susan
October 6, 2018 at 1:48 pmJust made and sampled these cookies. Because there is more flour than oatmeal in theses it makes for a more cake like cookie. Personally I prefer a more βoatyβ cookie. I did, however, like the spices. I will not be making these again.