What More Can I Say, A New Favorite Cookie

I've been vaaary excited to post this delectable little bundle of joy. Don't you love when a recipe turns out to be far better than you had anticipated? The same rule of thumb, don't ever judge someone by first impressions, rolls over into the kitchen: don't judge a recipe by your first impression.

Guilty.

Raisin cookies??? Ahhhh..... no thanks, I thought to myself for nearly two years, as I flipped the page with this recipe on it. Really, my hubs and I are not what you call raisin people...And goodness, all those many times that I flippantly turned the page over and passed up this recipe like it was lower than the dust....

And now... Ich.bin.in.love.

The thing that I drool over is their flavor (reminds me of a snickerdoodle) and texture- a sugary coating, but soft inside with plump juicy raisins extracting all sorts of moisture and tang. Hmm! Kinda obsessed here.

Note: we've tried using both the dark and the golden raisin in this recipe, and quite frankly, both were a home run, so whatever hue of raisin you have lying around, is perfectly perfect.

Here's the recipe....

*Goblin Valley Raisin Cookies
{"Always in Season"- Jr League of Utah}


2 cups golden raisins
1 cup water
1 cup oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
More sugar

Bring the raisins to boil in the water in a small saucepan, and boil until the water is nearly absorbed, raisins are soft. Drain the excess water.

Beat the oil and 1 1/2 cups sugar in a mixer for two minutes, and add in the beaten egg and vanilla. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt, and add it to the oil mixture. Combine, and stir in the raisins; the dough is slightly sticky at this point.

Chill the dough for 20 minutes. Shape into medium size balls (the size of a mini ice-cream scooper) and roll in the additional sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 for about 12-16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on the cookie sheets for several minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.



*FYI...Goblin Valley is located in the southeast quarter of the state of Utah. It's an incredible creation and one of mother nature's best, dotted by thousands of meticulously eroded rock formations (apparently, they are kinda spooky looking, hence the name of the park:)).