Entry 23 - Personal Favorite: Sera's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

With the New Year well under way, it is a great time to renew, refresh, and reassess one's habits and lifestyle. My pledge for this year is to focus on clean, fit, vegan living. And that means staying active daily, making delicious, vegan meals, and ... sigh ... cutting back on sweets.

This is a great challenge for me as baking is my first love and my forever friend. When I was first living on my own, I tired quickly of boxed meals and processed foods. And packages of cookies were expensive while I was in between jobs and school semesters. I wanted something sweet and crumbly to take my mind off my troubles but had only a small set of kitchen supplies. However, I was determined to make the most of my situation and I began baking chocolate chip cookies to satisfy my sweet cravings. Over time, my skill improved and I saved for appliances. As I collected more, I changed up the kinds of cookies I baked (and if you are interested in my perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, check out my blog entry).

It is not surprising though that after about ten years of baking and eating cookies, I have noticed some... shall we say... unwanted changes. Staying fit with exercise is one part of my New Year's pledge to myself, and eating healthy is the other. So I decided to make a kind of cookie I downright despised as a child but have chosen to embrace in my adulthood for the sake of my health and figure: Oatmeal raisin cookies.

This change in my mindset, this acceptance and reconciliation of my feelings about oatmeal raisin cookies, reminded me of that adorable and heartfelt scene with Sera on the roof of the Herald's Rest in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Source: Dragon Age Wiki, Sera

Like Sera, raisins and cookies together do not bring about the best of memories. They were my folks' favorite while I felt very strongly that "healthy food" had no business in cookies. They were deceptive in nature to my young mind. How could a cookie, a treat that is supposed to be sweet, harbor such an off-putting fruit as raisins? And the oatmeal would get stuck in my teeth, all but ensuring that I was flossing later that evening before bed (another thing my folks favored that I had strong feelings against - a real tragedy here, I know). However, in the years since, I learned a strong sense of discipline and balanced that with my cookie cravings. Even if I don't like something, I eat it anyway, partially because I do not want to waste food and partially because I should be mindful and willing to give foods I used to dislike a new chance.

I began recipe testing these vegan oatmeal raisin cookies before the New Year and had mixed results. I found myself feeling much the same as years before: disappointed and deceived. Still, I tried and tried. And in case you are curious, yes, I subjected myself and my family to less-than desirable oatmeal raisin cookies to avoid wasting what I baked. Imagine a group of adventures sitting about a table in Skyhold's kitchen, grumbling about the state of the world and capping off a hard day with a plate of mediocre cookies. The best anyone has to say about the situation is "Well, they aren't too terrible."

Yet we were rewarded for the effort! On the third attempt, I achieved my goal: I baked the perfect oatmeal raisin cookies. They are deliciously sweet and the perfect texture.

The raisin and the applesauce flavors work well together, making these cookies both healthier and quite filling. You can even add walnuts to the cookie dough and make these a breakfast cookie if you are used to taking your first meal on the go.

For the record: This post if not sponsored. 

As always, I began by assembling my ingredients: all purpose flour, baking soda, double acting baking powder, salt, vegan butter, brown sugar, white sugar, applesauce, vanilla, rolled oats, and of course, raisins.

Next, I added my vegan butter and sugars together and creamed well. This step is the longest in the process because you have cream these ingredients well.

Cream. Very. Well.

You can choose to sift the dry ingredients first (as described in the recipe below) or if you have a stand mixer, you can do this step while the sugars and butter are being creamed. The important part here with the dry ingredients is that you sift them. If you do not have a sifter, you can whisk them together, but be thorough and take your time to ensure the dry ingredients are well combined. I used my trusty, well-loved hand crank sifter.

Once sugars and butter are combined and creamy, I measured and added the applesauce. I recommend taking your applesauce out of the refrigerator ahead of time and allow it to warm slightly to room temperature. Chilled applesauce can have a harder time mixing with the creamed butter and sugars.

Combine vanilla and applesauce with creamed butter and sugars until smooth. This can take some time because you are using slightly slower speeds to allow the applesauce to combine thoroughly with the other wet ingredients. Thorough, slower mixing will allow the applesauce to act like an egg and help give the baked cookies the body and texture typical of non-vegan cookies.

And next I folded in the oats and raisins.

Once well combined, I used a tablespoon to scoop and drop cookies onto my baking sheets. I used parchment paper to keep my cookies from baking to the baking sheets.

And from here, bake one sheet at a time in a 350℉ (or 175℃) oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove promptly once cookies are lightly brown. Allow to cool slightly on the pan before moving to a wire rack to cool complete.

Here's little Skyhold recycling secret if you do not have a wire rack (like me in my college years when I started baking): cut a brown paper bag at the seams or along the folds and open flat. Place on your counter and use in place of a wire rack. Your cookies may take a little longer to cool but will maintain their shape and taste just as good.

Enjoy once cool or store in an air-tight container. My latest and most perfect batch of oatmeal raisin cookies have kept well into this third week of January but for optimal freshness, I recommend you enjoy yours within 2 weeks.

Try them out and give your body and mind the best you can give it: a delicious, wholesome, and satisfying sweet treat! Share your batch of perfection on Instagram or Twitter to let me know what you think.


Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients

Recipe Yields: about 30 cookies
Prep Time: about 20-25 minutes
Bake Time: 10-12 minutes

1 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp double acting baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c vegan butter
1/2 packed c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1/4 c applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 c uncooked rolled oats
a mounding 1/2 c raisins
(optional: 1/2 c crushed walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350℉.
Cut parchment paper to cover baking sheets and set aside.

Sift flour, baking soda, double acting baking powder, and salt together, then set aside.
Add butter and sugars to a mixing bowl and cream thoroughly for 15 to 20 minutes, using low to medium speeds. Add applesauce and vanilla until smooth and almost fluffy, again using low to medium speeds.
Add sifted dry ingredients in three parts,  until smooth. If dough is very moist, add an additional 1 to 2 tablespoon of flour.
Fold in oats and raisins until combined well. (Then add crushed walnuts.)

Drop 1 tablespoon-sized spoonful of cookie dough 2 inches apart on the parchment-papered baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown.

Remove from oven promptly and allow to cool slightly on baking sheets, about 4 to 5 minutes. Then move to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before storing. You can store these cookies for 2 to 3 weeks in an air-tight container.

Like what you are reading? Great! Come back for a new entry on the third Thursday of each month. And have a look at my previous entries for other recipes and Dragon Age-related trivia and oddities!

Have any friendly suggestions or cool ideas? Want me to veganize your favorite recipe? Please feel free to comment below. You can also email me at foodsofthedas@gmail.com, message me at AGSamuels on Reddit, or tweet me at @FoodsofThedas on Twitter. You can also follow me on Instagram, @gourmetveganthedas.

If you try out any of my recipes, please share a picture on social media and use the hashtag (#)gourmetveganthedas.


Walk always in the Maker's light.

_

Image Source:

Dragon Age Wiki: dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Age_Wiki
Dragon Age Wiki, Sera: dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Sera#Promotional