They are delicious and yes, they have some texture. Horses would love them. We save them for ourselves, bake what we need and freeze the uncooked dough for another day. Hay is for horses, cookies are for people!!

It seems we all are baking these days because otherwise we'd kill each other, so here is a cookie recipe that will make your people happy. It makes about 3 dozen cookies. Bake what you want or need for the week, then freeze the portioned cookie dough balls to bake another day. Or month. They're kind of delicious, you might want to double up. And don't forget to leave care packages for the people in your life you can't see as much as you'd like to right now. #frontporchdropoff

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar, light or dark
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 cups old-fashioned whole rolled oats (I use 1/2 steel cut and 1/2 old fashioned oats for texture)
(1) 9 oz. bag of best quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped raisins (unsweetened if possible), chopped into small pieces
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. First, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl, then set aside. Do not neglect the cinnamon, it is key.

Next, using either a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, then add the brown sugar and granulated sugar until properly creamed. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla and beat on high speed until well blended (see photos below). Give the sides of the bowl a scrape and beat one last time, gently, until it is perfect!

The four phases of cookie dough — creaming wet ingredients, adding the dry, adding the texture and then the final product, ready for baking!

Now add the flour and cinnamon mix into the wet ingredients (eggs and butter). Once incorporated, gently add the oats, chocolate chips, chopped up raisins and walnuts. Your dough will be thicky and sticky. Eat a spoonful or two if so inclined, then cover and chill for at least 45 minutes in the refrigerator, or for a few days if you are doing this in advance. When you are ready to bake, take the cookie dough to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before baking.

Here they are, ready for the oven on my fancy silpat and cookie sheet I got from Bed, Bath and Beyond for 20% off. Don’t you just love a bargain?

Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, portion about 3 TBS. of dough per cookie, and place 4 inches apart on your baking sheet. Bake for 13-14 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft until they properly cool. Let them hang on the sheet pan for 5 minutes or so before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Eat one before this happens with a large glass of milk. You can also portion these off and freeze them for a few months if not more.

I've been told by more than three people that these are the best cookies they've ever had, and in this day of social distancing, actually seeing three people is a BFD. We talked from 10 feet apart. Eat cookies and be happy. And thanks for following.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Walnuts & Chocolate Chips Recipe