At last, the weekend! There’s nothing quite like that first 30 minutes of a Saturday morning. I know some of us have the fortune of slowly sauntering to the bathroom, rinsing the sleep away from our faces, then emerging into our kitchens to greet the new day (and hopefully an already brewed pot of joe). Rejoice, I say, it is finally the weekend and the next 48 hours are entirely up to you! Remember, we are all given the same 24 hours each day in this world; how fortunate we are. Make the most of those hours and opportunities and don’t let them pass you by – who knows, you could become the person you always thought you’d be.
“Time is a slippery thing: lose hold of it once, and its string might sail out of your hands forever.”
― Anthony Doerr, “All the Light We Cannot See“
Ah, time. Do you plan on spending a bit of it in the kitchen this weekend? How about cooking or baking with a friend? Although I have a fond appreciation for solitude, particularly in the kitchen (“Everyone! OUT!” comes to mind), I do quite enjoy having a friend with me from time-to-time to uncork a bottle of white and have a laugh. And yesterday I did just that!
It tickled me to know that a dear friend of mine here in Prague, Veronika, had the interest to take on the recent oatmeal raisin cookies in her kitchen with me. Veronika, a great home cook in her own right, is just my cup of tea actually; animal-lover, wine-drinker, joke-maker, Euro-traveller, and did I mention she is consistently punctual? (We are a dying breed in the 21st century!)
Our baking session was yesterday in the late afternoon hours. The mission two-fold. Mission 1., make her first ever oatmeal raisin cookies and 2., hand down the verdict on the amount of sugar in the recipe after a recent debate with the husband at home.
Have a look at the fun we had yesterday! We definitely were making the most of the day – time was on our side!
Highlights from the day!
What fun! Wishing you all a great weekend and whether you spend it with a friend, family member, or with your beautiful self, enjoy it and make the most of it!
Have fun and happy cooking!
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| On location! Baking in Veronika’s kitchen The Bell Kitchen on the road! |
Oh and the verdict? “Not too sweet!” – Veronika
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
2015-05-19 08:56:56
Serves 6
The addictive variety
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Dry
- 2 cups AP flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet, to be creamed
- 2 large eggs or 3 medium eggs
- 170g unsalted butter (CZ) or 3/4 cup (US)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 3 cups of steel-cut oats (not instant)
- 1 3/4 cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F or 177 C and set rack in the middle of the oven
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth and light in color
- Add extract and eggs and combine thoroughly
- Fold in dry ingredients and combine -- do not overmix
- Finally, add oats and raisins (note: if the batter is much too thick, add a medium egg to wetten it up however your dough should be thick)
- On a cookie sheet, make 2 tbsp balls of cookie dough and place them 2 inches apart (appx 9 cookies per cookie sheet)
- Bake for 11-13 minutes until the cookie is turning golden but still moist in the center. Cookies will continue to cook slightly and firm when cooling
- Set aside to cool and transfer to a serving dish once at room temperature
The Bell Kitchen https://thebellkitchen.com/
