These thin, chewy oatmeal raisin cookies will have you sneaking into the cookie jar at all hours of the day.
Admittedly, I could have called this recipe “Thin and Chewy Oatmeal Cookies” or “The Perfect Oatmeal Raisin Cookie”, but instead I decided to balk all of the SEO rules and call them precisely what I wanted: Alaska Oatmeal Cookies.
Why Alaska? There’s a story there.
As I have mentioned before, Boyfriend works as a personal trainer at a local gym. When he first started working there back in January, he met George. George is the client of one of Boyfriend’s coworkers; he is in his 80’s, hates the way Chicago idiots drive in the snow, and thinks Boyfriend’s beard is epically awesome. Obviously, he and Boyfriend immediately bonded. Every Monday, before George’s training session, the two of them shoot the you-know-what and discuss everything from the weather to what’s for dinner that night.
At some point in one of these conversations, they discovered that they both love to cook and that they both have been on vacation to Alaska. Upon finding this out, George went home and emailed us two recipes that he acquired on his Alaskan vacation: a salmon recipe and a cookie recipe, which he claimed to be the best cookies ever.
Boyfriend immediately zeroed in on the salmon recipe, while I, on the other hand, could not stop thinking about those cookies. Because one can never be too obsessive when it comes to a good cookie recipe, I literally thought about those cookies for almost three weeks straight. Finally, this past weekend, I couldn’t take it any more; I had to pull out the Kitchenaid and give them a try.
I actually halved the original recipe – partly because it called for 6 cups of oats and I only had 3, and partly because I was fairly certain the bowl of my poor mixer could not hold more than half the recipe – and still ended up with about 3 dozen cookies. 3 dozen thin, lacy, perfectly chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. I ate one, then quickly ate another. Then came back a few minutes later and ate two more. And then I had to leave the house or risk eating all of the cookies in one sitting.
I have no self control.
I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect oatmeal cookie recipe, and I think I have found it. And so, I give you George’s favorite Alaska Oatmeal Cookie recipe. Try not to eat them all in one sitting.
Alaska Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 6 tablespoons shortening
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup flour
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, shortening, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg, water, and vanilla; beat until combined.
- Add the salt, baking soda, and flour to the bowl. Mix until just combined, then stir in the oats and raisins until just mixed. Spoon dough onto baking sheets by rounded teaspoonfuls, spacing about 2 inches apart. These cookies spread quite a bit, so give them some room to grow. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden and just set in the center. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then move to a rack to finish cooling.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.
I LOVE it!! I feel like we were face-to-face with you telling me the story. After Easter, when I allow myself to eat “sweets” again, I may need to whip up a batch of these cookies. In honor of George, of course!!
I have the utmost respect for any cookie recipe that calls for 6 cups of anything. I bow. I bow to the Alaska cookie. So…I have an idea. Let’s go eat these cookies in Alaska! Bring the whole family!
Seriously! Cookies for a crowd!
aw George sounds adorable! These cookies totally look like the kind that you’ll never be able to stop eating! So chewy and yummy!
Yay! I’m so glad George’s recipe made it to the blog!!! I love this odd friendship they have cultivated. I also wanna see that salmon recipe!
The awesome thing is we could use George’s alaskan salmon recipe on salmon that Alex caught while fishing in Alaska. WUT.
Love recipes with stories, those are always the best! These cookies look delicious!
Isn’t it more fun to be able to tell a story when you make a recipe for someone?
I can’t say no to an oatmeal cookie. Ever.
RIGHT? I mean…they’re basically good for you. You should probably eat another. 😉
Wow. That was one large-batch cookie recipe Stephie!! Six cups of oats?! I think three dozen would definitely be enough for my shoebox apartment also… oven and bench space is definitely at a premium! Love the name ‘Alaska Oatmeal Cookies’. Being in Australia, I am pretty sure that all of my friends would scoff these up, just so they could feel a little bit more knowledgeable about world cuisine 😉 I HAVE to make these. And then take them to work. Just to save myself from later oatmeal overload, as I also have very little self control. Rats. Aaron loves salmon also, he and your bf would get along swimmingly (no pun intended) xxx
I love oatmeal cookies. These look awesome! They are rather unique in their oat to flour ratio.
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So, you’ll never believe this (I know I didn’t when I saw this on Pinterest, I had to click over to see what the recipe ingredients were), but this is my mothers recipe! We lived in Alaska in the early/mid 1970’s, my dad worked on the pipeline. The reason the cookies come out so delicate, thin, and chewy is the water. You can make these without the water and they turn out like normal oatmeal cookies. I have enjoyed these cookies my whole life!
Wow!! I thought I was going out on a limb calling them “Alaska Oatmeal Cookies”, but now I am so glad I did that so you could find them! Isn’t the world a small place? 🙂
Nancy Braum, That’s AMAZING!!! Does it matter if they’re golden raisins or regular raisins? Since this recipe came from your Mom???
Mia
Wait. Did you say Boyfriend and George both cook? Keepers there, for sure lol!! J/K because although my husband’s father is a great cook, he did not pass that on to my husband (unfortunately)! Those are some gorgeous oatmeal cookies Stephie – happens to be one of my favorites!
I love that you use golden raisins. These cookies look delicious!
Are there any other raisins worth considering?? 🙂
Love a great food story!! Thanks for sharing! xo
I’d have to leave the house, too! I have no willpower when it comes to oatmeal cookies and these look chewy and delicious!
Sounds like the perfect name for the perfect cookie!
These sound so good!
This is perfect for an event I’m taking cookies Saturday night. There will be 30 people or more there. Maybe I should go for that BIG recipe and double it (make two batches). Small counter space in my kitchen.
Thanks for the post!
I love the addition of the golden raisins. Thin and chewy oatmeal cookies are my jam!
With the exception of the raisins (don’t use them) and oats (we use quick instead of rolled), this is the exact oatmeal cookie recipe passed down to me from my mother in law–my husband’s childhood favorite. 🙂 I actually clicked on the Pinterest link out of curiosity because they looked so similar. Delicious little cookies!
So fun!! Love stumbling across family recipes that others have tweaked slightly to make their own.