Chewy Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

My favorite chewy chocolate chip cookies are made even chewier by the addition of sweet raisins. If you love raisins, this will be your new favorite cookie.

FINALLY!!! My first first-author manuscript has been accepted for publication in Eukaryotic Cell! I think I first submitted that silly thing in September and then two revisions later – BOOM. I’ll let you know when it’s on PudMed! Sweet glory let’s celebrate with cookies.

If I thought my favorite chewy chocolate chip cookies couldn’t get any chewier, I have been proven wrong. While at dinner with my parents and their friends, I was told that adding raisins to cookies makes them soft and chewy. At first I thought he was referring to oatmeal raisin cookies, which I agreed are very chewy but no, he meant raisins in chocolate chip cookies. Of course I had to try it out.

The only change I made was substituting one cup of the chocolate chips for raisins, and I have to admit they did come out fantastically chewy. As long as you like raisins (and chewy cookies), you should definitely try it the next time you whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

In addition to this fun new trick, I have also modified my favorite chewy chocolate chip cookies recipe to reflect another trick I’ve adopted – rolling the dough into balls before refrigeration. This allows the dough to be at it’s coldest when placed into the oven which reduces spreading and renders thicker cookies.

One year ago: Cheesy Double Bean Quesadillas with Avocado Ranch

Two years ago: Irish Car Bomb Mini Cheesecake Bites

CHEWY RAISIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 egg + 1 yolk, room temperature

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used Nestle springtime chocolate chips)

1 cup raisins, roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients in three batches until just blended. Fold in the chocolate chips and raisins by hand.
3. Rolls 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball that is slightly taller than wide and place on a plate or tray. Cover tightly and chill for at least 2 hours, but overnight for best results (I’ve refrigerated for up to a week).
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with silicone baking mats (or parchment paper); set aside.
5. Place cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for 8 minutes or until edges are barely golden (will look underbaked). Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Source: Adapted slightly from My Favorite Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.