Bake Delicious Oatmeal Raisin Cookies With Duff Goldman's Pro-Tip

Duff Goldman is the Ace of Cakes, a Charm City icon, and one of the Food Network's premier baking experts – and he has some definite opinions on much-maligned oatmeal raisin cookies. When speaking with Delish, Goldman admitted that "Oatmeal raisin cookies get a bad rep because of the oatmeal." After all, oats are more often associated with a groggy morning bowl of oatmeal (steel-cut or rolled, there are pros and cons to each) than tasty desserts. However, this doesn't have to be the case. And Duff Goldman has a few key tips to take your oatmeal raisin cookies from dull to delicious. 

"I like to soak the oatmeal and raisins ahead of time," Goldman said in his interview with Delish, adding that the pre-bake soak allows the ingredients to become, "super moist and plump." Soaking your raisins and oats will help to make them chewy instead of dry, and can add volume to your raisins, thus enhancing their fruity flavor. Goldman also suggests toasting the nuts prior to adding them into your cookie dough, and pulling the cookies of the oven before they get too tough. This will help prevent your cookies from tasting like granola. Instead, you'll have a delicious batch of warm, moist, and unbelievably delicious cookies. It'll have you wondering why you ever eschewed the humble (but tasty) oatmeal raisin cookie.

The warmth and nuttiness of an oatmeal raisin cookie is infinitely comforting and is balanced with the sweetness of raisins. But how do we take this classic to a new level? Duff Goldman suggests soaking your core ingredients. Soaking raisins prior to cooking isn't exactly a novel idea. In fact, it is protocol in many recipes, such as carrot cake. And adding this step to your cookie recipe is more than worth the time. You can soak your raisins in pretty much any liquid. You can use water or, if you're feeling a bit more adventurous, try rum, brandy, or whiskey. This will give your raisins an extra kick of flavor. You could also soak your raisins in eggs, as eggs are already a vital ingredient in cookies. 

An hour is enough time to properly plump up the dried fruit, though overnight works best. And if you're hoping to avoid adding too much moisture, you can dry your raisins with a paper towel before adding to your dough. This step isn't recommended if you are soaking your raisins in egg, as this mixture should be added in all together. This is a great trick to use if you're not looking to add any additional liquid to your recipe. Goldman also suggests soaking your oats, which will help prevent them from getting too tough or chewy while baking. Oats can be soaked in the liquid components of your cookie recipe.

Pre-soaking your oats and raisins isn't Duff's only tip for the perfect oatmeal raisin cookie, however. He also suggests toasting your nuts (if you choose to include them) prior to adding them to your mix. Toasting your nuts will help to bring out more complexities in their flavor, and add warmth and depth that can help balance out the sweetness of your raisins. Additionally, Goldman's secret for perfectly gooey cookies is not to leave them in the oven too long. "If you over-bake them," Goldman said in interview with Delish, "you're crunching on granola bars." And a granola bar simply isn't a serviceable dessert. To avoid over-baking your cookies, Goldman suggests that you "take them out of the oven as soon as they start to develop some color. Then you end up with perfect gooey-in-the-middle cookies." 

Another key hack Goldman shared? Making your dough ahead of time. Goldman suggests making the batter, freezing it, and using your dough as needed. This tip isn't just a great way to portion out large batches – chilling cookie dough is also a great way to improve your cookies' taste and texture, as letting dough sit can help the flavors meld. And if you keep these tips in mind, you're sure to come out of your baking endeavors with some seriously delicious (and mind-changing) oatmeal raisin cookies.