Sunday, March 20, 2011

Sweet...Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies with Sunflower Seeds



It's officially Spring! What a lovely weekend we had in New England!  Please join me,  Susan, From Beyond My Kitchen Window and Kary from My Farmhouse Kitchen in another Sarabeth bake-off!  Kary just e-mailed me to let me know that her post will be late because of flooding in California.  They woke up at 3:00 a.m. to a flooded dining room!

Hubby and I went to Maine for the weekend and had a wonderful time.  When we returned home to Massachusetts I had to scurry to bake my Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies with Sunflower Seeds.

I can honestly tell you these are THE BEST oatmeal cookies I've ever tasted.  Once again I followed a recipe from my Sarabeth's Bakery cookbook, and while the Quaker Oats oatmeal cookies are good, these are divine!  The extra effort in the recipe is worth the work!  I hope you enjoy them!

This recipe gets a delicious nuttiness from the sunflower seeds - an ingredient that you don't find in many cookies but which is a perfect complement for the oatmeal.

Ingredients
2/3 Cup super fine sugar
2/3 Cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned (rolled) oats
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
1 1/2 cups seedless raisins
1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds

Directions
1. Position racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 350F. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper.

2. Rub the superfine sugar and brown sugar together through a coarse-mesh sieve into medium bowl. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into another bowl, then add the oats and stir well to combine.

3. Beat the butter in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add the sugar mixture, then the vanilla. Beat, occasionally scrapping the bottom and sides of the bowl, until the mixture is pale yellow and very light-textured, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in the eggs. Reduce the mixer speed to low. In thirds, beat the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, beating just until each addition is incorporated. Mix in the raisins and sunflower seeds. Do not over mix.

4. Using a 2-inch-diameter ice-cream scoop, portion the batter onto the prepared pans, placing the cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake, switching the position of the pans from top to bottom and front to back about halfway through baking, until the cookies are light golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely on the pans. (The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days.)*


This is the cookbook, and I highly recommend it!


Notes:
* I used a 1 1/2-inch scoop and reduced the baking time by several minutes.  

24 comments:

  1. Oh yum! Look divine...I was hoping to join you today, but didn't remember til late (also was at work all day baing trays of brownies...made 32!) So next time, I really will! These look fabulous - can't wait to see the other girl's posts too! xx R

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  2. Hi Mary...I just had to stop by quickly to see your post..I am SO SORRY to have missed this....but we are FLOODED out here in California...

    I will try and post mine later this week

    Your cookies look so wonderful, my friend

    sending love,
    kary and teddy
    xxx

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  3. The addition of sunflower seeds is a good idea, a little healthier than the M@M's we use to plop in when I was younger. These look delicious. A cold glass of milk and a half dozen of these and I'll be good to go.

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  4. These look awesome, but I feel absolutely unloyal if I say any oatmeal cookie is better than my mom's! haha! oh gosh! what a dilemma!

    I hope the farmhouse kitchen isn't still flooded! what a horror to live with ... and clean up! prayers for your cyberpal!

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  5. Love your cookies I am writing it down. We were in Maine also.
    cathy

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  6. I love the idea of sunflower seeds in these cookies! fantastic!!

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  7. These are in my future!
    thank you for testing the waters
    Julie

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  8. Oh! These sound fantastic! I'm always looking for stuff that utilizes sunflower seeds, etc. I'm allergic to nuts, so I love baked items that use similar tasting ingredients. Cool!

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  9. Those look great. I love oatmeal raisin cookies but I never had them with sunflower seeds in them.

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  10. couldn't find an email we went to Ogunquit beach and Wells beach
    Cathy

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  11. these do look like great cookies... quite old fashioned which is what I like about them! I love you little gang of bakers, it's such a brilliant idea...

    I think that FBMKW's blog is not working as I couldn't open her post on this subject... maybe you could alert her?

    Lovely post anyway xxx

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  12. I've been craving oatmeal raisin cookies!
    Have you ever had those candy coated sunflower seeds...they come in a long sleeve thing. SOOO good :)

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  13. Just beauttiful! Similar to my recipe, but those sunflowers seeds are an unexpected treat. I will be keeping this one.
    Rita

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  14. Those oatmeal cookies look absolutely delicious, Mary. I'm keeping this recipe to try soon.

    How horrible for Kary! I hope she has everything under control today.

    I read that Sara Beth's cookbook recently won the prestigious James Beard Award!

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  15. these look wonderful, and I can't take my eyes off of those scones either......and don't get me started on your spring garden...sighhhhh.....I'm so delighted to become your newest follower - God Bless You Bella!

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  16. They look wonderful but I'd definitely have to replace it with another nut because I'm allergic to sunflower seeds.

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  17. hi mary...isn't that pot holder just the cutest.....i wish i had made it...i am not too good in the sewing department ....i wish i was....

    teddy is on my shoulder and i am typing with one hand cause i have to hold his chewie...and we have more rain on the way.... get out our life raft :-{

    kary and teddy
    xxx

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  18. I love oatmeal cookies and these sound delicious! I'll have to check out Sarabeth's cookbook!

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  19. I've been laughing all afternoon at your comment "To quote Nancy Kerrigan: Why, why why..." Just wanted to thank you for the laugh!

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  20. I could really go for one of those right now.

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  21. hi mary....i love tessa and little muffin here....

    i have a bowl of chili and some cornbread waiting for you here on the farm table...i didn't put anything in the cornbread...but next time i will try the corn or jalepeno's...sounds great !!!!

    :-)

    wish you were here

    sending love,
    kary and teddy
    xxx

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  22. Hi Mary

    Thanks for your congratulations on our new grandson -- we are so thrilled with the new addition to our family!

    Hugs,
    Pat

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  23. Oh I love it when you three get together like this - lots of yummyness follows!
    They look terrific!
    Glad you had a lovely weekend away!
    Gill xx

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I'm thrilled you've stopped by and I always enjoy your comments! Thank you!