We’ve all made
oatmeal cookies that taste like hockey pucks. And then we’ve tasted
dream oatmeal cookies, ones that are chewy and full of flavor.
Well, one day, in 2010, I
screwed up the recipe off the Quaker Oats container and made a perfect
batch of oatmeal cookies. Soft and chewy with a bit of crunch, family
and friends loved them and agreed they were the best oatmeal cookies
ever.
A few months later I cooked up another batch from the same recipe and they were dreadful, like hockey pucks.
And so began my quest for the Holy Grain, the perfect oatmeal cookie.
I did recall that I ran out
of oats while making those perfect cookies — so I’d substituted some
steel cut oats and they gave the cookies a great crunch. And maybe I’d
forgotten to add the second egg called for in the recipe? Had I used
dark brown or light sugar? Had I added 1 cup of white sugar instead of
the ½ cup detailed in the recipe?
After some trial and error, I think I found the Holy Grail: the perfect oatmeal cookie. I hope you agree!
Soak 1.5 cups raisins in 3T Grand Marnier. Stir every once in awhile so the raisins plump up and absorb the liquid. 
Cream 8 oz room temperature unsalted butter, 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar. 
Add 1 cup white sugar and mix well. 
Add 1 egg and 1 T real vanilla extract. 
In another bowl, mix 1.5 cups all-purpose flour, 1 t baking soda, 1 T cinnamon, 1/4 t each cloves, ginger and allspice, plus 1/2 t sea salt 
Take time to mix well to distribute the spices evenly. Add the flour mix to the butter mix. Mix well. 
Add 2 and 1/4 cups old fashioned oatmeal (not quick cooking). Mix. 
Add 3/4 cup steel cut oats. Mix well. 
Stir the raisins so they absorb all the Grand Marnier, drain any excess liquid and add to the mix. 
Pack mix firmly into small scoop. Arrange 8 per sheet – these cookies spread so give them room. 
You might want to flatten them too. Cook one sheet in the oven at a time at 350. Cookies wlll be puffed and golden in 10 to 12 minutes. 
Cool on baking sheet for another minute or so. They will continue to brown during this time. 
Slide the parchment off the baking sheet and onto a cooling rack. The cookies will collapse into chewy goodness as they cool. 
Try adding milk chocolate chips, pecan pieces, coconut, whatever you like. Or not. These cookies are pretty tasty with just this basic recipe. 
Enjoy!