Raisin Cookies

Raisin Cookies.  Not oatmeal raisin cookies, but just "raisin cookies."

These are my father's favorites.  My family has been making them for more than 40 years, since we first found the recipe in a Highlights magazine at my dentist's office.  They're simple, but fragrant and flavorful with cinnamon and fruit.

My father suffered a small stroke recently, though he's doing well enough that he might be going home from the nursing home physical therapy rehab today (too soon for my liking, since he's still weak and has vision problems, even if his disposition and attitude are good).  And so I did what little I could to help him feel better: I baked cookies.

Sometimes you want a cookie with lots of goodies - chocolate chips, oats, nuts, candies, and all sorts of crispy, crunchy stuff.  This is not the cookie to satisfy that craving.

Instead, these are the cookies you seek when you just want the comfort of an old-fashioned snack with a glass of cold milk.   These are not the supermodels of the cookie world, sexy and glamorous; instead, they are the girl next door, wholesome and sweet.

You'll be surprised how they seduce you, how many you'll find yourself eating once you bake a batch ....

Raisin Cookies

3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 eggs
2-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

Place the raisins and the water into a small saucepan; bring to a boil, cook for 5 minutes, then turn off heat.

In a large bowl, cream together sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and cinnamon.  Stir in the eggs.  Mix in the flour, baking soda and salt.  Stir in the raisins with the water.

Drop batter onto the baking sheet in dollops the size of walnut shells, leaving room for the cookies to spread.  Bake for 12 minutes, til the cookies are golden.  Let cookies cool on a rack.

Makes about 48 cookies.