Oatmeal raisin cookies

I went to visit old workmates at the theatre yesterday and since I'd been craving oatmeal raisin biscuits for days, I made them some. On the way home I went to GLC for a double espresso and got Suke Quto from The Barn, my lucky day!

OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

(makes about 24 small biscuits)
(adapted a little from Smitten Kitchen)

115g soft butter
125g muscovado sugar
1 organic egg
120g rolled oats
95g flour (I used light spelt)
0,5tsp baking powder
0,5tsp cinnamon
0,5tsp salt
0,5tsp pure vanilla powder
70g raisins
40g chopped dark chocolate


Cream together the soft butter and sugar. Add egg and mix. In a separate bowl combine oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients, raisins and chocolate to the sugar butter mixture and mix with your hands to have everything well combined. Scoop the dough onto two sheets of baking paper and roll them tightly and place in the fridge for half an hour or so. When chilled, cut the rolls into biscuits, divide on two baking sheets and press each a little to flatten them out. Bake in 175 celsius for 8-9 minutes, until golden at the edges but still pale on top. (We're aiming at crunchy edges and soft, chewy middle. Chilling the dough makes the biscuits a little thicker and chewier; a warm dough bakes faster and spreads more.). I made small biscuits (about 5cm) but next time I think I'll go for proper cookies and make bigger ones. Baking time will vary a lot depending on your oven, how big you make the biscuits and how cold the dough is. Just do as my grandma always did; bake a test biscuit or two first!

I highly recommend muscovado sugar! (This is the sugar I use the most. In Helsinki you find it in Ruohonjuuri and other organic stores.) Muscovado's got a lovely, subtle caramelly taste. Since it's less processed than white sugar it still has some nutrients in it and is easier for your body to digest. Of course you could make these biscuits with any sugar but you will miss a little in flavour if you use white sugar.

I tried out carrot cupcakes yesterday for a night at Helena's and they were so good I made them today as well for girls at work.

CARROT CUPCAKES

(makes 12)

250ml flour (I've been using different combos of almond, rice and spelt flour, you could also just use plain wheat flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1,5tsp cinnamon
a good pinch of ground cardamom
a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
a pinch of ground ginger
0,5tsp salt
200ml raw cane sugar
180ml oil
3-4 carrots
2 organic eggs (room temperature)

120g cream cheese
100ml powdered sugar
25g melted butter
organic almonds/hazelnuts for garnish


Mix the dry ingredients. Grate the carrots and mix them and the oil and the eggs with a spatula and add the mixture to the dry ingredients. Place paper muffin tins in a muffin tray and divide the batter into them. Bake in 175 celsius for about 10-15 minutes. Let cool complelety on wire racks. Make the frosting by mixing together cream cheese, sugar and butter until creamy. Cover completely cooled cupcakes with the frosting and sprinkle chopped almonds on top. Keep the cupcakes covered in the fridge overnight before serving; they'll taste a lot more and better the day after.

(You can also make a cake with the same recipe; just pour the dough into a lined or greased tin (diameter about 24cm) and bake for about 15-20 minutes, just until a toothpick comes out clean.)


(photo by Helena Mackey)