Dad and I procrastinated on planning last week’s summer baseball trip. Less than a month before, we sat in my parents’ living room, Mom and I on our laptops scrolling through hotel photos on Expedia and checking flight schedules on Southwest while Dad peered over our shoulders. We all agreed on reserving rooms at two posh places in Philadelphia and Washington, DC, but we squabbled over the airplane choices.
They preferred the 9 am flight out of San Francisco, but I balked at the twice-as-long drive to the airport and the snail-paced security lines. Eventually, they warmed up to my 11 am departure from Oakland, despite a super sort 45-minute layover in Denver. (Summer thunderstorms often cause delays there, so my parents worried we’d miss our connection!)
On the day of our vacation, I fit in a quick workout, walked the dog, showered, pack breakfast and lunch, and still ended up with an extra 15 minutes to spare. (That wouldn’t have happened if we left from SFO!) My guy dropped us off at the airport, and we breezed through security, then sipped Starbucks at the gate while waiting to board.
About halfway through the flight, a stewardess made an announcement on the loudspeaker. “Due to weather, we’ll be arriving late in Denver. Those of you with connections, don’t worry! Except Philadelphia…” She paused, while Dad and I warily glanced at each other. “We just received word that they’ll hold the plane for you, so everyone else, please let those Philadelphia passengers get off first!”
When the “Fasten Seatbelt” sign turned off, we sprinted off the plane—Dad in search of a sandwich, me in search of the gate. I spun in a complete circle after disembarking before realizing that the connection shared an entrance with our first flight. And they hadn’t even begun boarding yet!
Dad returned just in time to hand his ticket to the attendant, and we laughed at the irony as we settled back into our new seats. After takeoff, he offered me bites of both his turkey sandwich and oatmeal raisin cookie, and I snuck a second (and third!) nibble of the latter. It was so soft, sweet, and good! Dad finally put his finger on why—“They added ginger to it!”—and I couldn’t wait to get back to my kitchen and bake my own (healthier) version of them to share with you!
My spiced oatmeal raisin cookies are—dare I say it?—even better than that original airport one. They’re incredibly soft, full of plump sweet raisins, and packed with spices. I mixed in cinnamon and nutmeg (two of my favorites!) and lots of ginger. Lots. Because, well, that’s what makes them so addictive!
So grab a tall, cold glass of milk—you won’t be able to stop eating these soft spiced oatmeal raisin cookies!
The ginger in these cookies makes them special and absolutely addictive! They’ll stay soft for 4 or 5 days if stored in an air-tight container.
- Combine the raisins and water in a small, microwave-safe bowl, and tightly cover the top with plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 1½ minutes. Let the raisins sit for 20 minutes to continue soaking up liquid. Discard any remaining liquid.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and next 8 ingredients (through salt). In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, yogurt, egg whites, and vanilla. Stir in the brown sugar, smearing any clumps along the edge of the bowl. Add in the flour mixture, and stir just until incorporated. Gently fold in the raisins. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Divide the chilled dough into 24 balls, and place on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten the balls to about ½” thick. Bake at 350°F for 13-16 minutes, or until the edges are light golden and the centers are almost set. Cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Note: For a vegan version, whisk together 1 tablespoon Ener-G and 3½ tablespoons warm water as a substitute for the egg whites, use margarine instead of butter, and plain soy, almond, or coconut yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt.
Ohh man I hate rushing around the airports, but it sounds like things worked just PERFECTLY for you guys!! With enough time to get a cookie, that’s when you know it’s going to be a good flight! I LOVE the idea of ginger in these, they sound so delicious!
Thanks Brittany! We always seem to have an interesting time at the Denver airport. One visit, they canceled our flight, and we sat around the terminal for 6 hours! That was when Mom taught us how to play Blackjack… But I’m such a bad liar, I lost nearly every game!
I love this story! And I love oatmeal cookies. Adding ginger is brilliant and so is the nutmeg 🙂
Thank you Davida! I had forgotten how much I love oatmeal raisin cookies until I baked these. I’m starting to crave them almost as much I as do dark chocolate! 😉
YUM!! Your photos are always great, but for some reason, these are especially stunning, Amy! I feel like I could just pluck one of these right out of the computer screen!! Those plump looking raisins are calling my name… I may have accidentally-on-purpose broken one of the oatmeal raisin cookies as I was taking them off the sheetpans this morning… but I was only able to snag one little nibble before someone else swooped in! Good thing, though, because I feel like your variety might be a little nicer to my snug jeans…
and ginger… DUH!
Thanks Andrea! That’s such a tragedy about your coworker stealing your broken cookie. I mean, really, who would do such a thing?? (Umm, don’t look at me! 😉 ) Hope you enjoy the cookies!
Amy, these cookies look so good!! I love oatmeal raisin cookies… and love the sound of the nutmeg & cinnamon. I’m just trying to contemplate if the ginger taste would be strong in them… not a huge ginger fan. I may have to challenge myself & try making them though, I may be surprised with a new love of ginger. 🙂
Too funny about the airport story… typical that when you rush & think you’ll miss your flight you end up w/extra time & making it fine.
Thank you Karey! I actually made the ginger fairly prominent in these cookies because I absolutely love it. If you aren’t a big fan, try using just ¼ or ½ teaspoon to start with instead. And if you like those, you can always add more in the next batch! 🙂
Oh wow! I absolutely love the idea of ginger!! Yum!
Thanks Erin! I loved how it really rounded out the cookies (umm, no pun intended! 😉 ).
Best kind of cookie ever! These looks delicious!!
Thank you Elizabeth! I’m such a big chocoholic that I tend to forget how much I love other cookies. These definitely made the top of my list of favorites!
I love ginger! These look wonderful.
Thanks Tammela! If you love ginger, you’ll definitely love these cookies — you can taste it in every bite!