A Southern Grace: a simple turn of phrase

April 19, 2010

a simple turn of phrase

Yum

I don't think I've ever tried to hide the fact that I like my cookies chewy in the middle (not jaw-achingly chewy, mind you...although that does tend to deter second helpings) and a bit crispy on the outside. Cake-like cookies have no place in my kitchen or belly. (My hollow leg is reserved for such less-than-ideal things.)

Hello, hunk o' raisins.
A cookie-like cake, on the other hand, is apparently welcome. I didn't realize how acceptable, nay, amazing such a creation would be until now.

I found a recipe for oatmeal raisin muffins that I felt had the potential to make interesting and unique mini-loaves and I was right. Yes, the texture was enjoyable (hearty yet still fluffy and light) and the preparation couldn't have been simpler, but what excited me most of all was that the stuff that came out of my oven tasted exactly like an oatmeal raisin cookie.

Fluff.
It's the little things, folks. The little things.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie-Like Cake
(adapted from this recipe)

1 cup quick oats
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup raisins

Combine the oats and buttermilk in a large bowl and let stand about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Spray or line your baking vehicle of choice.
Add the eggs to the oatmeal mixture one at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition. Whisk in the sugar, then the butter.
In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Fold this dry mixture into the wet ingredients. Once the flour is dispersed, but not completely moistened, gently stir in the raisins.
Divide the batter evenly between the molds. Bake until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean, 25-30 minutes for mini-loaves or 13-18 minutes for muffins.

76 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Chewy cookies are wonderful and that cake looks gorgeous!

cheers,

Rosa

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

I do like the sound of that cookie yesiree ma'am! ;)

Barbara said...

Agree totally with your cookie preferences. No cakey cookies, thank you.
But a cake-cookie? Bring it on.

Sophie said...

That is very cool. I don't know that I've ever tried a cookie-like cake, but anything that tastes like a cinnamon raisin cookie gets my mouth watering instantly! :)

kellypea said...

Yes, please, for breakfast now instead of the grapefruit I'll probably eat. Thinking these would be perfect for my muffin top pan. Like your perfect cookie, I'll bet. Love the oatmeal in the mix. Yum.

lisa is cooking said...

I love this innovation in oatmeal cookie-dom! The texture looks perfect, and I like seeing the oatmeal in there.

The Teacher Cooks said...

I love oatmeal cookies so I am going to love these!

Lyndas recipe box said...

Yes to the chewy cookie with the crispy rim! Yes to these lovely loaves with oatmeal, cinnamon goodness! No to the raisins....sorry, I really don't like raisins baked in my sweets, but I could sub chocolate chips.
But I love the sound of thes loaves Grace; another winner. :)

Julie said...

Looks delish...can I switch chocolate chips for the raisins? hehe

kat said...

Oatmeal raisin cake?! Yes, please

eatme_delicious said...

Yummmmmm I so love the idea of a cookie like cake!!

vanillasugarblog said...

so a coouffin. a cookuffin. there we go. however to phrase it, i would do the same thing.

TKW said...

I'll be making this (without raisins, of course) with the addition of chocolate chips. The girls will love it!

Bob said...

I'm not a cakey cookie fan either, but I bet I would love cookie like cake. Looks awesome!

Albany Jane said...

Cookie cakes sound like a total win to me!

Anonymous said...

Mmm.. that does sound super scrumptious!

Hungry Dog said...

Sounds delightful, though I might swap the raisins for chocolate chips. Would that still work? :)

www.dhaleb.com said...

I am such a sucker for chewy oatmeal raisin cookies but you might be able to convert me to these ones. Now if I can only convince you to send some over here so I can give them a try...

Pam said...

I like my cookies the same way so I am sure I would like this cake. You've done it yet again Grace... you made me drool.

Anonymous said...

Yum, Drew will love these! I was bit skeptical, but you pulled thru for me Gracie Lou. When I scrolled down and saw cinnamon, bam! You had me:)

The Blonde Duck said...

Now I want cookies and cake.

Cara said...

I never thought it about that way but you are so right! Cake-like cookies? Nay. Cookie-like cakes? Yay!

Mel said...

Oooh, a cookie-like cake? That's plain brilliance! (Although I'd have to try a chocolate version first, I'm afraid...)

Heather said...

I like my cookies the same way so this recipe is a must! Except I may have to sub the raisins for chocolate chips.
Great post!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

A cake that is like a cookie..I am there:D

Juliana said...

Oh Grace, I already bookmarked this one! Love the texture of the cookie...cake like :-) I'll definitely try and will let you know.

Lisa-Marie said...

Mmmmmmmmm. That is all. and also mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Unknown said...

A cake that tastes like a cookie? Yes, please.

oneordinaryday said...

Yeah, see, you had me till you mentioned raisins. How about chocolate chips instead?

Trissa said...

You could patent these! What would you call them? Cakie? Cooke? :)

Namitha said...

Cookie-like cake...count me in...It looks wonderful..I love the chewy in the middle cookies too :D

Carol said...

Holy smokes does this look good. We LOVE oatmeal cookies......we love chewy oatmeal cookies, not cakey cookies...but....oatmeal cookie in a cake? Ohhhhhh yeah-I can't WAIT to try this!
LOL @ Dawn.....cookuffin has a nice ring to it! :)

Amy I. said...

Hmmm! That's so interesting.. I'm a huge fan of "cookie cakes"... like a giant chocolate chip cookie with frosting decoration. Popularized, I believe, by the one and only Mrs. Fields. But I've never thought of a cookie cake with actual cake-like texture like the one you have here. So creative, you are, Ms. Grace!!

La Bella Cooks said...

Wow, a cookie/cake must have been delicious. You always come up with delicious and unique recipes, Grace.

Faith said...

I'm with you 100% on chewy cookies -- in fact, I like them so chewy I actually prefer the dough to the cookies. :) (Not great when it comes to raw egg, I know...but sometimes a girl can't help it. ;) ) Anyway, this cookie-like cake looks amazing!

Lori said...

I am a chewy girl too.

I love that these have buttermilk in them. Buttermilk seems to always kick a recipe up to perfection.

Deborah said...

Cookie-like cake - what a wonderful idea!!

CC11 said...

I am completely with you on that one - chewy cookies all the way! Cakey cookies be damned!

A cake that's like a cookie? - spectaculaaarrr!

sweetlife said...

cookie cake-i'll take cakes not pieces..haha

sweetlife

Mimi said...

I think this one is for Ingrid since she doesn't like to bake individual cookies.
Mimi

foodhoe said...

You always have the best sounding recipes and this one is especially fortuitous because I have a pint of buttermilk in the fridge that I need to do something with...

Sandie said...

Cookie anything is good enough for me :)

Robin said...

I'll have these with craisins and of course throw in some chocolate too! Cookie cake is a good thing!

shaz said...

Grace, you had me at cookie! Another bookmarked recipe...you temptress you.

Kathy Walker said...

Your cake certainly "talks" to me! Looks wonderful.

Lindsey @ pickyeatings said...

Cake, muffins, cookies? I'm getting confused just thinking about it. Although if it were up to me, I'd use chocolate chips instead of raisins.

Jannett said...

cookies,,,,cookies... are just the best..:)

Dewi said...

A new and delightful invention! What an idea Grace.

Lisa said...

Well said, Grace. A cookie cake is a great idea, I love chewy too. I'm loving the sound of this recipe!

Natalie @ Perry's Plate said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog yesterday! I've been reading yours for a while now, and I always look forward to what you post (and say!)

I share your staunch opinions about cookie texture. That cake looks great, too!

Amanda said...

Im with you! Chewy all the way!

kimberleyblue said...

Oh, sounds nice! It's always good to find alternatives for cookies (I find it much easier to eat just one piece of cake than eat just one cookie!).

Unknown said...

Im going to have to find out how true of a purist my daughter is with her love of oatmeal cookies. This sounds wonderful

laura said...

Did you say cookie-cake? Please bring two, as I quite easily might eat a whole one myself!

krissy @ thefoodaddicts.com said...

nicely done! typically oatmeal cookies aren't moist, but when you turn it into a cake like this, it has no choice but to be moist and decadent! i gotta try it for myself :)

Lucie said...

Now that I've finally made oatmeal raisin cookies of my own, an oatmeal raisin cake?!? I'm on it. Right now. I live for cookie-like cakes!

~~louise~~ said...

oooooooo:) A cookie-like cake sounds quite intriguing. I think you should "patent" it!!!

Thanks for sharing, Grace.

A Canadian Foodie said...

This looks like a good recipe for my foods students at school. Thanks for it! It will be fun for us to try together.
:)
Valerie

stephen said...

sounds wonderful. how about chopped dried cherries and pistachios ?:)

Cookie baker Lynn said...

I'm all in! Oatmeal raisin are my daughter's very favorite cookies. She'd be thrilled with this recipe.

Erica said...

I love chewy cookies :)Absolutely delicious!

Nic said...

Like you need another comment.... But OMG - I am so licking my screen here. Delicious!

Xiao Yen Recipes said...

Y-U-M-M-Y! I love chewy cookies as well but my kids hate them. They prefer the crispy ones. Whenever I bake cakes, I'd take my out early and leave the rest in longer for my kids.

Maria said...

This is my kind of cake!

Dewi said...

Cookies/cakes combination, I like that sound. Instead of having a slice of cake or a cookie, I can have both at one bite. Very clever Grace.

Kate at Serendipity said...

Is it a cookie? Is it a cake? Is it a muffin? Who cares! It sounds delicious.

Lots of cinnamon, of course. I think you must buy it by the truckload!

Kerstin said...

What a great idea - I would gobble it right up :) And I'm with you on not being a huge fan of cakey cookies - they're too healthy almost.

Dorothy at Belle of the Kitchen said...

Yum! And somehow the upgrade from muffin to cake makes it go from breakfast to dessert. Or is that dessert for breakfast? I could do that, too.

Carolyn Jung said...

You call it cookie. You call it cake. I just call it "YUM!'' ;)

RecipeGirl said...

There's a pretty fine line between muffins and cakes, isn't there? Whatever it is... cookie-ish, cake-ish... it looks yum!

Ms. Meanie said...

Oh, how perfect! I LOVE spicy oatmeal desserts. And I'm totally with you on chewy cookies -- if I wanted a cakey cookie, I'd eat a cake. Maybe this cake!

grace said...

I really like the sound of this ^.^

Delicious Dishings said...

Ooh... I think I would enjoy a cookie-like cake! I feel the same way about my cookies as you do.

marla {family fresh cooking} said...

Cookie like cake.....geesh. Really good thing there are no melted chocolate chips in these cause I would be over at your place now!!! xo

Livin Local said...

Experience taught me to use a short glass of milk for dunking with these chewey cookies. :-)

Ingrid_3Bs said...

I love when you're expecting good and instead what comes out of the oven is GREAT! The reverse though stinks....a recipe's hyped up so much that when you make it it is disappointing.
~ingrid