Friday, October 28, 2011

{Thoughts} Looking Forward To Visit Home

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I’m looking forward to visit home on January. It’s been a year and I kind of miss everything that’s in there; the local foods, places, friends and my bed. I can’t believe it’s almost 3 years since I left home and going back would make me reminisce all the good times and the bad. I already set my plans on what to do and I might add some more as I get closer to the date. But here is what I’ve written so far.

1. Get a manicure/pedicure/foot spa
2. Eat local food
3. Meet up with friends
4. Going out of town
5. Shop
6. See my dad’s new condo
7. Bake cookies!

For those if you who don’t know, I love to bake and the only time I get to do that is when I visit home. It’s a pity that I don’t have an oven in my apartment so I feel excited whenever I get to do so. Baking cookies reminds me of summer (I was about 15 yrs old when I baked my first batch of cookies during summer) and these oatmeal raisin cookies are my favorite.


Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) butter, softened
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt (I often use a half teaspoon, but I like more salt in my baked goods)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins and walnuts, if using them.

At this point you can either chill the dough for a bit in the fridge and then scoop it, or scoop the cookies onto a sheet and then chill the whole tray before baking them. You could also bake them right away, if you’re impatient, but I do find that they end up slightly less thick.

The cookies should be two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes (your baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in), taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.


third image and recipe by smitten kitchen