I am an oatmeal cookie afficionado. I have never met an oatmeal cookie that I didn't like, including these cookies that I am showing you here today. They are incredibly crisp edged and yet chewy middled, and stogged full of lovely sweet raisins.
It uses condensed milk, which I always have in the cupboard. This, I believe, is the secret behind their delicious moreishness. I had used some condensed milk earlier in the day to make Todd a simple milk shake, and so these cookies were the perfect way to use up some of the remaining milk in the tin.
Both Condensed and Evaporated milk are forms of concentrated milk, (available in tins) in which a bit more than half of the water content has been removed, with the main difference between the two milk products being sugar content. Condensed milk is always sweetened whereas evaporated milk is unsweetened. It was only since moving over here to the UK that I came to understand that Condensed milk always refers to the sweetened variety. (Sweetened Condensed Milk.)
Evaported milk is created by heating milk until about 60% of its water content has evaporatd. It is then homogenized, packaged and sterilized. It is creamy, dense and ultra concentrated and when you chill it really well (ice crystals present) you can whip it like cream. It comes in several varieties including skimmed, lower fat and full fat. I always have tins of it in my larder and I use it a lot in both sweet an savoury dishes. I keep both the low and full fat to hand, and often use the low fat in the place of cream in dishes where I am wanting to have something creamy, but not necessarily with all of the fat and calories of cream. It is a great store cupboard item!
Condensed milk (or Sweetened Condensed Milk as it is also known) is also a concentrated milk product where 60% of the water content has been removed, after which sugar is added before canning. It contains as much as 45% sugar and is rich and thick with a slightly caramel colour and super sweet flavour. When it is cooked even further you end up with dulce de leche, or caramel. It is used in kitchens throughout the world, most commonly being used in baked goods, pies, ice creams, puddings as well as being used as a sweetener in coffee and tea.
I used some Sweetened Condensed Milk today to make Todd a delicious milkshake, which is not only very quick and easy to make, but very delicious. The kids are sure to love these and the recipe amounts can very easily be increased to serve more than one person. They are a real treat. You could use vanilla instead of the orange blossom water for flavouring if you wished.
I used some of the remainder of the milk to make these very tasty cookies. (Todd was not complaining!) I did cut the recipe in half because there are only the two of us and I am not supposed to be eating anything like these, and believe it or not, most of the time I try really hard to stay away from the sweet stuff.
I cannot punish him for my misspent youth however. That would be a form of cruel and unusual punishment for the stick man who does really enjoy a sweet cake or biscuit, and has no health problems in doing so. He spent so many years on his own that I do like to spoil him a bit every now and then if I can! He never complains!
*Oatmeal Raisin Cookies*
Makes approximately 2 dozen
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Set side.
Cream the butter, sugar and condensed milk together until pale and light. Mix in the flour, oats and cinnamon to thoroughly combine. Stir in the raisins. Shape into golf-ball sized rounds and place onto the prepared baking sheets leaving plenty of space between (at least 2 1/2 inches).
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden edged. (Rotate the baking sheets halfway through the baking.) Leave on the baking sheet to cool for about 5 minutes before scooping off onto wire racks to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container.
And I still had some condensed milk in the tin to use, so tune in tomorrow to find out what I did with that! You are going to love it, I guarantee! Happy Saturday!
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