Bacon, Oatmeal, and Raisin Cookies

I will probably lose interest in cooking soon if we remain in this rental house.   The layout of the kitchen is a nightmare.  I have never had a worse oven or stove.  For some reason my March issue of Bon Appétit ended up in a pile of magazines that are not for cooking and I just found it.  It is a really good issue and I will probably cook from it on into the spring.  The first recipe that caught my eye was a sweet and savory cookie recipe. 

Ingredients:

8 oz. sliced bacon cut into ¼” squares   

2 ¼ C cake flour

1t baking powder

1t kosher salt

½ t baking soda

1 C (packed) dark brown sugar

2/3 C sugar

½ C (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 large eggs

½ t vanilla extract

1 C old-fashioned oats

2/3 C raisins

Directions:

1.      Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 

2.      Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until deep golden brown and crisp.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. 

3.      Whisk flour and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. 

4.      Using an electric mixer beat both sugars and butter in a large bowl, occasionally scraping down sides, until well blended, 2-3 minutes.

5.      Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between additions.  Add vanilla; mixing on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 4-5 minutes. 

6.      Mix in dry ingredients.

7.      Fold bacon, oats, and raisins into batter and stir until evenly incorporated.

8.      Using a 2 oz. ice cream scoop form dough into balls on the prepared baking sheets, spaced at least 3” apart. 

9.      Chill dough for 1 hour or cover and chill overnight.

10.  Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 375 degrees.  Bake cookies rotating pans halfway through, until edges are light golden brown and centers are still slightly soft, 20-22 minutes. 

11.  Let cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. 

I chose to use the convection baking as the reason you have convection is so you can make multiple items in the oven and the fan allows for even heating of all items.  No turning or switching of baking sheets required.  If you have been reading my blog, you will have noticed that nothing is ever done according to the required time.  Well, it seems that with convection it gets overdone.  At 20 minutes I did not have soft centers.  The cookies are as good as expected, but would have been better less crispy.  I only got 16 cookies.  The recipe said makes 18-20.