Whenever I sink my teeth into one of these plump raisin cookies, I remember what it was like being a kid, not being the slight bit interested in calories, saturated fat, taxes, bills, or trying to impress anyone. I remember my grandmother's raisin cookies as being a hit amongst family, it was her signature recipe. She always had a tin stashed away in her pantry for the hungry passerby. If they weren't being gobbled up by older relatives, they were being thieved by a younger greedy paw or two. My grandma especially liked to make them around the holiday season. She was a woman known for her baking. I am now back home visiting little M for the holidays, and she truly loves these cookies, much more than I. I called up my mom to inquire about this recipe. Over the phone, she carefully read me the ingredients, ensuring not to leave out a single drop. Then, I skillfully attempted to gather the ingredients from my sisters unruly baking cupboard.
To be honest, I'm not sure if my grandma developed this recipe from scratch, or found it in a book, though I can be certain that she didn't get it from allrecipes.com My grandmother grew up in the Mad Men era, she was a classic Betty Draper. She loved flowers, gardening, Royal Doulton figurines, and decorative spoons. I imagine that back in the day she had flashy aprons, dazzling silverware, and sparkling china, and I am most certain that she liked to play cards, eat shortbread, drink ice tea by the pool, and dance the jive.
Its funny how a simple recipe can bring back so many memories. How one cookie can remind you of the past, and of the people you miss. When my grandmother passed away, my family divided up her things amongst the children. They desperately wanted me to take something to remember her by, a Royal Doulton figurine, a piece of jewelry, a Christmas ornament, but I knew that as long as I had my granny's raisin cookie recipe, I would never forget her.
makes 4 dozen
Ingredients
1 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups white granulated sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups raisins
5 cups white all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp all-spice
1 tsp baking soda
5 tsp baking powder
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Soak the raisins in 2 cups of boiling water until plump.
3. Cream the shortening and sugar.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, for one minute each.
5. Add the dry ingredients and combine with a wooden spoon.
6. Add in the raisins and stir.
7. Form the dough into round balls and then flatten into disks. Place onto a cookie sheet.
8. Bake for 15 minutes and let cool on a wire rack.
