italian dessert recipes

Chocolate Raisin Cookies

"With rum soaked raisins!"




chocolate raisin cookies These chocolate raisin cookies are a fantastic! And they just happen to be one of those fairly simple drop cookie recipes! The rum soaked raisins and walnuts give it that authentic Italian cookie flavor!

I have to admit I don't like chocolate chip type cookies. But this recipe takes chocolate chip type cookies from kindergarten to graduation.

Tis true, this another Italian dessert recipe that uses alcohol. We do that a lot! Again, many of our recipes can be modified. See substitutions section below if you have questions.

If you don't want to go overboard chocolatey like this Italian cookie recipe calls for - check out the
Chocolate Cookie Bars. They have a more traditional cookie bottom for the base with the rum soaked raisins as the top layer. I gotta say this cookie is excellent and I went in with a childish-I-hate-chocolate-chip-cookie-attitude. I firmly rebuked myself, and apologized to my inner bad attitude. I will love this chocolatey-type-chocolate-chip-cookie FOREVER! Those rum soaked raisins helped make a believer.

Hope you enjoy it too. And thanks for stopping by!
Lisa



Chocolate Raisin Cookies

Rum Soaked Raisins are the key


YIELD: 4 Dozen

Ingredients

* 1 cup butter, softened

* 1 cups white sugar

* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

* 2 eggs

* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

* 2 cups all-purpose flour

* 2/3 cup cocoa powder

* 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

* 1/4 teaspoon salt

* 1 cups semisweet chocolate chips

* 1 Cup raisins soaked in rum

* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts



Procedure

 * Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

* Set raisin in flat bowl and pour rum over them to soak in while you prepare the chocolate raisin cookie batter.

I sometimes *zap* the raisins and rum for 25 seconds or so, if my raisins are crusty hard.

* In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy.

* Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended.

* Drain off all reserved liquid from the rum soaked raisins.

* Mix in the chocolate chips, raisins and walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

* Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set. These chocolate raisin cookies will fool you at 8 minutes. I was dead set on 8 minutes to cook them and I'd be super hesitant to bake over the 8 mins. They will be chewy inside with a slightly shiny outside and can easily be over cooked if you are looking for visible doneness.

Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.






Can I use shortening for some of the butter?

Don't! There is no need. You can keep your cookies from looking like frisbees by setting the dough in the fridge before dropping them on the cookie sheet. It keeps the butter cooled. If you notice my cookies, that is what I did. Generally when they spread like pancakes it's from the butter being too warm prior to baking.

What can to soak the raisins in - besides rum?

An alcohol is what gives this chocolate raisin cookie it's authentic flavor! But there a few things you could use instead. Here's some options:

  • orange juice


  • bourbon


  • rum flavoring mixed with orange juice




    • Will currants or golden raisins work?

    Probably. Never done it. Just make they soak away! The rum is what makes these cookies sooooo good!


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    Other Italian Cookie Recipes




    lisa gianotti I love sugar and I eat dessert EVERYDAY! Ok, not MASSIVE amounts. But I do have to finish off the evening meal with a little sweet something.

    When I was a kid my health conscience mother would ration my Halloween candy. Her mantra was, "white sugar will kill you". But my Italian grandma always told me, "Everybody needs a little bit of sugar." :-) So, to get my October Halloween sugar fix I will make the traditional Italian cookie recipe, Venetian Bones of the Dead. Italians make these for the Day of the Dead on November 2nd. So - hey, our holiday in America - Halloween is the closest.

    So - while the neighborhood is slamming down a bunch of gross mass produced candy on October 31st, I'll have a real goodie. Oh yeah, I'll have to post it too! (Eventually!) You know how it is. Work. Kids. Clean. Cook.



    I'll see if Bones Of The Dead is in my grandma's first recipe file she started when she married in 1932. Most of the recipes on my site came from her influence. If they aren't in her file - then I got them from her friends. And the remainder I experimented with adapting her style.

    I hope she looks down and smiles this Halloween.

    Lisa


    Would you like to share this page? You know how to do it! Thanks for sharing the sugar love!



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