Grandma Daisy's Cookies

My great-grandma Daisy made the best chewy oatmeal raisin cookies (Blessing #1188), and so I decided to satisfy my little craving today and whip up a batch.  My grandma Daisy always just dumped, and didn't bother to measure.  But my mom figured it out by watching her make them, so the recipe lives on.  (#1189)
 

I'll tell you the secret to making them nice and moist.  First, you put a cup of raisins in a glass measuring cup with enough water to cover them to the top.  Then, you bring them to a boil in the microwave. 

Next, you measure out 5 TB of the boiling water from the raisins and mix the hot water with 1 tsp. of baking soda.  (It creates a nice little bubbly reaction, so be prepared.)  And then add that mixture to the dough.  Drain the rest of the water from the raisins, and add the raisins to the dough.

Here's the whole recipe:

Grandma Daisy's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
2/3 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
5 TB raisin juice combined with 1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. flour
2 1/2 c. oatmeal
1 c. raisins (boiled)
Mix in order listed.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 9 minutes.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!