Raisin Cookies

I will guide you through the preparation of raisin cookies, a simple and delicious dessert, perfect to accompany tea or coffee.

Ingredients

• 250 grams of flour
• 125 grams of sugar
• 125 grams of butter at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2 packet of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or vanillin)
• 150 grams of raisins
• Lukewarm water, as needed to soak the raisins

Preparation

1. First, soak the raisins in lukewarm water for about 10 minutes, so they hydrate and become soft.
2. In the meantime, in a large bowl, work the soft butter with the sugar until you get a creamy mixture.
3. Add the egg and continue to mix until it is well combined with the other ingredients.
4. Then incorporate the sifted flour with the baking powder, a pinch of salt and the vanilla extract, kneading until you get a homogeneous dough.
5. Drain the raisins from the water and, if you like, you can add them to the dough drying them a bit with kitchen paper to remove excess water.
6. Incorporate the raisins into the dough, distributing them evenly.
7. Take portions of dough and form small balls, then flatten them slightly to give the cookies their flat shape.
8. Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving a little space between them as they will rise a bit during baking.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 15-20 minutes or until the cookies are golden.
10. Let them cool on a wire rack before serving.

Curiosity

Raisins are commonly used in many Italian recipes, especially those of ancient origin like Tuscan “cantucci”. The use of raisins in pastry is not limited to cookies but ranges in various preparations, from cakes to leavened products like panettone.