As I continue to enjoy the wide variety of food blogs available to us today, I consistently notice a few things. One is that COOKIES is a favorite topic among writers and readers.

For instance, Sharies Berries (www.berries.com) did a wonderful feature on spending 24 hours making nothing but cookies and included 50 cookie recipes for doing just that. She introduced this idea by saying: “We love cookies. You love cookies. So why would we only eat them for dessert? Hearty breakfast cookies. Delicate tea cakes. Chocolate-dipped cookies best served with an after-dinner coffee. There's a cookie for every meal of the day…”

Shari suggested we venture out from the typical chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and sugar cookie routines. Why not dabble with ingredients such as dark chocolate, pistachio nuts, sea salt, brown butter, caramel, various jams and jellies, dried apricots and mangoes, or hot chocolate powder? And then there’s Nutella®, ginger, mascarpone, vanilla bean, blueberries (fresh or frozen), apple cider, banana pudding mix, maraschino cherries, mini marshmallows, lemons and limes, fresh peaches, trail mix, green tea, Twix® candy bars, peppermint candies, pie fillings, and even bacon (of course, bacon…duh!). This cookie season, maybe it’s time to take a risk!

She goes on to encourage experimentation with not just ingredients, but structure as well. Giant cookies, triple-stacked cookies, twisted cookies, sandwiched cookies, and a close cousin to that, the filled cookie.

I was drooling all through her essay, but she truly had me at the “filled” cookie idea. This cookie has been a favorite throughout my life. My mother and Aunt Annie specialized in raisin-filled cookies. I know this rendition of a sugar cookie isn’t everyone’s favorite, though. You either love or hate raisins. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of middle ground on the subject.

But assuming there are a few other raisin-lovers amongst our Cook’n readers, I’d like to spend the rest of this article on the raisin-filled cookie. Maybe because it’s a more unusual cookie. Maybe because it’s time to champion it. Maybe it’s time to take a risk. If you haven’t tasted or made a raisin-filled cookie, maybe now’s the time!

There are a couple techniques you need to know when attempting this cookie. First of all this is a sticky sugar cookie dough. Sticky on purpose; you’ll be rolling it out on a floured counter so you can cut cookie circles. By starting with a sticky dough, the addition of the flour on the counter (and flour sprinkled atop the dough) doesn’t detract from the overall taste of the cookie.

Also, it’s wise to bake these on either a silicone mat or parchment paper. The filling can have a tendency to seep between the top and bottom cookie if you’re not very careful about pinching the layers together. If not baked on a silicone mat or parchment paper, the cookies will stick to the baking sheet and be a real pain-in-the-neck to remove.

With these basic guidelines established, let’s bake! Here, in my humble opinion, is the best raisin-filled cookie recipe ever (I know this is up for debate, but see what you think). And when you have a minute, let me know what your favorite cookie is. We’re moving into baking season and there’ll be a lot of cookie talk in the next few months.

BEST RAISIN-FILLED COOKIES

COOKIE DOUGH

1 cup sugar

1 cup softened butter

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

5-1/2 cups flour

RAISIN FILLING

1 cup raisins or dates-cut in pieces

1/2 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. COOKIE DOUGH: Combine all of the ingredients except the flour. Cream until smooth and slowly add the flour one cup at a time. Flour the countertop and roll out the sticky dough with a floured rolling pin to about 1/8 inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the size of circle you desire.

3. FILLING: Combine filling ingredients in a saucepan and stir constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer until thick. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool slightly.

4. Scoop one heaping tablespoon of the filling in the middle of one rolled out cookie circle and place another cookie on top. Pinch the edges together with your fingers or a fork. Bake for 10-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the cookie dough. Bake longer if you like a crisp cookie. This recipe makes 12-24 cookies depending on the size cutter you use.

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