Oatmeal Walnut Raisin Heath Bar Cookies

Last week was Cookie Monster’s birthday!  And I missed it.  Never fear, the Oatmeal Walnut Raisin Heath Bar cookies I made for the kids over Memorial Day weekend made up for my oversight in spades! 

The cookies were overloaded with oats a-plenty, a heap of walnuts, scoops of raisins (take THAT Raisin Bran!) and great big pieces of Heath Bars that melted into puddles of chocolatey, toffee deliciousness throughout each cookie.   

Not only were they crunchy and chewy and everything an oatmeal cookie SHOULD be, they were gluten-free, too.  I think the best comment I heard (besides “May I have another cookie, please?”) came from my neighbor, Rick, who said, “I don’t know what gluten is, but you sure don’t need it in a cookie.”  It feels really good to serve a cookie that is gluten-free, but NOBODY can tell it's any different from a regular cookie...and EVERYBODY clamors for more!

So here’s the gluten-free version….just substitute regular all-purpose flour to make them WITH gluten if it’s not an issue in your house!  All your own little (and BIG) cookie monsters will be very happy.

 Oatmeal Walnut Raisin Heath Bar Cookies

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 4 tablespoons shortening, Crisco!
• 1 cups dark brown sugar (gives the cookies a more pronounced caramel flavor)
• 1 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups Jules or Tom Sawyer (or other high-quality GF flour mix) Gluten-free all purpose flour, or regular all purpose flour if you're not making these GF
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
• 1 teaspoons cinnamon, Vietnamese, if possible
• 3 cups rolled oats, certified gluten-free to make these GF
• 3 cups raisins
• 2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 4 full-sized Heath Bars, coarsely smashed

Preheat oven to 350
 

With a mixer, beat butter and Crisco until creamy.  Add sugars and continue beating until fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time.
 

Mix flour, salt, baking powder, nutmeg and cinnamon together. 
 

Mix dry ingredients into butter mixture.  Stir in oats, raisins, walnuts and Heath Bar pieces. 
 

Using heaping tablespoons of dough,  place onto parchment covered baking sheets leaving about 2" of space around each ball of dough.  Flatten each slightly.
 

Bake until edges are browned, but cookie is till light 22-25 minutes - more or less depending on your oven.  

Slide the parchment paper with the cookies on it from the cookie sheet right onto a cooling rack.  Let cool 1/2 an hour before serving or storing.  Store in an airtight container.

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