Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

My wife, who is smarter than me in every way, always said that the other kids looked at her weird when she was young because she always opted for an oatmeal raisin cookie over a chocolate chip cookie. But her small child logic was impeccable — you've got a higher chance of a dry, disappointing choc-chip experience than you are getting let down by this comforting, soul-nourishing cookie.

This is cookie alchemy at its finest. Chewy at the centre and a little crisp around the edge, there are bursts of sticky sweetness from the fruit and a little crunch from the nuts, with a warm spice mix weaving its way through the sturdy heartiness of the oats.

It's the white/brown sugar combo that gives you the amazing balance of texture. The white sugar gives you the harder edges by caramelizing fast, while the brown sugar's extra moisture and butterscotch-like notes will lend the cookie an extra level of flavour and a delicious soft centre. So if you like your oatmeal raisin cookies on the crispier side, feel free to omit the maple syrup and tweak the ratio of caster to brown sugar. For a thinner, flatter cookie, don't worry about taking the time to put the dough in the fridge — just drop the mix on the tray and slide it straight into the oven.

These goodies are going to be super fragile when they pop out of the oven, so give them a good 10 minutes to cool and harden up before you move them to a wire rack. They're going to be much better after they harden up and cool completely.

Oh, and one of the first test batches that rolled off my assembly line came out a little underbaked. If this happens to you, never fear! If you think your cookies aren't quite cooked as you'd like them, there's nothing wrong with throwing back in the oven for a few minutes until they reach the level of done-ness you're after.