Bacon, Oatmeal, and Raisin Cookies

From the kitchen of Carly

Crispy bacon bits and chewy raisins transform oatmeal cookies into something savory-sweet and genuinely craveable. Rich brown sugar and butter create a tender crumb that holds up the salty bacon perfectly. These aren't your grandmother's oatmeal cookies.

Bacon, Oatmeal, and Raisin Cookies

Bacon in a cookie sounds absurd until you taste the salty-sweet collision and realize how much it matters. These are dense, chewy, loaded with oats and raisins, with bits of deep-fried bacon that taste almost like caramel. The dough needs a chill before baking, but that's your only patience tax. Cake flour keeps them tender instead of tough.

Prep
n/a
Cook
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Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 8 ozsliced bacon, cut into 1/4" squares
  • 2 1/4 cupcake flour
  • 1 tspbaking powder
  • 1 tspkosher salt
  • 1/2 tspbaking soda
  • 1 cupdark brown sugar
  • 2/3 cupsugar
  • 1/2 cupunsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 largeeggs
  • 1/2 tspvanilla extract
  • 1 cupold-fashioned oats
  • 2/3 cupraisins

Instructions

  1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set a large skillet over medium-low heat and cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown and crisp. Lift the pieces out with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels.

  2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat both sugars with the butter, scraping down the sides occasionally, until well blended, 2 to 3 minutes. Drop in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Pour in the vanilla and beat on medium speed until the mixture turns pale and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

  3. Fold the bacon, oats, and raisins into the dough, stirring until everything is evenly distributed. The dough will be sticky; a brief chill makes it easier to handle if needed. Using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop or a 1/4-cup measure, portion the dough into balls and set them on the prepared baking sheets at least 3 inches apart. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or cover and chill overnight.

  4. When ready to bake, position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Slide both sheets in and bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the edges are light golden brown and the centers still look slightly soft, 20 to 22 minutes. Rest the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let them cool completely.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Cook the bacon slowly to deep golden brown, not just crispy, so it gets malty and almost candied. Pale-looking bacon won't deliver the flavor punch you're after.
  • Chill the dough for the full hour before scooping. Sticky dough spreads too fast in the oven and you'll lose that tender center. If you go overnight, even better.
  • Rotate pans halfway through baking and don't overbake. Those cookies will keep cooking on the hot sheet for a few minutes after you pull them out, so pull them when the edges are light brown and centers still look a touch underdone.

Variations

  • Maple and bacon: Replace half the raisins with candied pecans and add a teaspoon of maple extract to the wet ingredients.
  • Brown butter version: Cook the butter separately in a saucepan until it smells toasty and nutty, let it cool, then use that instead of regular butter for deeper flavor.
  • Spiced bacon cookies: Add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to the dry ingredients to amplify the savory side.
  • Substitute dried cherries for raisins and add a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper to the dough for brightness and heat.

Make ahead and storage

Keep them airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. They don't freeze well because the bacon texture suffers, so eat them fresh or give them away.