Chocolate Dipped Orange Spice Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

When it comes to making homemade cookies, this is in my top 5 of favorite cookie recipes. You can make these year round or just around the Christmas holiday and give them as gifts.

They do take some time to make since you will be dipping them into melted chocolate, but they are well worth your baking efforts.

This recipe will make approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Cookie Ingredients:

3/4 cup raisins
3 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (oatmeal)
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons grated orange rind (peel)
1 teaspoon baking soda

In a small bowl, combine the raisins with the orange juice and let stand for 5-8 minutes. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter with the granulated sugar until its creamy and fluffy. Beat in the egg and grated orange peel until all ingredients are well combined.

In a medium sized bowl combine the all-purpose flour with the baking soda. Slowly pour the flour mixture into the butter mixture until ingredients are combined. Stir in the raisins and rolled oats and mix well.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone nonstick baking mat or lightly grease your sheet if it's nonstick. Drop the dough by rounded teaspoons onto the sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly with the backside of a teaspoon. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until they are done. Cool completely.

Chocolate Coating Ingredients:

8 ounces white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

In a medium-sized bowl, melt the white chocolate chips with the vegetable oil in the microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring it every 20 seconds until it has melted. Dip 1/2 of your cookie into the melted chocolate mixture and lay them onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone nonstick baking mat or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to dry. Store cookies in an airtight container.