Soft Chewy Milk Chocolate Cookies

Wedding Cake Murder

Yield: 2 to 3 dozen large soft cookies that everyone will enjoy.

## Ingredients

* 1 and 1/4 cups white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 1 cup salted butter ***(2 sticks, 8 ounces, 1/2 pound)***
* 2 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
* 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg ***(freshly grated is best)***
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 Tablespoons coffee ***(you can use coffee left over from breakfast)***
* 1/2 cup molasses
* 1/2 cup light Karo syrup
* 1/2 cup golden raisins
* 4 cups quick cooking oats ***(I used Quaker 1-minute)***
* 3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ***(pack it down in the cup when you measure it)***
* 1 cup milk chocolate chips ***(I used Nestle)***

## Directions

* Preheat oven to 350°F, rack in the middle position.
* Place the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. (You can also mix up these cookies by hand, but it's easier and quicker with an electric mixer.)
* Pour the softened butter on top of the sugar.
* Mix the sugar and the butter until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
* Mix in the eggs and beat until it is well incorporated and the mixture is light and fluffy.
* Sprinkle in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix them in until they're incorporated.
* Add the cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and coffee. Mix well.
* Add the golden raisins. Mix them in thoroughly.
* Mix in the molasses and the light Karo syrup. Beat until everything is combined.
* Add the oats. Mix thoroughly.
* Add the flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition.
* Take the bowl out of the mixer, give it a final stir by hand, scrape down the sides to make sure that none of the yummy cookie batter sticks to the sides, and stir in the milk chocolate chips by hand.
* Set the bowl aside on the counter while you prepare your cookie sheets.
* Spray your cookie sheets with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or line them with parchment paper.

**Hannah's 1st Note: I prefer to use parchment paper when I'm baking at home. The paper makes it much easier to remove the baked cookies from the baking sheet. All you have to do is leave an "ear" of paper at the top and the bottom so that you can pull the parchment paper, baked cookies and all, over to the wire racks to cool.**

* Drop your cookies by heaping large spoonfuls onto your prepared cookie sheets, no more than 9 large cookies to a standard-size sheet. Think double-sized cookies and you won't go wrong. ***(Lisa and I use a 2-Tablespoon scoop, rounded with dough on top, to do this down at The Cookie Jar.)***
* Bake your cookies at 350°F for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they are springy on top when touched lightly and quickly with a fingertip.
* Let your Soft Chewy Milk Chocolate Cookies sit on the cookie sheets for at least 2 minutes.
* Remove the cookies from the cookie sheets with a metal spatula ***(or, if you used parchment paper, simply pull the whole sheet off)*** to a wire rack to finish cooling.

**Hannah's 2nd Note: This recipe can be doubled, if you wish. You *will* probably wish, because otherwise there won't be enough cookies for the kids and their friends after you get through tasting them.''**