Brown Butter Rum Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
This one’s for the raisin lovers!
Hi!
This is a rum raisin variation on the oatmeal cookies from my book. I’ve skipped the nuts this time around and gone full in on the raisins, which first get a healthy steep in dark rum. Both the raisins and rum get folded through a rich, gently spiced brown butter oatmeal base, and boom — you’ve got a warm, cozy cookie perfect for crisp fall afternoons.
The rum
I’m not much of a drinker, so I chose the rums for testing by sniffing the different varieties we had at home and using the ones that I thought smelled the strongest. (I also checked with my husband to make sure I wasn’t using any rare, super expensive varieties…lol.) For a robust rum flavor, I recommend using a dark rum in these cookies (I used Appleton Estate Signature). I also tested these with a spiced rum (this one), but found the rumminess much more muted.
The brown butter
The purpose of the brown butter in these cookies is twofold: first, to provide a rich, nutty undertone and second, to remove excess water from the dough so we can replace it with rum. I use American-style butter for cookies, unless otherwise stated, which is about 20% water.
I like to resolidify the brown butter before making the cookies, as creaming the butter and sugars together creates my preferred final texture — a little airier than a straight melted butter cookie, with crisper edges. Stirring the butter over an ice bath makes the resolidifying process very quick — only a couple minutes. Stir constantly so the butter doesn’t solidify too much. It should be opaque but spreadable.
More fall cookies
Today’s rum raisin cookie recipe is available below for all subscribers.To access all 60+ recipes in the archive, consider upgrading to a paid subscription for $5/month or $50/year. Thank you for supporting my work!
Brown Butter Rum Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
Makes 12 large cookies
Ingredients:
For the rum raisins:
150g raisins
50g dark rum (I used Appleton Estate)
For the cookies:
115g unsalted butter, cold and cubed (to yield ~91-92g brown butter)
100g granulated sugar
75g brown sugar (light or dark)
3g (3/4 tsp) kosher salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (freshly grated if possible!)
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
30g reserved rum
1 large egg, cold
65g all purpose flour
60g oat flour
125g rolled oats (regular, not quick)
Method:
Make the rum raisins: In a medium jar, combine the raisins and rum. Cover tightly and shake to combine. Let soak for about an hour1, shaking the jar occasionally to help the raisins evenly absorb the rum. Drain the raisins, reserving 30g of the remaining rum.
Brown the butter: Place the cubed butter in a small, light-colored saucepan over medium-low heat. Once the butter has melted, turn the heat up to medium-high. Stir frequently with a heatproof spatula, scraping the sides and bottom of the pan as needed. The butter will crackle, foam, turn clear gold, then finally start browning. It’s done when the crackling subsides and you smell toasted nuts. This process takes about 7-10 minutes total, but the butter can go from browned to burnt in a flash—so keep an eye on it. Pour the butter and all the toasty bits into a medium bowl. Cool until the butter has reached room temperature and is opaque and creamy — this can be done passively at room temperature or hurried along by placing in the fridge or over an ice bath, stirring frequently to ensure even cooling.
Mix the dough: In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a medium bowl using a handheld mixer), combine the cooled brown butter, sugars, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Beat on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle as needed. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and rum until smooth. Add the flours and oats and beat on low until just a few dry spots remain, then fold in the raisins. Cover and refrigerate until chilled but scoopable, about 1 hour.
Shape and bake: About 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350F with a rack in the middle. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Portion the dough into 12 equal balls, about 62g each, and place 6 on each sheet. (At this point, you can also refrigerate the dough balls for up to 2 days, or freeze for longer storage. If the dough has been frozen or refrigerated for more than 6 hours, bring to room temperature on the baking sheets before baking. This helps the cookies spread properly and not remain oaty mounds.) Sprinkle with a little flaky salt, if desired.
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the edges are browned, but the centers are still lighter in color, about 15 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking. Immediately after removing the tray, swirl a large round cutter around each cookie to nudge them into perfect rounds, if you’d like. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cookies taste best the day they’re baked, but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.
You can soak them longer if you’d like, but I found the rumminess level to be perfect after an hour.