Crunch & Raisin Cookies

These peanut butter cookies get their name honestly. A generous two and a half cups of granola folded into the dough creates a cookie with serious texture: crunchy clusters, chewy raisins, and a soft, nutty center from the peanut butter-butter combo. They’re more like a trail mix that decided to become a cookie.

Creaming the butter and peanut butter together with both white and brown sugar builds the flavor base. The double sugar combination is important. White sugar gives crispness at the edges while brown sugar keeps the centers soft and chewy with its molasses moisture. A splash of milk adds just enough extra liquid to keep these from being dry, since all that granola absorbs moisture like crazy.

Fold the granola and raisins in gently by hand at the end. The mixer would crush the granola clusters into dust, and those crunchy bits are the whole point. Drop them by teaspoonfuls and give them space on the sheet. These spread more than you’d expect.

Kitchen Tips

• Use a granola with big clusters and visible oat pieces. Fine, crumbly granola disappears into the dough and you lose the texture contrast.
• Pull the cookies at 12 minutes if they’re just lightly golden. They firm up significantly as they cool, and an overbaked granola cookie turns hard as a rock.
• Store in an airtight container. The raisins keep the cookies moist for several days, but exposed to air, the granola loses its crunch fast.

Variations

• Chocolate chip addition: Fold in a cup of chocolate chips along with the granola and raisins for a more indulgent version.
• Dried cranberry swap: Replace the raisins with dried cranberries for a tart, more colorful cookie.