Filled Raisin Cookies
Quite a few years ago my Chief Culinary Consultant made mention of raisin-filled cookies and how much he loved them as a kid. He wondered if I could try making them, but there was one problem – I had no idea what these cookies were that he spoke of. I had never heard of them or seen them myself. So, I set about on some research and started poking around online for recipes and did end up finding a few. Not long after that, I spotted a box of these cookies at Sam’s Club. I snapped a picture and sent it to him and he confirmed that those were, indeed, the cookies. I had a visual! I picked up those cookies and we’ve since found them in a couple of other places, so I finally got to taste the cookies as well. However, I then displayed some seriously questionable behavior because I totally and completely dropped the ball on these cookies. I’m talking, for years. A thousand apologies to him, and to you.
It wasn’t until I was digging through a pile of my grandma’s old recipes looking for something else that I came across the recipe for these filled raisin cookies. This was it. THE recipe. I knew it immediately. But… if this recipe was in my grandma’s recipe collection… why had I never heard of these cookies before? Or tasted them? I asked my mom and she said that my grandma made these cookies all the time for my grandfather, who adored raisins. However, once he passed away (when I was 5), she stopped making them because no one else in the family really cared for raisins. How sad! The recipe has been officially resurrected and is definitely one that will get a lot of use in my kitchen.
These cookies consist of a very soft and almost sponge-like cookie wrapped around a thick raisin filling. It’s simple, homey and absolutely delicious. Not to mention addicting. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
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A few notes on the recipe:
- I know the first question many of you will ask is if you can use butter in place of margarine. Yes, the recipe calls for margarine and I know many people don’t use it anymore. However, when it comes to old-fashioned recipes, I almost never alter ingredients because you usually won’t end up with the exact same texture or flavor. Butter and margarine have different properties when it comes to baking (butter tends to spread more and creates a crisper final product), so I recommend using margarine as the recipe was written.
- The directions for mixing the dough are admittedly weird and counter-intuitive for anyone who has ever mixed dough before. I just went with it, and the dough was perfect, so I wouldn’t change a thing.
- You could substitute any of your favorite fruits in the filling. My mom mentioned that my grandma once made a version of this cookie with a peach filling. You could easily substitute in any dried fruit, just be sure to dice it up before proceeding with the recipe.
I couldn’t be happier that I came across this recipe. Not only is it an absolutely delicious cookie, but it makes me feel connected not only to my grandma, but to my grandfather as well. Baking something in my own kitchen for my favorite taste tester that my grandma baked countless times for the love of her life makes my heart happy.
So, what did my Chief Culinary Consultant think of these cookies after waiting years for me to make them? He said they were amazing and that this is a totally kick-ass recipe. Well done, Grandma, well done.
One year ago: Top 10 List: Favorite Muffin Recipes
Five years ago: Egg Muffins
Filled Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (227 g) margarine
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 6 cups (750 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (244 ml) whole milk
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Filling:
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1½ cups (375 ml) water, divided
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 15 ounces (425.24 g) raisins
Instructions
- Make the Dough: Cream together the sugar and margarine on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the salt, eggs, flour and milk. Continue to mix until just about all of the flour is incorporated. Add the baking powder, baking soda and vanilla extract and mix to combine. The dough will be very soft and sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Make the Filling: In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and ¼ cup of the water to form a paste. Stir in the remaining water, lemon juice and raisins. Set the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and the raisins plump, about 5 to 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature before using.
- Assemble and Bake the Cookies: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Using about 1/3 of the dough at a time, roll out the dough on a well-floured surface to about 1/8-inch thickness. (The dough is very soft and sticky, so use as much flour as necessary to roll it out without it sticking.) Cut the dough into rounds (I used a 2¾-inch cookie cutter). Place one on prepared baking sheet, spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of the raisin filling onto the circle and then top with another round of dough. Just lay the circle on top of the filling; there is no need to seal them shut, as they will do so while baking. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
- Bake the cookies until lightly golden brown on top, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I can’t wait to make and try these. My Aunt Carole used to make these at Christmastime and I just loved them…and her! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. I will follow the recipe as written. As soon as I make them and share them with the family, I’ll post back!
Your FILLED RAISIN COOKIES, do you have the nutritional info. I couldnt find it.
Hi Donnie, I do not at this time, but recipes will have them within the next few months!
Where is the oven temp for this recipe?
Hi Peggy, Step #3 (400 degrees F).
My recipe calls for brown sugar for the dough; it is excellent.
My grandmother also made raisin filled cookies. Only significant difference: 1 tsp lemon juice AND 1 tsp vinegar.
Excellent. Just like my mom used to make but I lost her recipe. Thank u so much for posting this!
If you do use butter ( my recipe says to), use a fork to crimp so filling won’t leak, and slash the top just as you would a pie.. Grandma always did a wheat pattern of a longer slash wit 3-4 short on each side. Crushed pineapple was an alternative but I am unsure how the filling directions changed other than she drained it and I drank the juice while they baked.
My maternal grandma had a recipe almost identical to this. I’ve made them, since I was a young bride. They were my dad’s favorite thing, so, in his later years when he didn’t have anything he wanted for gifts, I would make him a big batch of these for Christmas, Father’s Day and his birthday as well as a few times a year, in between. At the end of his time with us, the facility he was in couldn’t get him to eat, so I told them I’d bring something I knew he would eat. I baked a big batch of these for him. Needless to say, he NEVER turned them down!!
I made these cookies for my wife because I burned the two raisin filled cookies a close friend gave my her. Never made cookies before and these were a huge success. I am out of the dog house! Thank you, Brown Eyed Baker, for sharing the recipe.
Mike, Slippery Rock, PA
Made these about a week ago. They were the best ever! No photo because they were inhaled too fast! (We sell fresh eggs and everyone who walked in the house smelled them while still in the oven and hung around to taste them. Hence, no cookies for photos.) Will definitely make again.
Linda from Tobyhanna
Followed instructions only change was I used butter. Chilled dough a little longer and I had no problems at all with the rolling of the dough. I used a fork to close the cookies which was a suggestion by another baker and it worked like a charm and looked adorable. A lovely cookie in appearance and taste. I will use an egg wash and sugar sprinkled on the top next time just to add a little something. Very highly recommended.
I grew up with these cookies at Christmastime; they were my Swedish great-grandmother’s recipe. We made them with three different fillings, all of which had a corresponding sprinkle of colored sugar so you could tell them apart – red sugar for raisin, green for date, and pink for poppyseed. Thank you for the trip down memory lane!
This has to be the worst cookie recipe in the world. To say the dough will be sticky is an understatement. Super Glue is a better description even after being in the fridge for 50 minutes. Thought I would try leaving it in fridge overnight WRONG same result. Impossible to work with even after very carefully following the directions. ZERO STARS what a waste of ingredients!!!
I found my mother’s recipe for these and compared with yours. Almost exact-except my mother used melted Spry (Crisco) instead of butter–I go with the butter. I am making these today!!
My grandma made these when i was a young girl. They were great. Now, my daughter is hooked on them. She has a hard time finding “good” ones. So, mom to the rescue. She will be surprised and they will be gone quickly. I hope to make my frandma proud.
These are my Dad’s favorite cookies. I am not a fan of raisin cookies, but my entire family likes these. I use butter and they are perfect every time. Thank you for the recipe!
Can you fix the formatting for this page, please? It’s a little hard to read. :)
I am so glad I found this recipe. These cookies have been very popular in my hometown since at least the 50’s when I was growing up. I’ve never found them anywhere except in northeast Ohio. I live over 500 miles away now so that makes it a little hard to just go get some :) Thank you for posting this recipe. I am not crazy about raisins but I LOVE these cookies.
These are a big favorite in
Johnstown PA too ☺️
I made these last year and they were delicious!!! Time consuming and messy. But worth the work!!! Yummy!!!
These cookies were very easy to make and delicious. Just the right amount of sweetness. I didn’t change anything in the recipe. It was perfect just the way it is written.
My grandma made these all the time. However she would put her raisins thru a grinder before she cooked them down. Best cookies ever.
I remember a Nabisco raisin cookie, flat, break apart squares, crispy n brown on outside, chewy on inside. Looked as if they might be pressed? Any ideas how to do that?
My grandpa also made these cookies, and they were always my favorite! These look and sound exactly the same as his. I’ve purchased the store-bought version on a whim a few times, and although they’re close, they’re just not the same as homemade. I can’t wait to try these!
I absolutely give this recipe a 10 star plus +++++ I remember eating cookies like this as a child but for some reason never ran across the recipe among my mum’s things. Stumbled on this one today while looking for raisin fillings for cookies as I planned to make an oatmeal jam jam to use it in. These are so much better! Fantastic recipe. I did use a sifter to put the dry ingredients in and I baked at 350 on a cookie sheet without parchment paper. I cooked for about 15 to 17 minutes and they turned out perfect! Thank you so much for my new “favorite cookie”
My husband just made this for a Valentines Day Mens Bake off we are hosting tomorrow. He made these for a similar event we attended not long before we began dating. Now, we have been married 6 years and have 2 lovely daughters. Thanks for helping us relive a special memory! They are delicious!
This recipe sounds great. Will try it next. I have used red raspberry jam as a filing and it is fantastic; not nearly as sweet as the raisin filling. The raisin filled are my husband’s favorite cookie and he said they ” look and taste just like the ones Mom used to make.” That is a supreme compliment. Only problem I have is they get too moist if kept in an air tight container.
My boyfriend has quite a few times gone on & on about these raisin filled cookies he used to love as a kid, but can’t find anywhere. I’m wondering if these are it-I should make them for him & surprise him! Hopefully they’re the cookie he speaks of!
This is a LONG-STANDING family recipe, straight from Ireland (for us). You forgot one of the key ingredients: either 1 or 2 T lemon extract for the dough. THAT really adds to the nice contrast to the raisin filling….believe me, it works.
Hi Michelle, I am really late in posting a comment! I made these last year and will be making them again soon. These are the best raisin filled cookies I ever tasted! I didn’t know how the cookies would seal themselves, but they did. I also ran out of filling before dough and substituted orange marmalade–DELISH! Thank you for sharing your Grandma’s recipe–there’s nothing better than old-time favorite family recipes!!
Do you know if these freeze well? My grandfather has requested these for his birthday this year, but it happens to be the day before my wedding so I know I won’t have much time to bake that week!
Hi Kelly, Yes, these freeze well! Happy birthday to your grandfather and happy wedding to you!
I have tried this recipe 3 times now and it has yet to work for me… the dough is impossible to work with.
I agree Anna Starver, Very impossible to work with such Sticky Dough ,I kneaded in “MORE” flour! Then it was much easier to work with! And the dough was FINE!
This is such an awesome looking cookies.. I cant wait to try them.. I am from India.. I would like to know your cup measurements in grams. Please and Thank you.