‘These cookies have one eye!’ shouted my youngest son when we first made the Amish Raisin Cookies in the house.
Loved dearly by children as well as some sweet tooths, Amish Raisin-filled cookies are a great delight.
I literally have to keep far from sight to stop dipping my hands into the cookie jar.
My mother used to make them every Christmas and New Year as a special treat for breakfast. She traditionally made them year after year making us all look forward to indulging in the decadent sandwich cookie.
Though Mama made them for Christmas, I can make them any time of the year when the craving strikes. It is a perfect dessert and amazing with coffee on a chilly afternoon.
Why an Amish Recipe
Amish women are known to be good cooks. If you have ever visited a major Amish settlement, you will definitely remember their delicious delicacies.
When we visited Bird in Hand in Lancaster, PA, we had a great time enjoying the scenery, horse buggy rides, and collecting vintage handmade crafts.
However, what stuck for me as an avid home chef was their finger-licking, made-from-scratch recipes. Determined to replicate the meals at home, I bought a couple of Amish and Mennonite cookbooks.
Amish cooking heritage is greatly influenced by their traditions and lifestyle. The Amish are largely a conservative religious group of people who migrated to the United States in the 1800s.
Amish Apple Sauce Cake Recipe. Click to Read.
When their forefathers lived in Europe, they faced persecution because of their unwavering stand on some Christian principles. They fled to the United States to find religious freedom.
Most of them keep off modern conveniences such as vehicles, electricity, and phones.
They dress simply in dull colors and rarely mingle with the ‘world’. Their Sunday tradition of having services in different homes made them perfect their culinary skills.
You will often find me making Amish Recipes because they call for ingredients that are easy to find! You probably have all that is required to make the cookies.
I only needed to buy an additional packet of raisins and dried cranberries.
Also, Check out: Amish Donuts Recipe.
Beautiful Cookie Recipe
I love this recipe because of the sweet fruity filling sandwiched between two cookies.
The combination of the cookie and raisin flavor in your mouth is truly unmatchable.
You need a round cookie cutter to make two cookies, scoop a small amount of the raisin filling onto one of the cut-out cookies. Use a piping nozzle or a thimble to cut off a small round hole.
You then cover the filling with the cookie with a hole. The result is a beautiful double cookie with a sweet filling in between.
Amish Raisin-filled cookies are our family favorite, a specialty that will not miss when we all gather at the Christmas table.
Let us delve into describing each ingredient in detail.
Ingredients And Substitutions
All-purpose flour
All-purpose flour is the primary ingredient in the cookie and works perfectly. You could substitute with self-raising or cake flour which contains less amount of protein.
Raisins
Raisins are dried grapes. They are popularly used in baking because of their sweet and fruity flavor.
They are preserved and therefore have a long shelf life. In this recipe, raisins are cooked in brown sugar, water, and cornstarch making it a thick filling.
You can substitute raisins with more tangy dried fruits such as cranberries, peaches, and figs. Plump raisins and juicy raisins are best for a delicious filling.
Butter
Butter is rich in flavor and fat, effectively moisturizing the cookie dough.
Brown Sugar
Brown sugar sweetens the cookie dough and adds a beautiful brown hue. Brown sugar is less refined and possesses a rich molasses flavor too. Brown sugar
Salt
Salt seasons the cookie dough balancing out with other flavors in the cookie dough. The small amount added makes a notable difference in the overall flavor of the Amish Raisin Filled Cookie
Baking Powder and Baking Powder
Baking powder and baking soda are the leavening agents in the recipe. The two leavening agents react and release gas that makes cookies rise. It contributes to the crunchiness and lightness of the Amish Raisin-filled cookie.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch is the thickening agent in the raisin filling. Without it the filling would be too runny thus sogging the cookies.
Nutmeg
Nutmeg has a strong woody aroma that flavors the raisin filling beautifully.
EQUIPMENT
Mixing Bowls
Mixing bowls are great for mixing dry ingredients
Stand mixers or Handheld mixers
These appliances make the mixing step easier.
Rubber Spatula
Mixes the wet and dry ingredients and helps in scraping the sides of the mixing bowl.
Rolling pin
A rolling pin rolls the cookie dough into a rectangular-shaped flat dough.
Baking tray
Baking trays are required to bake the cookies in an oven
Round cookie cutter and Thimble/Piping nozzle
The Amish Raisin-filled cookies are round. You will need a 2-inch cookie cutter to make a round-shaped cookie and a thimble or nozzle to cut out the plug at the center.
PRO TIP
Always chill your cookie dough before you bake for about 30 minutes before you bake them. This will keep the Amish Raisin Cookies from spreading too much.
Resist the urge of overworking the dough. Overworking the dough results in rubbery and tough cookies other than crunchy.
Always measure your ingredients accurately. Scoop and level the dry ingredients. Excess flour in your cookie dough will affect the overall texture of the cookie.
Bake the cookies at the right temperature. Learn your oven, and use a thermometer to bake the cookies at the right temperature.
FAQ Amish Raisin Filled Cookies
How can I keep my cookies from spreading during baking?
When cookies spread during baking, they touch each other and lose their beautiful shape. Chill the cookie dough for 15 minutes before you bake.
This chills the fats in the cookie dough reducing their melting rate.
Can I use other dried fruits to make the filling?
If you are not a fan of raisins, don't you worry.
It is possible to use a myriad of dried fruits such as figs, cranberries, and peaches. All you need to do is chop the fruits and cook them as described in the recipe steps.
Amish Apple Schnitz Pie Recipe.
Amish Raisin Filled Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 cups 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup 1 cup of brown sugar
- 3 large 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup 1 cup softened butter
- 1 teaspoon 1 baking soda
- 3 tbsp. 3 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tbsp. 3 tablespoons whole milk
RAISIN FILLING
- 1 to ½ cups Raisins
- ½ cup Dried cranberries
- 1 cup Brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon All purpose flour
- 2 cups Boiling water
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Lemon zest
Instructions
Raisin Filling
- Chop the raisins into small pieces with a sharp knife. You can use a food processor to chop the raisins too (add a small amount of water).
- In a middle-sized saucepan, add the chopped raisin, hot water, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- In a small bowl make a slurry with the flour and cornstarch. Pour the flour and cornstarch into the simmering raisins.
- Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon to achieve homogeneity. As the Raisin filling begins to thicken, lower the heat and let the filling cook for about 8 minutes. Keep stirring, this will stop the raisin filling from sticking to the saucepan.
- Watch the thickness and add little warm water if the filling gets too thick.
- Remove the filling from the heat and set aside to cool completely before using it.
Cookie Dough
- Measure your ingredients accurately and set them aside.
- Cream the butter and the two types of sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, add vanilla essence, and mix well.
- Add one egg at a time, mixing thoroughly.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Make sure that all the leavening agents are evenly distributed in the flour.
- Sift the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Use the paddle attachment on your stand mixer or a wooden stick. Add one cup of flour after the other, alternating with the whole milk. The dough will be very sticky.
- On a clean floured kitchen counter, turn the cookie dough over from the mixing bowl.
- Flour the rolling pin, and roll the dough into ⅛ inch thickness dough.
- Use a round cookie cutter to an even number of round-shaped cookies.
- Scoop a teaspoon of the filling onto a round cookie. Cover the filling with a round cookie that has a hole on the top. With your fingertips, seal the two round cookies by gently pressing the seams together. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined or greased baking tray.
- Repeat the process till all the cookie dough and filling are used up.
- Chill the cookies for about 15 minutes, and preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes until they turn golden brown. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack. ( Let the filling within the cookie cool completely before your little ones indulge in the exquisite Amish Raisin Filled Cookie. My little boy threw his cookie when he got impatient and bit inside a cookie that hadn't completely cooled lol. We indeed burst out laughing as we watched him frantically looking for a cool drink at the same time protecting his Amish Raisin Filled Cookie lol.)
- Enjoy the Amish raisin-filled cookies with a cup of tea or a dessert after dinner.
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