Juanita's Incredible Raisin Cookies

I began making these incredible raisin cookies at the end of seventh grade. I took a home economics cooking class that year and on the last day of school, our home-ec teacher let us go through a ton of loose recipes and take some home. I found a recipe for raisin cookies and baked them at home. They were good, but I decided to experiment and change and add things and this recipe evolved. My mother still bakes them to this day and so do I. The plump raisins make them taste extra special.

You will need:

1 1/2 cups water

2 1/2 cups raisins, either purple or golden. (The golden ones make the cookies taste even better.)

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/4 teaspoon allspice

1 cup (2 sticks) real butter

2 cups white sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla or almond extract

3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Put the 2 1/2 cups of raisins in a pan with the 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cook the raisins for five minutes. Remove the pan from the burner to cool.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg,and allspice.

In a second large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla together. You can do this with a wooden spoon or a mixer.

Next, add the dry ingredients and the pan of raisins and water to the second bowl and mix together. An electric mixer makes this much easier.

If you are using nuts, add them now and mix.

Grease a cookie sheet or spray with cooking spray. Drop cookie dough by teaspoon onto the cookie sheet 1 to 2 inches apart and bake for 12 to 15 minutes in a preheated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven.

Enjoy these incredible raisin cookies. If you have any left, store them in a plastic container with lid or in a Ziplock bag for freshness. These keep well in the freezer for a few months as well.