Combine the raisins and bourbon in a bowl, and set aside for at least 30 minutes.This recipe is so simple, and you will not need a stand mixer.
INGREDIENTS
1½ cups raisins
⅓ cup good quality bourbon, plus a little extra to taste (We used Jim Beam. To make the best cookie, do not use inexpensive bourbon that you would not drink.)
1½ stick butter, melted
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
1 large egg and 1 large yolk, beaten together
1 Tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups old-fashioned oats
DIRECTIONS
Combine the raisins and bourbon in a bowl, and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon. Stir well. Add the eggs, and mix well. Add the molasses and vanilla.
Now, add the dry ingredients, one at a time, starting with the baking soda and salt, then the flour, followed by the oats.
After all the ingredients are well-mixed, add the bourbon-soaked raisins, along with any remaining liquid in the bowl. Stir. (Trust us, do not start eating the batter—you will not have any left).
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and pop it in the refrigerator until chilled, about 1 hour.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare your cookies on a lined baking tray (we use Silpat). We suggest making them into balls, and then flattening them slightly with your hands or the back of a spoon. Cook until golden. Depending on size of the cookie, cook for 12–17 minutes.
The man liked his Madeira.
Madeira is a particular wine, very similar to port wine, that is produced on the island of Madeira. Madeira is a Portuguese island that in fact sits closer to Morocco. If you ever get the chance to visit, stay in Reid’s Palace in Funchal. It’s spectacular. And definitely pick up a bottle (ahem, or a case) of Madeira wine.
President George Washington had a fondness for Madeira, so much so that he ordered 126 gallons of it in 1759. George even ordered a second 126 gallons well before he finished the first. He went on to place five more orders during his political career and was particularly demanding that it be a good vintage. At the White House, it was served during the fruit and nut course of special dinners and was often brought back out again during the after-dinner discussion, when it was reported that the president always ended the night with three full glasses. Thomas Jefferson was also a big fan of Madeira wine. It just so happens that the men signing the Declaration of Independence were drinking Madeira as they put their (haha) John Hancock on the parchment.
Madeira ranges from dry to sweet and is usually served with dessert. Madeira island has a rich history of making wine that dates as far back as the fifteenth century. The making of Madeira wine is unique in that involves a heating process. This process was discovered when orders for the wine were exported and delivered by ship—heating and cooling temperatures during travel, along with constant movement, affected the taste in a way that became not just favorable; it was now in demand. Today, stainless steel vats are heated using a water process over a period of no less than three months to create the same taste.
There are several types of Madeira. These include:
Sercial: lemony, spicy, sweet, and more of an aperitif. Served chilled.
Verdelho: smoky, concentrated, and rich. An intense version that is more flexible with different dishes.
Boal: sweet, complex, aromatic. Best for desserts or nuts.
Malmsey: the richest and sweetest of the bunch. It is a dessert on its own.
It’s also incredibly rewarding and delicious to cook with. We used many, many bottles of Madeira in the making of this book, and as Julia Child would say, some of it went into the dishes.