Oatmeal Raisin Almond Cookies

My oft-mentioned pregnant friend is no longer pregnant - meaning there's a new baby to welcome in to this world. We had been due to meet baby Matthew and congratulate his parents this weekend, and rather than buy the predictable bunch of flowers for them, I opted to bake (any excuse). Besides, the mother needs to eat in order to keep the baby fed, so it was easy to justify this as the appropriate baby-warming gesture.

In the end, mother and father were a bit too tired to host well-wishers, so we were left with a few dozen cookies, a pint of (soya) milk, and only our wits to help us to figure out what to do next.
Oatmeal Raisin Almond Cookies
From the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

• 2 1/4 C flour
• 3/4 tsp bakinig soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 C / 220 g butter
• 1 1/2 C firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tbs vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/4 C rolled oats
• 1 1/2 C raisins
• 1/2 finely chopped toasted almonds (almonds baked at 160 C for 10-15 minutes)

1. Pre-heat oven to 175 C
   
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Put aside.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar using a mixer - mix for about 3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, vanilla and almond extracts, and mix well.
5. Add the flour mixture in batches, beating until well combined.
6. Add in the oats, again beating well, and then add the raisins.
7. Chill the mixture for around 30 minutes.
8. When chilled, drop by rounded teaspoon-full onto an un-greased cookie sheet, leaving enough room for the cookies to spread.
9. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden. Allow to sit on the cookie sheet for a minute before moving onto a cooling rack.