Slice and Bake Golden Raisin Butter Cookies look like little stained glass windows sparkling in shades of brown. These crisp, buttery cookies are especially wonderful with a glass of milk or a mug of tea. The dough freezes beautifully for slicing and baking just the right number of cookies, whenever a lightly sweet treat is needed.
Being a food blogger means wearing many different hats. Blog posts involve research and recipe development, followed by baking (often re-baking several times to tweak the recipe).
The baked goods are photographed and the photos are enhanced with editing software. Finally, a post is written (with search engine optimization in mind), photos attached, and the publication button is pressed. That process requires wearing the hats of a baker, photographer, and writer.
It doesn’t end there. Having created the post, the next step is getting the recipe into the hands of those who would enjoy it. On with the marketing hat. Promoting the post on social media, blog link parties, and recipe sharing sites sends the post out into the world.
“If you build it, they will come,” only works if the photos somehow capture deliciousness. We eat with our eyes first, and ugly food is rarely appealing.
Personally, I can’t even get past gross names for food, but apparently I am in the minority because “unicorn poop” is an incredibly popular baking trend!
I often struggle under all of those hats. Photography is my biggest struggle.
After over 200 posts, I can see improvement (looking back at first year post photos can be cringe worthy), but I’ve also learned how much more there is to learn!
Photography books and courses help. Baking photogenic food helps more. As delicious as some recipes may be, if I can’t make them pretty, even with tons of sprinkles, then the recipe doesn’t make it onto The Monday Box.
Which brings me back to these incredibly delectable Slice and Bake Golden Raisin Butter Cookies. They almost didn’t make the cut.
Though I think the multi-hued raisins make the cookies look like stained glass, the dough doesn’t brown when baked. The cookies get firm and crunchy, but they stay creamy white.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later! Plus, you’ll get more great recipes and tips from us each week!
I hope the light color doesn’t keep you from trying and sharing Slice and Bake Golden Raisin Cookies, because they are amazing. The recipe comes from Tish Boyle’s “The Good Cookie” cookbook. Every recipe I’ve tried from Tish Boyle’s cookbooks has been great, and these cookies are no exception.
Tips
- Slice and Bake Golden Raisin Butter Cookies put butter front and center. I highly recommend using the highest quality European-style butter possible for the best creamy, rich flavor.
- I coated the dough logs in a combination of large crystal decorating sugar, for sparkle, and turbanado sugar for golden brown color.
- Creating a compact dough log eliminates air bubbles that can cause crumbling when slicing the dough. Using parchment paper and a ruler or bench scraper makes uniform compact logs. For photos and detailed directions see the Chocolate Toffee Cookies post.
- To keep dough logs rounded on all sides while chilling or freezing, place the wrapped dough log into a paper towel tube. Cutting the cardboard tube down it’s length makes it easy to insert the dough.
Keeping the freezer stocked with a few types of slice-and-bake cookies makes it easy to quickly bake some goodies for a care package, unexpected guests, or an after-school snack.
I highly recommend adding Slice and Bake Golden Raisin Butter Cookies to your freezer stash of tasty treats!
More slice and bake cookies
Green Eggs and Ham Slice and Bake Cookies
Orange Ginger Turmeric Slice and Bake Cookies
Ready to bake? Join the free membership group to get new recipes and a newsletter delivered to your inbox! You can also stay in touch on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’d love to stay in touch!
Slice and Bake Golden Raisin Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large egg
- Pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup golden raisins
- ½ cup sparkling decorating sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in egg, salt, and vanilla. Scrape bowl to be sure all ingredients are incorporated.
- Add the flour and mix until blended.
- Stir in raisins.
- To make a compact, round dough log, scrape dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Form the dough into a log by hand until roughly 12 inches long and 1 ¾ inches in diameter. Place the log into the center of the parchment paper. Fold the parchment over the dough and push a ruler edge or dough scraper against the bottom of the log to remove air pockets and compress the dough.
- Spread the decorating sugar onto one half of the parchment paper. Roll the dough log over the sugar pressing gently. Repeat until the dough log is completely coated in sugar.
- If refrigerating (for at least two hours), the dough can be wrapped in the parchment before slipping it into a paper towel tube to preserve the rounded shape. If freezing, wrap the log in plastic wrap, with or without the parchment paper, before inserting into the tube.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the dough log into ¼“slices. Place at least ½“apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes. The bottom edge may begin to brown slightly but the top of the cookie does not brown.
- Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days.
Martha
UGH! Why don't you have a PIN button on your posts or photos or on your recipe card?? (The PIN mention isn't clickable at the bottom of your recipe card.) I'd love to save it for later but it's impossible to do this directly from your site.
Wendy Sondov
There has always been a pin button at the very bottom of the post below the recipe card. I understand that on a cell phone, you have to scroll quite a bit to get to the bottom, so now I've installed a "Pin recipe" button toward the top of the recipe card (next to the print and ratings buttons). I hope you find this helpful. On your computer browser, if you install a Pinterest extension you will get the hover icons. On a phone, you have to press on the image, then chose share from the drop down menu, then pick Pinterest.
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! Does the dough freeze well?
Wendy Sondov
Hi Vanessa. Yes, this dough is great to make ahead and keep in the freezer until needed. My guess is that, well wrapped, a log of this dough would keep well for at least 1 month.
Charlotte Phillmon
Hey is it possible to add gin soaked raisins in place of the regular raisins?
Wendy Sondov
The only possible problem would be excess moisture. If the raisins can be patted dry before using, I think your soaked raisins could be used in these cookies.
Suzanne
These look so good! It is so nice to have something prepped for when you need to make something in a hurry!
Wendy Sondov
Thanks, Suzanne! I agree that having a roll or two (or three) of slice and bake cookies in the freezer is ideal for baking the right amount at the right moment!
Christina @ The Cheerful Space
These are BEAUTIFUL! Pinned!
The Monday Box
Thank you, Christina! I think they look like stained glass with the varied colors of the golden raisins! Thank you also, for pinning!
April J Harris
I struggle with photography too, Wendy. I think your photographs look great as do these yummy Slice and Bake Golden Raisin Butter Cookies. I adore raisins in just about anything and can't wait to give this recipe a try. Sharing on our Hearth and Soul Facebook page later. Thank you for being a part of Hearth and Soul.
Ashley@CookNourishBliss
haha oh gosh I didn't even know unicorn poop was a thing! Kinda making me cringe with that name!!! Anyway, these cookies are definitely not making me cringe!! I lovee golden raisins and these cookies sound perfect! Slice and bake are a favorite of mine for having on hand!
Ilana
Your photos look great. These cookies look delicious and sparkly. Great Job!
saltandserenity
Wendy, you make food bloggers sound like the most talented multi-taskers on the planet. Which we are of course!! These cookies look very beautiful. There is not much better than a true butter cookie. Sometimes chocolate gets way too much attention. When I slice my log cookies, I turn the dough 90° after each cut to avoid getting the flat bottom. Great idea to put them into a cardboard sleeve.
Can't wait to make these. I'm thinking dried tart cherries!
Chris Scheuer
I'm glad these cookies made the cut Wendy! They look wonderful and definitely "blog worthy"!