Irish Soda Bread Cookies

Active time: 15 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Yield: 24 cookies

This recipe from Sweet Precision makes soft and chewy Irish soda bread cookies with highlights of caraway seed and raisins. A sweet twist on Irish soda bread, these bite-sized treats make for a crowd-pleasing platter.

3⁄4 cup raisins

1 cup water

13⁄4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon caraway seeds 1/2 cup Irish butter

1/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees 20 minutes before baking. Then, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.

In a medium pot, combine raisins with water. Bring mixture to a boil on the stove. Reduce to simmer and cook until the liquid is absorbed. Remove pot from heat and let cool.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and caraway seeds. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, buttermilk and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Add raisins and the medium bowl containing the flour mixture alternately.

Mix well; the dough will be crumbly. Shape the dough into small balls, about 1 inch wide. Slightly flatten the cookies to shape them into a disc.

Bake for 12-15 minutes and remove when the edges of cookies are slightly brown. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note: If you plan to freeze your cookies, do so the same day you bake them. Store in a plastic bag for up to three months.