Chocolate-Raisin-Oatmeal Cookies (Vegan)

A few weeks ago, I was in North Branch, Michigan (Put up hand, point to middle of thumb) and had hands-down the most incredible ice cream of my life at Custard Cabin. It was Oatmeal Cookie, and had not only oatmeal cookie dough/chunks and raisins and cinnamon but ALSO chocolate AND caramel. OhMyGoodnessDiosMioOhMonDieu. This started an obsession by me (it could be argued that this obsession now has a mind of its own) to find a similar ice cream and so far NO one else makes anything like it, at least no ice cream companies that sell product at Meijer, Trader Joe's, Quality Dairy, Holiday Markets, D&W, etc. etc. If you can't tell, this has become a very serious goal of mine.

This started many discussions, one of which was with my sister. When she and I start talking about food, it usually ends with an oven full of baked goods and a freezer full of ice cream, plus, while we're waiting for the baking to finish, we usually add in a visit to a restaurant or two until we meet our cravings. However, she is currently trying to lose her post-prego weight (even though she looks gorgeous and should not be worrying about it!) and I'm trying to get healthier and back into shape.

So the solution to all of this was that we decided it's imperative to always have vegan, somewhat guilt-free oatmeal cookie dough in the house (Duh). That way, due to the absence of raw eggs, there is absolutely zero risk when eating the dough with a (large) spoon. And we decided that Custard Cabin did it right by putting in both raisins AND chocolate. Sooo this is me, using what I know about baking AND health AND veganism/vegan baking alternatives to try to come up with the perfect oatmeal cookie recipe, highly addictive and yet with no pants-button-opening necessary.

Here is Attempt Number One:

Ingredients  

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1-1 1/2 cup regular oats
1/2 cup raisins
(Or use Musli with raisins: Two birds, one stone- I used Seitenbacher Musli #4 which had an added bonus of pumpkin seeds and dried apples, yum)
1/2 cup carob/chocolate chip or Cocao nibs

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (If you REALLY wanna bake them...)
2. Combine oil and sugar, then add in agave nectar, milk and vanilla.
3. Separately combine flour, baking soda, salt, flax and cinnamon.
4. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together
5. Fold in the oatmeal, chips and raisins

6. If you decide you want cookies and not dough like us, then put about 8-12 tablespoonfuls of dough on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until dry-looking and golden.

Either way-Enjoy!