the first pudge ever created – Batch 22 Bakery

the first pudge ever created

Our first pudge ever was inspired by the famous NY-based Levain Bakery, and it was *oatmeal raisin* 💕 (we know... unpopular flavor, but I think it's incredibly underrated.) After taking literally one bite of the Levain oatmeal raisin cookie and quickly demolishing the rest of it, I came home to start creating this cookie. 

At that time, I wasn't a fanatic baker. I was just a cookie eater with a one-track mind: make that 6 oz oatmeal raisin cookie. I wanted to recreate that insanely memorable experience. Little did I know, this cookie would change my life.For the better part of a year, I tinkered with recipes, churning out a new batch each week. Eventually I realized that browned butter put this cookie over the top. I went from wanting to make a levain-copycat, to wanting to make THE best oatmeal raisin cookie.

Eventually I finished the original recipe, but the bake time took me months to pin down. I marked the recipe "complete" and moved on to develop more of my own cookie recipes over the next few years. ⁠(I've really only loved to bake cookies. I had a bread phase, but cookies are king).⁠

Since opening the bakery, I've changed the bake time and tweaked the oatmeal raisin recipe a couple times to boost moisture and flavor. (I love that I can make changes as I go!) It's still one of my favorite flavors we offer, even though it never receives the love I think it should. It was a year-round core flavor, but this fall, I decided to introduce oatmeal white choco cran. Oatmeal raisin returns in January. Here's hoping you enjoy it 😊