Crinkle Top Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies - a recipe experiment

Found on thekitchn.com

I know I've tried this recipe with butter, Crisco, lard and coconut oil.  This is closer to what I'm looking for than the other recipe I tried last night.  It's crisper.  While I'm not looking for a hard crisp, I want something stronger than what happened last night.  

First alteration will be chilling the dough, not sure what else.
 

Crinkle Top Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

Makes about 60 cookies
2 cups (11 oz) dark raisins
2 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup (7 oz) shortening
2 cups (17 oz) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups (8 oz) old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
extra sugar for rolling

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

Toss the raisins with 1/4 cup of the flour. Grind in a food processor with a blade attachment for 20-30 seconds until the raisins form a very thick paste and come together into a ball (see photographs below). You can also use a blender or a meat grinder to mash the raisins into a paste.

(I tried the above step and did not like the result.  I prefer my raisins whole)

Cream the shortening and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs until the mixture resembles soft frosting. Beat in the ground raisins.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 1 3/4 cups of flour, oatmeal, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Beat this slowly into the egg mixture until a shaggy dough is formed and there is no more visible flour.
 
Use your hands to pinch off pieces of the dough and roll them into balls slightly smaller than ping-pong balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar and arrange them two inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the cookies are crinkly on top and just starting to turn golden-brown around the edges.