Mea Culpa, this is not gourmet baking but in my defense, sometimes you wake up on a cold winter morning think, “I could really go for an oatmeal cookie right now. . . the way Mom used to make them.” So, without further explanation, here’s a nice simple recipe for tasty and heart healthy cookies….that is as much as cookies can be healthy.
Note: 1. This recipe will yield about 4 dozen cookies. Some oatmeal cookie recipes call for a full cup of white sugar but I prefer a less sweet alternative; but its up to you. Note 2: I don’t recommend combining both raisins and walnuts, just too much going on then. That being said, my youngest son always requests that combo, so what’s a Papa to do? Note 3: Cookies are a great way to impress your sweetie, especially when making childhood recipes; they show you know your way around the kitchen, are probably good husband/boyfriend material, and will be great Dad someday.
Ingredients
- 300 g quick cooking oats – 3 cups
- 270 g flour – 2 cups
- 115 g sugar – 0.5 cup
- 175 g brown sugar – 1 cup packed
- 8 oz. butter – softened – 2 sticks
- 2 eggs
- 9 g vanilla extract – 2 tsp
- 5 g baking soda – 1 tsp
- 6 g salt – 1 tsp
- 6.5 g ground cinnamon – 2 tsp
- Options:
- 1 cup raisins, or
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Process
- Mise en Place – measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
- Preheat oven to 325F (165C) or 300 Fan.
- Cream together softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.
- Beat in eggs one at a time.
- Mix in the vanilla.
- In separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Stir dry ingredients into the creamed mixture.
- Mix in oats and raisins/nuts until just blended.
- Drop heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets leaving at least 2″ of space for dough to spread out. I use silplat or baking paper to line the pans.
- A good technique is to use two spoons to shape the dough and measure the amount. Then use one spoon to scrape the dough from the other spoon onto the baking pan.
- Another technique is to put on disposable gloves and shape dough balls a little smaller than golf balls and press onto the baking pan.
- If you like cookies more crunchy, flatten the dough using a fork
- Bake ~11 mins or until cookies have the softness/hardness you like.
- Cool on wire rack.