old-fashioned oatmeal cookies
Once upon a time, I set out to make oatmeal cookies for this blog. Took pictures of the ingredients, all the steps, everything. An hour later I realized I was pulling out a sheet full of the wrong cookies. Never thought angry-yelling “it’s the wrong cookie” would ever happen in my kitchen.
So here’s day two take two, with the actual cookies I was planning on sharing with y’all. These soft and chewy oatmeal cookies are from Nancy Baggett’s beautiful cookbook ‘Simply Sensational Cookies’. (On page 36, not 34. 34 is One-Pot Honey-Oatmeal Drop Cookies With Or Without Coarse Salt. Still good, just not what I wanted.) I love this recipe because it’s one-pot, so easy to throw together!
Old-Fashioned Farmhouse Oatmeal Cookies ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
Scant 1½ cups packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup dark, seedless raisins, rinsed, drained, and patted dry on paper towels, optional
1¼ cups unbleached all-purpose white flour (I used this 1-to-1 gluten free flour) Position a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 350°F. Grease 2 baking sheets or coat with nonstick spray.
In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, stirring, until completely melted and runny. Remove from the heat. Thoroughly stir the oats and 1 tablespoon water into the butter. Let stand for 5 minutes so the oats can hydrate. Vigorously stir in the sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until thoroughly incorporated. Vigorously stir in the egg, and raisins (if using), then the flour until very well blended. If the dough is very soft, stir in 1-2 tablespoons more flour. If it is still soft, let stand to firm up for 5 minutes.
Using a 1 ½-inch diameter spring-loaded scoop or heaping measuring tablespoon, form the dough into uniform mounds, spacing 2 ½ inches apart on the baking sheets to allow for spreading. Using your fingertips (or the back of the scoop/spoon) pat down the mounds just slightly.
Bake (middle rack) one sheet at a time for 7 to 10 minutes or until barely firm in the center tops, tinged with brown, and slightly darker at the edges. (This took 12 minutes in my electric oven.) Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks. Let the cookies stand on the pans to firm up for 3 minutes, then transfer them to the wire racks using a spatula. Cool completely before packing for storage.
Yield: Makes 30 2 ¾-inch plain cookies, about 35 with raisins. Storage: Store these airtight for up to 1 week. They can be frozen airtight for up to 1 month.
