Tag: soft oatmeal cookies

Super Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

honeyoatmealraisinMy cousin Barb and her family gave me a lovely baker’s gift set from Penzeys, including vanilla sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and a lovely surprise called baking spice, for Christmas this year. Baking spice is a combination of two types of cinnamon, anise, allspice, mace, and cardamom – it is a delicate flavor that I now know can be used a bit more generously in various baked goods, and I plan to mix it into various muffins, quick breads, and cakes in the future.

These treats are adapted from a “make-it-mine” recipe base in the Better Homes & Gardens Baking book, where you choose your ingredients and flavorings to create whatever you like. The honey in this recipe definitely gives it the ultra-soft, super-chewy texture, so if you’re looking for a crispier cookie I’d recommend using brown sugar or a combination of brown and white instead. Also, I used a combination of rolled and quick-cooking oats because that’s what I had on hand, but you could go with just one or the other if you like.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 cups old-fashioned/rolled oats
  • 1 cup quick-cooking oats
  • Optional: 1 cup golden raisins

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, honey, baking soda, baking spice, and salt until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat to combine, scraping the sides of your bowl well. Add flour and mix on low to combine, then stir in oats.  If using, stir in raisins – alternatively, you can make a few batches of plain cookies, then add the raisins later, which is what I did.

Using a one-inch cookie scoop, drop generous scoops of dough onto the baking sheets. Bake for 9-10 minutes, until edges are just golden but centers still look puffy and slightly. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for about 4 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Makes about four dozen.

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Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

 

 

 

 

 

Mike and I have been married for 12 years, and together for nearly 16.  We met at a frat party on the first night back for the fall semester at Frostburg State University in 1996 and have been together ever since, joking that we got married by default because it simply didn’t occur to us to look for anyone else.

Our tastes in food are drastically different, precipitating a number of challenges in the kitchen.  Mike will eat almost anything and seems to have a particular fondness for foods that make me gag, like sauerkraut, for example.  He also loves vegetables (even Brussels sprouts), puts condiments on everything, and enjoys chunky tomato sauce, chunky applesauce, and yogurt with fruit in it.  I would be perfectly happy eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the rest of my life, I peel apples and peaches because I don’t like the skin, I believe the only accoutrements a sandwich or burger needs are cheese and well-done bacon, and I prefer my sauces and yogurts chunk-free.  Perhaps the greatest divide in our relationship is his fondness for raisins, as I cannot understand why shriveled grapes are appetizing.

Mike has three favorite cookies: chocolate chip, pecan rugelach, and these iced oatmeal applesauce cookies.  He’s had a busy week so far and will have an even busier weekend, so there are for him.

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup chunky applesauce
  • 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup raisins

For the icing

  • 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2-3 tablespoons water

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line several sheets with parchment paper or foil.

In a mixing bowl, combine butter and sugars; beat on low speed until well-blended.

Add egg and applesauce; beat until very well-blended, about two minutes.

Add oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; beat on low speed until combined.

Add raisins and stir by hand to incorporate.

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, drop cookies onto baking sheets about two inches apart; you should have six cookies per sheet.

Bake for 13-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and one tablespoon water.  Add additional tablespoons water, one at a time, until you reach a smooth, drizzly consistency.

Channel your inner Jackson Pollock and drizzle icing over cookies.  Allow icing to set before storing.