These oatmeal cookies are dependably wonderful. They're quite substantial, sort of chewy rather than cakey. I usually divide the batter about in half, adding chocolate morsels to one part and raisins and walnuts to the other part. Both options are well worth trying and mix in so very well with this consistency of cookie dough. A site visitor asked if it was alright to add coconut. This cookie dough is amenable to most cookie-friendly additions. I recommend adding about two and a half cups of whatever you choose to add.
| ¾ | cup | Unsalted ButterSoftened to room temperature |
| ¾ | cup | Dark Brown Sugar |
| ½ | cup | White Sugar |
| 1¼ | cups | Flour, All Purpose, Unbleached |
| 3 | cups | Oatmeal, Old Fashioned |
| ½ | tsp | Salt |
| 1 | tsp | Baking Soda |
| 1 | tbsp | Vanilla |
| 1 | cup | Chocolate morselsOptional |
| 1 | cup | WalnutsOptional, broken up |
| ½ | cup | Raisins, BlackBe generous |
| 1 | Egg/sBest at room temperature |
| 1 | Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I use a convection oven, so a conventional oven may need to be heated just a little higher, but no more than 375 degrees. |
| 2 | Lightly grease whatever cookie sheets you're using. |
| 3 | Put the softened butter in a large mixer bowl. I use a hand-held mixer most often for this recipe. It can be accomplished without an electric mixer, though it may take a bit longer, especially the mixing part. |
| 4 | In a smaller bowl, measure out the flour, oatmeal, salt, and baking soda. Mix these ingredients together well with a wire whisk, or a like utensil. |
| 5 | Beat the butter until it is well-creamed. Add both sugars and beat together, giving the mixture time to become nicely blended. I probably mix these together five minutes or so. Then I add the vanilla and continue to mix for another minute or so. |
| 6 | Now, suspend use of the electric mixer. This is very important for the consistency of the cookies. I've found that after this point, using the electric mixer incorporates too much air into the dough and makes for a drier cookie. |
| 7 | Add the egg, and mix in well with a big spoon. I use a wooden spoon, but whatever type spoon you prefer will work. |
| 8 | Then mix in the flour/oatmeal mixture. The dough will be quite heavy. Just work a bit at it to make sure the ingredients are well-incorporated together. |
| 9 | Divide the dough into two parts in whatever proportions you prefer. To one part add the morsels. To the other part add the raisins and nuts. We go a little heavy on the morsels and raisins and nuts. Each baker can decide his or her own preference. |
| 10 | Using a tablespoon, place well-rounded portions of the dough on the cookie sheets. I use my fingers to shape each round and then flatten the top somewhat. I space the cookies fairly close, about an inch or an inch and a half apart. |
| 11 | Bake these 10-11 minutes. In a sense, that is the hardest part, to figure out when the cookies are done. It's easy to overbake them. They're just slightly browned on the edges when finished. We like them a little soft to the bite. Of course, you should bake them to the consistency you prefer. |
| 12 | I have found that cookie-baking in the summer months differs from the winter months. In warmer, more humid weather I recommend using a little less butter, a half cup, rather than the three-quarters cup listed above, or add a little extra flour, about one half cup. Either use less butter or more flour, not both. |