Awesome Oatmeal Cookies – High Maintenance, But Worth It!
Awesome Oatmeal Cookies are an oatmeal cookie lover’s dream!
You know, I don’t have a plan for anything I’m going to write on any given day on Southern Plate. I usually just wake up and see what I’m in the mood to talk about and run with it. Sometimes I can loop it into being related to that days recipe and sometimes I do things like write about doughnuts and give you a recipe for steak tips – we just roll with it and it all works out in the end somehow. We’re kind of a rag tag group that way and I like it.
Today I wanted to bring you this cookie recipe and seeing cookies got me to thinking about college – hang in there, I’ll come ’round the bend eventually.
My parents both graduated high school, this was a big thing for them and they were (understandably so) very proud of that. A lot of people back then didn’t finish school and they set out to have a goal of every one of us kids getting our high school diploma. They’d work it into daily conversation whenever they could, a parents natural inclination to brainwash their kids in the good ways. I can still hear mama saying “You’re going to be smart, and you’ll graduate high school”.
Folks who come from long lines of college education may not understand how much hope lies in a sentence like that but to my parents it was a goal and something they wanted for their kids, something that gave them the assurance of us having a good future and the start we needed to get going in the world.
College wasn’t even thought about. It wasn’t that they didn’t think we could do it, it was just that because high school was such a big goal for us that nobody thought to look beyond that.
When I did finally start college at the ripe old age (kidding here) of twenty three, it was the first time I’d ever lived on my own, even though I was in a dormitory with several hundred other girls. It was odd, the silence at night. When you’re used to a house filled with people, that silence is much louder than the noise you’re used to. I settled into my ritual of studying and having supper in the dorm cafeteria each night where, like so many other students, I’d head up to my room with a glass of milk and two cookies each night. I’d put my milk in the little dorm fridge and place my napkin wrapped cookies on top of it until almost bed time and then I’d have my snack just before turning in and enjoy my little taste of almost-home in my very silent dorm room.
Ever heard of the Freshman Fifteen? It’s the supposed fifteen pounds folks gain in their freshman year of college due to eating and lifestyle changes. Well, thanks to those cookies I personally pioneered the Junior Thirty.
And so a love of cookies was discovered and I ain’t stopped a lovin’ ’em since.
I think my favorite cookie is oatmeal. At least that’s my favorite cookie today. We took a little road trip recently and I found myself near a Starbucks. Feeling like I needed a little treat (as Moms on road trips often do) I picked up one of their oatmeal cookies. I think Ricky thought I was having seizures as I ate that thing, it was so good. I came home and started digging around for the recipe. It was the absolute be all end all best oatmeal cookie I had ever tasted. Well glory be, wouldn’t you know that those folks had made that recipe public? I found it here. Tweaked it a bit, and here ya go.
Alright y’all, I know this list is a mile long but you know I wouldn’t go to this much trouble unless they were really really good.
You’re gonna need: Brown sugar, oats, raisins (golden and regular), dried cranberries, one egg, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, finely chopped nuts, stick of margarine, and a little bit of flour and white sugar.
GoodNESS That was a mouthful! It’s all at the bottom so just stick with me. These are really easy, the list is just long
Now we gotta talk substitutions.
- The original recipe called for the two types of raisins so I gave it a go because it would make a prettier picture for Southern Plate. If not for that, there is no way I’d go out and buy a special kind of raisins just for another color.
- Also, leave out the nuts if you like, I often do because they add a good bit of expense to things. The original recipe didn’t have them in it but I figured since I’d made a special trip to by “golden raisins”, I might as well go all out.
- I’m using old fashioned oats in this but if you only have quick oats that’ll work in a pinch. The key is to not make any special trips to the grocery store. It’s more fun when you adapt a recipe and use what ya got on hand anyways :).
- As for brown sugar, use what you got, light or dark. i use them interchangeably but prefer dark whenever I have it. I honestly have no idea how I end up with light brown sugar in my pantry sometimes.
I’m just showing you an up close picture here of whats in my jars. I love mason jars for storage. They have so many uses and last forever. In a pinch they can be used as drinking glasses, storing leftovers in the fridge, and of course you can use them for canning, too.
In a mixing bowl place your softened margarine, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
Mixaroo!
Toss in your egg and cinnamon.
I love it when kids can’t say that right. I think we should just rename it Cimmamon!
Mixaroo again!
Now in a separate bowl place your oats and your flour
and your raisins and dried cranberries.
and your nuts
Stir that up a bit
add in your salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
You know if I hada developed this recipe it would’ve been half the ingredients…
I’m jes sayin.
Stir that up
Dump it into your wet.
Mixaroni
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
I feel like I have a photo of this in every post, do I ?
I reckon.
Take a few of each color raisin and place on top of the cookie.
This is for cosmetic purposes and is really pretty – but outside of this tutorial, I just put all of my raisins in the batter and skip over this step as I find it a little too fussy for my tastes.
But it is awfully pretty.
Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
Let sit on pan for two or three minutes and then remove to cool completely.
Of course, you’re gonna have to eat the first one, just to be sure they’re good.
Might not hurt to eat the second one as well, second opinions never hurt.
I made these last week and ended up making a second batch the very next day.
Seems we had a lot of volunteers to help eat them! Folks sure are sweet that way.
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dark raisins plus more for putting on top
- 1/2 cup golden raisins plus more for putting on top
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 C diced walnuts
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick margarine softened
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Place sugars and margarine in mixing bowl. Mix until well blended. Add egg and cinnamon, mix again.
- In separate bowl, place all remaining ingredients. Stir with a spoon and dump into mixing bowl with wet ingredients. Mix until well blended.
- Spoon by heaping tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Top with a few additional raisins of each color. Bake at 350 for twelve to fifteen minutes until the edges are lightly browned.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from cookie sheets and cooling completely.
Nutrition
I really like this one…
A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
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Can’t wait to make these! (Can you get us a recipe for the Cranberry Bliss bars at Starbucks, too?)
I made the ‘Dishpan cookies’ and they are wonderful.
Hi Christy,
I love your stories and this recipe looks divine. I wish you would get the recipe from Giant Eagle for their Honey Granola cookie…. I thought I was going to make Mud Hens for the cookie exchange, then came Dishpan cookies. I knew I had my cookie…then comes along Pecan Nougat…Yeah Baby! Now Awesome Oatmeal Cookies…I can’t take it! But, I think its a done deal…until tomorrow’s post. Keep’em coming!
As usual I love your posts and they always remind me of something from my childhood. Neither of my parents were able to finish high school and we were raised like you with them setting a high value on us kids getting a high school education. I can remember never wanting to get anything less then a B on my report card because my Dad would seem so disappointed and he would tell us all about how he had to stop going to school to help make an income with his dad to support the family. My Dad passed away when I was in junior high but before he died he made my mom promise that she would do whatever it took to make sure us four kids all graduated high school and I’m happy to say we did and some of us even went on to get a higher education. This is why we love your posts so much Christy – it’s not just about the cookies or the cakes or delicious recipes that you bring us that take us back to our childhood memories or enable us to make new ones with our kids and grandkids – you create a kinship with your readers with your stories and anecdotes. Always clever and funny and always something in them that tugs at your heart’s memories. If I never cooked another day in my life I would still want to get my newsletters from you so I could always remember to slow down and look into my heart’s memories.
When I saw your heading of “awesome oatmeal cookies,” my first thought was that I hoped that they were as good as the “outrageous” oatmeal cookie recipe that I use from the Washington Post. Should I have doubted Christy? Never! It’s the exact same recipe. They’re excellent and I’ll be whipping them up tonight. I love this site. Thank you!
I would love to buy the cookie decal only. I have purchased the set for myself earlier, but would love to make a cookie jar and fill it for Christmas gifts.
Is is possible ?
Thanks,
Cheri
Christy, you are the golden raisin in the oatmeal cookies of life! Thank you for all you do and are to give such good gifts of cheer and fun recipes. So glad I discovered you 🙂 Thank you & hugs to your family for sharing you!!