Homemade Oatmeal Cookies

Last month I told you that I only make 2 cookies, sugar cookies and oatmeal cookies.  You have the recipe for my signature soft sugar cookies, and now I am sharing my oatmeal cookie recipe.

Every week, I make some sort of homemade sweet treat.  Mainly for my DH and for the littlest to take to school with his lunch or snack.  Usually I make the sugar cookies, but lately they have been requesting these oatmeal cookies A LOT.

I don’t mind because they are easy to make, easy to switch up (just like the sugar cookies), & so wholesome I would even let my kids eat them for breakfast.

Homemade Oatmeal Cookies

* with substitutions in parens *

• 1 cup room temperature butter (or solid coconut oil)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated (regular white) sugar
• 2 eggs (or 4 egg whites)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (you could leave this out)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 cups of oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned will work)
• 1 cup dried or fresh fruit of your choice (if you want it, you could leave this out)

The Process

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Mix the butter (or coconut oil) & both sugars until they are nice & creamy.
3. Add the eggs & vanilla, and mix it in well.
4. Mix the flour, salt, baking soda, & cinnamon in a separate bowl.  I use a whisk for this because I don’t have the time or patience to sift flour.  Other than my grandmother, does anyone do that anymore?
5. Add the combined flour mixture to the wet ingredients a little bit at a time.  Mix well but slowly.  You don’t want flour all over your kitchen.
6. Add the oatmeal & fruit (if you’re using any).  Don’t put it all in at once because it gets thick fast.
7. Drop by the teaspoon onto cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes.

Oatmeal Apple Cookies! Look at all that yummy wholesome goodness!

Tips:

1. I bake these for 8 minutes because I like a really chewy moist cookie.  If you like crisp cookies, you could leave them in for up to 12 minutes depending on your oven.  I would just suggest you check on them after 8 & even minute or so after that.
2. DO NOT open the oven while these are baking.  If you do, they will turn out very flat.  Put a timer on & leave them alone.
3. If you do happen to end up with flat cookies, they’ll only be good for making homemade Little Debbie Snack Cakes (spread some cream cheese between 2 flat cookies) or for crumbling over yogurt or ice cream.  Mmmm. No harm done… AT ALL.
4. Sometimes cookie recipes have to be followed to the T.  I have tried these without any fruit and they are just as great.  But with less oatmeal, not so much.  You need all the oatmeal to make it really “sturdy” – is that an okay word to use for a cookie?
5. Don’t be scared to try these with any kind of fruit you love, as long as it’s not a watery fruit.  I have done them with:
   • raisins of course
   • cranberries make great holiday cookies
   • apples (it’s like eating apple cinnamon oatmeal).  Apples are probably about as moist as I would go though.  They soften but stay pretty moist; too moist will make them stick together or flatten.
6. When I make my holiday cookies, I add both dried cranberries & apples. They also take a little longer to bake – about 13 minutes or so in my standard electric oven.
7. If you’re not going to use all of the batter right away, store it in a large plastic storage bag (I like these reusable bags or these bags from IKEA) & stick it in the fridge.  Bring them to room temperature and scoop or squeeze them from the bag when you’re ready to bake more.

Most people who make some form of oatmeal cookie always add something to them – raisins, dates, or some other dried fruit.  I don’t always add anything to them; sometimes they are just good old fashioned oatmeal cookies.  I call that breakfast!  Where’s the coffee?!