Oatmeal Cookies
2 sticks (1/2 lb) unsalted butter, softened but still firm
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups chopped dates
Adjust oven racks to low and middle positions; heat oven to 350 deg.
In large bowl use electric mixer to beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 min. Beat in eggs one at a time.
Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg together in smaller bowl, then stir them into butter-sugar mixture with wooden spoon or large rubber spatula. Stir in oats and dates.
Form dough into sixteen to twenty golf balls, placing each dough round onto one of two parchment paper-covered, large cookie sheets. Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, 22 to 25 min. Halfway through baking, turn cookie sheets from front to back and also switch them from top to bottom. Do not overcook; the edges should be brown but the rest of the cookie should still be very light in color.
Slide cookies on parchment onto cooling rack. Let cool at least 30 min before serving. If you don't use parchment, which is not required, let the cookies cool directly on the baking sheet for two minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Options:
Raisin Oatmeal Cookies: Substitute 1 1/2 cups raisins for dates
Ginger Oatmeal Cookies: Omit dates and add 3/4 tsp ground ginger
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies: Substitute 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips for the dates.
Nut Oatmeal Cookies: Omit dates, decrease flour to 1 1/3 cups, and add 1/4 cup ground almonds and 1 cup walnut pieces along with oats. Almonds can be ground in food processor or blender.
Orange and Almond Oatmeal Cookies: Omit dates and add 2 tsp minced orange zest and 1 cup toasted chopped almonds (toast almonds in 350 deg oven for 5 min.) along with oats.
Quantity: 16-20 cookies Total cook time: 25 min.
Source: Cook's Illustrated Jan/Feb 1997
recipe/oatmealcookies.txt ยท Last modified: 2018/02/28 20:28 by rob