Melanie Spiller and Coloratura Consulting

Copyright 2020 Melanie Spiller. All rights reserved.

Famous Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies (conventional)

Melanie Spiller and Coloratura Consulting

1 cup (2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar ½ cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground cloves ½ teaspoon ground ginger 1 TBLSP orange zest (dried is okay) ½ teaspoon salt 3 cups oats (quick or old-fashioned), uncooked 1 cup raisins 1 cup chocolate bits 1 cup walnuts Heat oven to 350° F. Beat together the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Mix well. Stir in the oats, raisins, chocolate, and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. (Or use parchment paper for quicker clean- up.) Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. They should be a little crispy to the touch, but still soft (unless you don’t like ‘em chewy. If you like ‘em hard, leave ‘em in a little longer.) Cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way. Makes about 4 dozen. Alternative: Bar Cookies Make the batch as above. Press the whole batch into an ungreased 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool very nearly all the way before removing from the pan and slicing into bars.