I’m not really one for cookie-baking. I CAN, certainly – and I have some kick-ass amazing cookie recipes – but for as often as I’m creating in the kitchen, I don’t make cookies very much.
The other day, though, my mom called. She’s in the midst of some pretty scary health-related nightmares right now, and I’ve been trying to figure out something – anything! – I can do to help her. It turns out, she thought of me alongside a craving she was having for oatmeal cookies. Go figure.
Since Mom was treated for throat cancer last year, she has a hard time eating at all. When she told me that she was actually craving something, I jumped on it.
Because of her difficulty eating – she has a hard time chewing, her salivary glands were damaged by the chemo, and she often chokes when trying to swallow – I rooted around and found the most gentle oatmeal cookie recipe I could find. To make a traditionally hearty cookie a little more friendly, I used quick-cooking oats (which are really just regular oats sent through a chopping process to make the grains finer; if you go that route, use about a quarter cup fewer oats than if you were using regular rolled oats), and I eliminated the raisins and nuts. You should feel free to play with this recipe, though; it’s a good, basic foundation that will take a lot of liberal fiddling.
Start out with a stick and a half of butter at room temperature, one egg, a healthy blop of vanilla extract (I use about a tablespoon) a cup and a quarter of packed light brown sugar, and one third of a cup of milk. Using a hand mixer (or in the bowl of your KitchenAid), whir this around until it resembles (I can’t believe I’m saying this) vomit. I know – nasty! – but that’s really what it looks like. Of course, it’s sweet and smells cloyingly of vanilla, but if I didn’t know what it was, I’d be entirely put off by how it looks (and what is it about some of my favorite recipes resembling, at a particular stage in their assembly, the one thing I can’t stand? Remember the barbecue sauce recipe? Sheesh!).
ANYWAY… once you’ve got the butter-sugar-egg all mixed up, get out a new bowl and put in a cup of all purpose flour, three cups of rolled oats (or two and a half or so, if you’re using the quick-cooking type), a half teaspoon each of baking soda and salt (though I consider the salt to be entirely optional in this recipe), and a quarter teaspoon or so of cinnamon (more or less, depending on your preferences). Toss those together and, with a stout wooden spoon, stir them into your butter-sugar-egg mess.
At this point, add whatever makes you happy. I left a quarter of the batch plain for mom, then finely chopped up a handful of dried cherries for her other quarter. For our half, I added quite a few more dried cherries and just a few too many chocolate chips. I could also imagine adding pecans, flaked coconut (you could substitute a little of the vanilla for coconut extract if you like), traditional raisins (if that’s your thing), M&Ms – really, go wild here.
Drop the batter in generous little heaps on parchment or a lightly greased cookie sheet (or, if you have one, one of those neat-o, cool Silpat mats. GODDESS, but I love those things!) about two inches apart and pop them into a preheated 375° oven for about ten minutes. You want them to be lightly browned, but still a little soft in the middle. Cool them off the sheets (that’s where Silpat or parchment comes in handy; you can just slide the whole batch right on to the cooling rack so the heat of the sheets won’t keep them cooking). Though I don’t think they’ll last long enough for any long-term storage (they’re some kind of yummy!), they’ll keep in airtight containers at room temperature for about a week; in the fridge for slightly longer, and in the freezer for quite a bit longer (though, of course, you’ll want to bring them to at least room temperature before consuming). I have to say here, too, that popping them in the toaster oven to give them a little bit of warm is absolutely delightful, especially if there’s chocolate in them.
Happy Cookies!
