Chewy Soft Oatmeal Cookies

Chewy Soft Oatmeal Cookies

This oatmeal cookie recipe makes perfect soft and chewy oatmeal cookies! They’re warmly spiced with cinnamon and filled with rich flavor from butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. And though I often make this recipe with raisins, it works well with a variety of mix-ins. Fold in walnuts, dried cranberries, or chocolate chips! Another reason to love this oatmeal cookie recipe? You don’t need a mixer to make it. The dough is easy to mix up with a spatula and basic pantry ingredients whenever a cookie craving strikes.Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled*
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup unsalted butter, melted**
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups whole rolled oats
¾ cup raisins or chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts, optional

Directions:
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, whisking vigorously.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir in the oats, raisins, and walnuts, if using, folding into a tight batter. Set the dough aside for 20 minutes while the oven preheats. 

(Note: If your dough seems too wet to become scoop-able, chill it in the fridge for this 20 minutes and it'll firm up. If your dough is too crumbly, stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons water.)

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough, heaping your scoops slightly to get 20 to 22 balls of dough. Roll lightly in barely damp hands to make them round. Spread out onto the prepared baking sheets and press down lightly on the tops of the dough balls.

Bake until puffed, golden, and a touch underbaked-looking, 10 to 11 minutes. Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes
*Note: These cookies are fairly thick and puffy. If you prefer thinner cookies that spread more, use a scant cup of flour instead of a full cup. I find that cookies made with less flour need an extra minute in the oven.

**Butter substitution: Use melted coconut oil to make these cookies dairy-free.

Anita's Nut Roll.

Anita's Nut Roll

Barbara's former co-worker and very dear friend Anita who drove to Tahoe to visit and bring her Christmas wishes with the most wonderful Nut Roll.  What a fabulous friend!

Ingredients:

Soak a handful of raisins in hot water to plump

Chop 8 cups walnuts, set aside.

Mix and allow to proof:
1/4 cup warm milk
1 pkg yeast
1 teaspoon sugar

In a small bowl:
Whisk 3 egg yolks beaten (save egg whites for later use.) with
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon half and half, set aside

Measure in a large bowl:
4 1/2 cups flour 
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 sticks butter

                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Directions for dough;
Work 2  sticks softened butter into flour  into flour mixture:  Use hands to blend.  

Add proofed yeast mixture of yeast, sugar and milk, and mixed egg yolk, and half and half: mix well. 

then add to flour mixture creating the dough.

Knead about 10 minutes until all butter is well incorporated in dough.
Separate into 4 rounds of dough; allow to rest until double in size

Meanwhile mix: 
8 cups finely chopped walnuts
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
Toss to coat well.

Drain raisins and pat dry.

When ready, roll dough thin to 12" X 18" rectangle on a lightly floured surface.                                                                         

Pat down firmly 2 cups of nut mixture to the ends of dough.   Next sprinkle a few handful of the plumped golden raisins which have 

been patted dry. Generously drizzle honey.  Begin to roll so that your finished roll is approximately 18" X 3".  Place seam side down on parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Check that the ends of each roll are sealed.

Brush top with whipped egg whites   Let set for one hour in a draft 

free space.   Bake at 325*F for 35 to 38 minutes.  When cool, dust with confectioners sugar.

Accordion Cookies

Accordion Cookies

Pillsbury Company sponsored an annual Bake-Off which began in 1949.  Housewives across America perfected and submitted an original recipe using Pillsbury products.  Finalists were flown to a site where they recreated their recipe with the ingredients provided.  The Accordion Cookie recipe was the Winning Recipe of The Year 1957 submitted by Gerda Roderer.  The prize awarded was $25,000.00 which she said would be used to further her son's education, buy a car, and further her interest in art.  

Overlooked for 1st prize was Peanut Blossoms, the peanut butter cookie with a Hershey Chocolate Kiss.  The cookie was submitted in 1999 to the Pillsbury Hall Of Fame.  2nd place prize was $5,000.00

 Ingredients:

2 36-inch sheets foil

3/4 cups butter, softened
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose or Unbleached Flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cups chopped walnuts, if desired

Directions:

Heat oven to 325°F. 

Fold 1 sheet of foil in half lengthwise. Fold the double-thickness foil crosswise into 1-inch pleats to make an "accordion-pleated" pan. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat with second sheet of foil.

In large bowl, combine butter and sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; beat well. 

Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Add flour and salt; mix well. Stir in walnuts. 

Drop rounded teaspoon of dough into each fold of foil. (Dough spreads during baking to form 4 1/2 to 5-inch long cookies.)

Bake at 325°F. for 18 to 26 minutes or until golden brown. Remove cookies from foil; cool completely. Turn foil over for second baking.

Banana Bread French Toast

Banana Bread French Toast

Ingredients
2 large eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Eight 1/2-inch-thick slices banana bread
2 medium and ripe bananas, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 teaspoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place in the oven to warm.
2. Whisk together the eggs, half and half and vanilla in an 8-inch square baking dish until combined. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. 
3. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, dip 4 slices of banana bread very briefly in the egg mixture (don't soak) letting the excess drip back in the dish. Add the dipped banana bread to the skillet and sprinkle each slice with 1 tablespoon brown sugar and pat in. Cook until the underside is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown on the second side, about 2 minutes. Put on the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm and repeat with the remaining banana bread, batter, adding 1 tablespoon more butter to the skillet and sprinkling the slices with 1 more tablespoon brown sugar. Keep the second batch of French toast in the oven.
4. Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel and add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Once the butter melts, add the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and the lemon juice and stir until smooth. Add the bananas and toss until glazed, about 1 minute. Serve the French toast topped with the bananas and chopped walnuts.