On Guest Posting & Oatmeal Cookies

This post was created for a guest appearance on the La Petite Pancake Blog, written by my blogging friend, Mads. While she’s away attending a friend’s wedding, she invited me to write a guest post. It’s a first for me, and I’m both flattered and excited. Here is the recipe I shared with her readers. When you get a chance, click on the link above and visit her blog. She’s a hoot, and she has the cutest little pug named Josie, whom I may just have to kidnap some day. This is an abbreviated version. To see the full post, click on the link above.

NanaBread’s Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies:
1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups of old-fashioned oats, uncooked
1 cup of raisins or chopped pecans (optional)

Pre-heat your oven to 375F. Using a mixer, beat the butter and both sugars together until the mixture is nice and creamy. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla and beat well to combine. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and beat just until well combined. Mix in the oats and blend until they are thoroughly incorporated. If you’re using raisins or nuts, add them with the oats. I like to use a cookie scoop to form golf ball sized balls, but you can use two spoons to scoop and place balls of dough onto un-greased, non-stick cookie sheets. If you have those great silicone baking mats, use them. Drop the dough balls about 2″ apart, since these will spread as they bake.

Baking time for these is 11-13 minutes, or until the centers look done and the edges are just beginning to brown. If you like them really chewy, take them out closer to the 11-12 minute mark. If you like them crispier, leave them in up to 15 minutes, or until they turn a nice golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then move to waxed paper to cool completely. Once your cookies are cooled, store them in an airtight container. If you’re going to stack them in layers, I recommend you place pieces of waxed paper or parchment between layers to keep them from sticking together.

One of my favorite ways to eat these is to make homemade ice cream sandwiches using two cookies and a small scoop of softened vanilla ice cream. You can make a big batch of these in advance and store them in your freezer. Just take them out of the freezer to thaw about 5 minutes before serving. Mmm, mmm good!

Now go forth and bake, my friends! And Mads, thanks again for including me in your guest-posting party. It was an honor and a pleasure and great fun!