RB’s Oatmeal Cookies

What kind of oatmeal cookie lover are you? You and RB have something in common if you like the following:

• Chewy
• Oaty
• Sweet
• A nod toward health with some whole wheat flour
• Just the right mysterious saltiness

An important feature about this recipe is that the ingredients are straightforward without an overly anal amount of anything. To that end, I mean there’s no “3/4 teaspoon” of anything. You’ll never see that measurement in a recipe of mine, ever. Many of my colleagues in my career as a test kitchen recipe developer never saw a problem with “3/4 teaspoon” amounts. Who were they kidding? Who needs all that exactitude? What’s next, calling for a 1/6th clove of garlic?

That 1/4 teaspoon right in between 1/2 and 1 never makes a difference in an everyday recipe. Rounding toward the reasonable makes life, and home cooking, easier and more fun. This one works. RB agrees.

Sometimes an oat bar is just what you need.  Just bake in one batch!  Here’s how to do that:

 Replace the flour with self-rising (of course, haha) flour.  Omit the baking soda. Use three eggs instead of two.  Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir up all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.  Pour the batter into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 F for 35 to 40 minutes.   Let them cool on a wire rack.  Cut into squares when cool.  Makes about 40.

RB's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

minmerrell What kind of oatmeal cookie lover are you? You and RB have something in common… Cookies RB’s Oatmeal Cookies European Print This

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• 2 cups dark brown sugar (1 pound bag)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 cups oatmeal
• Heaping cup raisins
• Heaping cup nuts--I really like to use sliced almonds

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 F. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large mixing bowl until fluffy  Add the eggs and blend until incorporated.  Add the vanilla, flours, salt, and baking soda. Blend on low speed.  Blend in the oats, raisins, and nuts. Drop by heaping tablepoonfuls onto a baking sheet.  Bake 14 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool.  Makes about 60 cookies--(three baking sheets of 20 each)

Other add-ins to try--chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, shredded coconut, dried cranberries or cherries and any nut you like.  It's all good!

For oat bars:  Melt the butter in a saucepan. Replace the all-purpose flour with self-rising, decrease the salt to 1/2 teaspoon.  Omit the baking soda.  Up the eggs to 3.  Stir it all up in a mixing bowl.  Pour the batter into a greased 9 x 13-ich baking pan.  Bake at 350 F. for about 35 to 40 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.  Cut into squares when cool  Makes about 40.