recipe: michelle's oatmeal cookies

Many of you with children will agree that there is a short window of time when a newborn does nothing but eat & sleep. If you’ve just had your first baby, or if along with your newborn, you also have an older child in school all day, you just may find an hour or two for yourself each day in those first few weeks.

Our second son, Michael, was born in the spring while our four-year-old John was still in school. For the first couple of weeks, little Michael slept well & soundly so between walks with baby Mike and visits to see him from well-wishing friends and family, I did some baking.

My sister in law, Michelle, had her second baby, also a boy, a few months earlier (we’re now at four boys – so including their fathers, we have enough bodies for a hockey team! – albeit a very tired one in need of a second line…). She brought over some of her delicious oatmeal cookies one day and we were hooked.

Michelle shared the recipe with me and I think I made these about four times in two weeks! It’s a good thing that nursing burns so many calories… and that I don’t have the time to bake anymore. I added chocolate chips and additional raisins to the original recipe – you can leave these out if you wish.

michelle’s oatmeal cookies
(recipe adapted from Anna Olson)
(makes about 36 small cookies)

ingredients

• ½ (one-half) cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 (one) cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ (one-quarter) cup white sugar
• 1 (one) egg, at room temperature
• 1 (one) teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1¼ (one-and-one-quarter) cups all purpose flour
• 2 (two) tablespoons cornstarch – adding cornstarch is the trick to making the cookies stay soft!
• ½ (one-half) teaspoon baking soda
• ½ (one-half) teaspoon salt
• ¾ (three-quarters) teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 (one) cup regular rolled oats
• 1 (one) cup raisins
• 1 (one) cup chocolate chips

method

• Preheat oven to 350 C.
• Using a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter and both sugars together until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add to butter mixture in 2-3 (two to three) additions and gently mix to combine.
• Add in oats, raisins and chocolate chips. Gently stir with a wooden spoon until evenly distributed.
• Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined or greased baking sheets, leaving space between each cookie.
• Bake the cookies for 11-14 (eleven to fourteen) minutes, until lightly browned. The cookies will look very soft coming out of the oven – let them sit on the baking sheet for 5 or 10 (five or ten) minutes and then remove to a rack to cool

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