My grandmother Virginia makes the best cookies. When my cousins and I were growing up, she always kept homemade cookies stashed in old cookie tins in the freezer (I bet she has some in her freezer now, too). She’d open up a canister and unfold the waxed paper lining, and we’d start grabbing for one after another. I like her cookies straight from the freezer; they have a more satisfying chew that way. I like them at room temp and fresh from the oven, too. The cookies that stand out most in my memory are her oatmeal, dried cranberry and macadamia nut cookies. Or does she use white chocolate chips, not macadamia nuts? Grandma will tell me. She’s eighty-four, operates a brand new iPhone, and receives my new blog posts by email. She reads your comments, too. :)
She’d tell you that I wanted to do things my way when I was little. Guess I’m still doing it, because I came up with my own oatmeal cookie recipe instead of asking for hers (I’ll get it later, for sure). I wanted oatmeal cookies with a soft, fluffy interior and crisper edges with more concentrated flavor. I wanted these cookies to be even more redeeming than most, but mostly to be the tastiest of oatmeal cookies. Instead of adding dried cranberries and macadamia nuts (or white chocolate chips), I kept these simple with some cinnamon and nutmeg, which permeate the whole cookie with delicious warming spices. More specifically, I used Frontier Co-op’s Ceylon cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract, which are all organic. Frontier Co-op has generously filled my spice drawer with their products and the more I use them, the more I appreciate them. Take a whiff and you’ll know what I mean; they’re more potent and offer superior flavor than other brands. Plus, you can read where the spices came from on the bottle. I’m glad to be working with them again this winter.
These cookies are made with 100 percent whole grains—lots of old-fashioned oats, some oat flour (which you can easily yourself make out of oats, see notes) and some whole wheat flour (check the recipe notes for alternatives). Oat flour lends extra oat flavor and a light-as-air texture, and whole wheat flour offers enough structure to keep these cookies together. I know it’s a bit of a pain to use multiple flours, but this combination is really key to awesome oatmeal cookies. Lastly, I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, which is less processed and contains some potassium. I’ve been able to find it at all of the grocery stores that I frequent lately, usually in the health food section but sometimes in the regular baking section. I had to use a couple of tablespoons of cane sugar to get the texture and sweetness level just right. I hope these cookies make it to your holiday tables. Since they are on the softer/more delicate side, I wouldn’t recommend trying to pack these for shipping (these macaroons are perfect for that). Please let me know how they turn out for you!
This post is sponsored by Frontier Co-Op and I received compensation for my participation. Opinions are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support C+K!
