One Bowl Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies

I have made this recipe for many years. I love it because you can make the basic dough, and add whatever ingredients you want to flavor the cookies. The ones in the pictures are raisin and walnut, which are my husband’s favorite. I prefer chocolate chips and pecans. I’ve also made them with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Many times I make the dough and split it into 2 bowls, I add my chocolate chips and pecans to half and his raisins and walnuts to the other.


Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.


Ingredients


½ pound (2 sticks) of butter softened (you can use margarine, but butter tastes better)
½ cup sugar
1 cup of brown sugar packed
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 T. cinnamon
Pinch of salt
3 cups of uncooked oats (old-fashioned or quick oats)
2/3 cup raisins (or chocolate chips, dried cranberries, white chocolate chips)
½ cup walnut pieces (or pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts)


*Mom hint-when I make them with chocolate chips, I use more than 2/3 cup. I like chocolate. I also use more of the fruit or chips if I leave out the nuts.



In a large bowl with mixer (or by hand) cream the butter and sugars until blended, add the eggs and vanilla and keep mixing until creamy (about 2 minutes). Blend in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until well blended and do the rest by hand. Stir in the oats. Now is when you should split the dough if you are making 2 flavors of cookies. If not, stir in the raisins and walnuts (or whatever you have decided to add). Drop by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 11 minutes or until lightly browned.

This makes about 4 dozen cookies depending on the size you make them. Enjoy!