We do a lot of impromptu cooking and baking. Typically it'll strike us at some late hour of the night when we're debating the merits of watching bad reality TV versus just going to bed, when suddenly we realize that our lives will not go on unless we make a spicy peanut stir fry or strawberry shortcake cupcakes or whatever else right now. And then we plunge headfirst into creating Second Dinner or Third Dessert or whatever we have to make right now, only to discover that we're missing some key ingredient but we're too lazy it's too late to go get it. Which is fine, because we like a challenge, and we haven't been able to follow a recipe since 1992 anyways.
Around 10pm the other night, it occurred to us with startling clarity that the one thing missing from our lives was the combination of cinnamon and oats. But we weren't in the mood for the mushy texture of porridgey oatmeal; it was clear that our mission required us to bake cookies. We started off with a recipe, but after creaming more than a stick of butter with two kinds of sugar, we decided that we eat too much junk. We were subbing whole wheat flour for white flour (thus making these diet cookies) when we discovered that we don't have any baking soda. The internet told us that we should combine baking powder with potassium bicarbonate in place of baking soda, but what do we look like, a chemistry set?
Our cinnamon walnut oatmeal cookies turned out fabulous anyways. The approximate recipe (with room for innovation!) is after the jump.
Late Night Oatmeal Cookies
1 3/4 cups rolled oats (we used Quaker instant oats)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (or regular flour, or some combination thereof)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (you can add nutmeg, ginger, allspice, or whatever you feel like)
1 teaspoon baking powder (or 1/2 teaspoon baking soda)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter (soften it first or just chop it before throwing it in there)
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup regular sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla and a few extra splashes
1/2 cup to 1 cup walnuts or chocolate chips or raisins or other fixin's (optional)
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease two pans or use baking sheets so you don't have to wash the pans. Beat together the butter and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add oats, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and whatever extra fixin's and beat again.
Drop dough by heaping tablespoons (okay, we just used our clean hands) 2 inches apart onto baking sheets and flatten them a bit with your fingers. Bake cookies until golden, about 12 minutes total. Watch them lest they burn.
Makes 18-24 cookies depending how you size 'em.
Photo: flickr user Sashertootie
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OH NO YOU DIT-TINT! (moving head side to side)
At first glance I thought you had stolen my cookie.
I make a similar one but I use whole unsalted cashews.
Also, I make Texas sized ones- eat half now & half later.
The walnuts sound good - but I thought that pecans were the state nut of Texas (after all,Bush is in Washington now)