Family Heirloom: Aunt Bernice’s Oatmeal Cookies
I didn’t know Aunt Bernice well myself, but she was my mother’s godmother and very dear to my mom and her sisters. All the women in my family love a good cookie, but for my mom oatmeal is the very best kind of cookie there is.
I collected this precious recipe acquisition from my Aunt Sandy, and I am forever grateful. These cookies are humble and sophisticated all at once. They’re simple to put together and require no fancy equipment or much mixing. Yet the unique method results in a walnut and raisin infused butter that pervades the entire cookie with a subtle, nutty richness unlike any other.
Oatmeal cookies of course are sweet treats, but they don’t feel very naughty. They’re not overly sweet and do have the benefit of nutritious oats and raisins. Best of all they provide that wholesome cookie comfort everybody needs now and again.
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 cup raisins (golden or Thompson)
1 cup sugar (all white or 1/2 cup brown + 1/2 white)
1/2 cup raw walnuts, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
Combine the water, butter, raisins, sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, and salt in a medium pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes over medium low heat. Remove the pot from the heat, and allow it to cook for at least 15 minutes
Meanwhile combine the flour, oats, and baking soda in a medium sized bowl and mix well with a fork.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla together.
When the butter mixture is cooled, add it to the flour mixture, and stir until fully incorporated. Then add the egg mixture, and stir again until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and chill it in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Spoon rounded tablespoons of dough on the cookie sheet about two inches apart. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until they are lightly browned and fragrant. Cool them on the cookie sheet for five minutes. Enjoy them warm, or transfer them to a wire wrack to finish cooling.
