Oatmeal Raisin Cookies…

I am an avid lover of oatmeal.  Well, oatmeal kind of sneaked it’s way into my diet while I worked at Martha’s.  In the employee kitchen (where everyone kept their lunches and made coffee), Ms. O offered an unlimited supply of instant oatmeal, pretzel sticks,  and a variety of juices. Thus oatmeal and juice became my breakfast staple.  Oatmeal is underrated by many, but don’t let it’s bland flavor or assumed meal category (breakfast) stump your cooking creativity.  So yes, I eat oatmeal for breakfast daily, but only the flavored varieties–not the “original” or plain flavored kind. What’s a sweet southern girl to do with all that plain oatmeal? Make dessert of course! After looking through all my recipe books I decided to combine a few ingredients to give the below my personal touch (that’s southern for add more nuts, raisins, and “oats” and only use brown sugar).

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Cream together the butter and sugar, then combine with all other ingredients.  Spoon out balls of the dough and drop evenly onto a prepared baking sheet (lined with parchment paper), spacing evenly about 2 inches apart. Flatten each a little with the back of a spoon until squat, but don’t let sides crack. Bake 10-12 minutes. Remove immediately from baking rack (to stop the cooking process) and repeat with remaining mixture.  Enjoy!