Grandma June’s Chewy Oatmeal Cookies (for the virtual cookie exchange)

There are lots of good cooks in my family, but I owe much of my fondness for cooking and baking to my paternal grandma, Grandma June. She once told me she liked the challenge of making something from whatever was on hand. She often cooked without recipes, and could make things like cake or fudge magically appear, even when camping or stuck in thick fog on a sailboat (family legend). She died in 2001, and I still miss her, but making some of the recipes she used to make is one of my favorite ways to remember her. The recipe that follows is one she created for my mom when she was looking for an oatmeal cookie that was chewy rather than crispy or cake-y. I make it with lots of different “add-ins”, but I’ll give you the holiday version here.

Grandma June’s Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
(double the batch if you’re planning to share)

Turn on the oven to 350°

cream together:
1/2 c. butter (I prefer salted)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar

then mix in:
1 egg
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
zest of about 1/2 an orange

stir the following together, then add to wet mixture all at once:
1 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda

finally, add
1 c. old fashioned oats
1 c. chocolate chips (Ghirardelli’s double chocolate are the best!)
1 c. dried cranberries
1 c. chopped hazelnuts
1/2 c. chopped candied ginger (sometimes Trader Joe’s has “bakers cut” candied ginger that you can use right out of the bag, otherwise I’d recommend rubbing a little cooking oil on your knife before trying to chop up larger pieces.)

I don’t usually measure the chocolate chips, etc., but you’ll know it’s right if your cookies are mostly “good stuff” glued together with a little dough. If you want to modify the recipe my favorite non-holiday add-ins are coconut (for texture rather than taste,) flaked cereal like Wheaties, raisins, and dates. Rice Crispies are good too.

Use two spoons or your hands (easier) to drop lumps of about 2 tablespoons of dough on a cookie sheet about two inches apart. Bake for 8-11 minutes (I’m still figuring out this altitude thing after three years!) until edges are golden but middles still look doughy. Let cool until solid on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack. Rinse. Repeat.

I’m posting this recipe to join in the fun of the virtual cookie exchange started here and continued here and here.  Happy baking everyone!