Anyone LOVE Oatmeal Cookies?!?!

As 8 inches of snow fell to the ground on Sunday, we skied our hearts out (read: skied two runs which was plenty for the little guys) for the first time this season. So on the way home, JP treated us to a gigantic "Sow Your Oats" oatmeal cookie from our favorite bakery in town simply called Bread. They make these GINORMOUS, ridiculously perfect oatmeal cookies, chocked full of nuts, flax seeds, sesame, fruit and just all around delicious. Hubby says, "I sure wish we could figure out a slam dunk recipe for oatmeal cookies. You think Bread would give us theirs?"

So with our tea hosting that comes up once a week at Fort Lewis, I always have an excuse to get out the butter, sugar and flour. I found a recipe on the web, modified it some for high altitude and came up with a delicious second to a bakery version of Oatmeal Cookies. Check it out!

Best Bakery Oatmeal Cookies

2 eggs well beaten

1 cup raisins

1 Tablespoon! vanilla

1 cup butter (3/4 cup high altitude)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 cup sesame seeds or flax or both!

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup wheat bran

Beat the eggs well, add the vanilla, stir and then add the raisins. Allow to soak for an hour or two.

Beat the butter, add sugars. In separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, soda and spices. Add the dry mixture to the butter and sugar. Mix well. Add the bran and mix well. Then add the eggs with raisins. Mix well. If you like large chunks of nuts, them mix the remaining nuts in, along with the oatmeal, by hand. It makes for a pretty stiff dough.

Shape into 2" balls, place on a greased air bake cookie sheet and then flatten a bit with the back of a spatula. Bake 350 for 18 min., remove and let sit on the pan for 4 min. (My times are high altitude. You flatlanders may need to adjust that on your first batch to get a correct time). The recipe made 24 too-large-to-dip-in-a-glass-of-milk cookies.

They turn out huge, soft and delicious. The recipe made 24 too-large-to-dip-in-a-glass-of-milk cookies. Try it and let me know how they turn out. That picture is one I took this afternoon!