I'd like to share one of my two favorite cookie recipes. I'm probably going to talk a lot, so if you just want to cut to the chase, the full recipe is at the end of the post. But without further ado, I give you:
Aunt Connie's Glazed Oatmeal Cookies.
My Aunt Connie can cook better than anyone else in my family. She does it all. Cooking, baking, sewing, raising a garden, raising chickens, canning, preserving, crafting, creating.... I want to be her when I grow up. (Except for the raising chickens part.) Anyway, the chances are high that she found this recipe from a magazine, newspaper, church cookbook, or flour sack, but it doesn't matter to me. These are HER cookies, and they always will be.
In a large bowl, beat 2 eggs. I'm not certain what difference it makes, but Aunt Connie says 2 eggs, beaten. So beat 'em.
To that, add...are you ready for this? 1 cup of Crisco shortening (don't worry, there's no butter, but we're not done yet...) and 2 cups of light brown sugar, packed. No. That's not a typo. That's TWO cups of brown sugar. Add 1 tsp of vanilla and cream it all together.
While you're creaming, I'll tell you something my Aunt Connie says: Always keep a stick of cream cheese in the fridge, cause you never know when someone might pop in, have surgery, or die. These things make sense to me, because really, you never know when the situation might present itself where you need to whip up a Dessert. And people popping in, people coming home from hospitals and funerals are all good reasons to whip up a Dessert. To her rule, I add: Always keep brown sugar on hand, for the same reason.
Once you get done creaming, it will look like fluffy yumminess. I attribute this to the Crisco, but maybe it's all because we beat the eggs first.
Now you might want to get out a separate bowl to sift these dry ingredients. Aunt Connie probably does. I, in my haste to eat these delicious cookies, just dump it in the bowl, but Aunt Connie was always getting on me for being impatient when I was little. You need 3 cups of oats, 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp baking soda. Combine these in a separate bowl and slowly add them to the fluffiness, or just gradually add them as you see fit. I won't tell Aunt Connie.
Once it's all good and mixed up, cover your bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for at least an hour.
You really must wait for them to chill. And for the record, I like to use Air Bake cookie sheets lined with parchment paper when I make cookies. I'm not sure if Aunt Connie does that or not, but I know she would approve.
Once the hour has passed, preheat your oven to 350* and get your dough out as well as a small bowl. Pour about a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar into the small bowl. This measurement is nowhere near exact. Just don't overdo it or you'll waste sugar. Something Aunt Connie would never do.
Spoon out some dough and roll it (yes, in your hands) into a golf ball size. Roll the ball in the powdered sugar, and place on the cookie sheet. Repeat until your sheets are full. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Amazingly, the powdered sugar has melted into a yummy glaze. Cool for a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack, or just transfer them to your mouth. These are absolutely delicious when warm.
I told you she's a good cook, that Aunt Connie.
Aunt Connie's Glazed Oatmeal Cookies
Yields: 48 cookies
2 eggs, beaten 3 c oats
1 c Crisco shortening 1-1/2 c all purpose flour
2 c brown sugar 1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp baking soda
Powdered sugar 1 tsp salt
In a large bowl, cream eggs, shortening, sugar and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Combine with oats. Slowly add oat/flour mixture to cream mixture. Mix well. Chill for at least 1 hour. Roll into golf-ball sized balls, roll balls in powdered sugar, covering the dough. Bake at 350* for 8-10 minutes. Cool on sheet 2-3 minutes, then move to cooling rack.
