Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

Posted on March 27, 2009 by Veronica

Whenever I buy buttermilk for a recipe, I end up with about 2 cups left in the carton and it usually goes bad before I get the chance to use it.

Although the buttermilk currenty sitting in my refrigerator (which I purchased to make Marina’s Orange Bitty Buns) is a day past it’s expiration date, I was delighted to discover it had not gone bad (though it’s sometimes hard to tell with buttermilk!) when I finally decided it was time to try a recipe that required it.

I’m a recipe hoarder and they tend to stay in my hard drive for over a year before I finally print one out and try it for the first time. I think I’ve had this one for over two…maybe three years. And now I wonder why in the world I waited so long? This recipe was meant to be made on a monthly, if not weekly basis! These cookies are just fantabulous, people. Let me know if you like ’em as much as we did (yes, even the oatmeal cookie-hating husband approves!). Paula Deen proves herself worthy of my undying love yet again…

Paula’s Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Brown Butter Icing, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease 1 or more cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, shortening, and sugar in a bowl until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until mixture is light in color. Add buttermilk. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice; stir into creamed mixture. Fold in oatmeal, raisins, walnuts, and vanilla, blending well. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Drizzle with Brown Butter Icing.

Brown Butter Icing:
1/2 cup butter
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 tablespoons water

In a small saucepan heat the butter over medium heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in 3 cups sifted powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in enough water (3 to 4 tablespoons) to make an icing of drizzling consistency. Drizzle on warm cookies.

3 Comments

White Chocolate Cherry Chunkies

Posted on December 9, 2008 by Veronica

So far the post office has not been working us overtime–they’ve been letting us go home early instead! My Christmas miracle! :)

Anyway, I’m trapped indoors b/c driving in the snow terrifies me. I wanted to make some chocolate covered pretzels but since I can’t leave to buy the pretzels (four pounds of almond bark and nothing to coat!), I decided to make something with what I had. So I made some fudge with Ande’s peppermint baking pieces on top and then some white chocolate cherry chunkies from the lard Queen, Paula Deen.

But they turned out pretty awful. What is wrong with me? I knew when I opened the macadamia nuts that they were rancid. Yes, nuts go rancid. I had them in the freezer (which makes them last 20 times longer) but I bought them on clearance so they were probably rancid before I even froze them. Then I left them in the freezer for a year. So I took a delicious recipe and totally ruined it b/c of my stubborn refusal to substittute the macadamias for another nut (I have three other kinds, people!). I’m so mad. You can tell the cookie is good and it’s only the crappy nuts messing with the flavor. I hate failing.

So I’m going to take them to the post office and let my co-workers choke on them b/c I can’t bring myself to throw them away. They get to eat all my baking failures that I leave anonymously on the counter with a note to “help yourself.” Pretty soon they’re just going to start chucking the cookies, cakes and brownies that get left on the counter b/c they’re sick of they’re eyes going crossed and the diarreah that follows soon after.

White Chocolate Cherry Chunkies

Ingredients

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1/2 cup candied cherries
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chunks

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, with electric mixer, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until just combined. Set aside.

Sift together flour, soda, and salt. Add milk to the butter mixture and then add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Batter should be stiff.

In another bowl, combine nuts, cherries, and white chocolate. Then add to batter, stirring only to blend. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for approximately 11 to 13 minutes. Cool on wire rack.