These are Esther’s oatmeal cookies, and the first thing to know is that the recipe makes an enormous batch. Get out the biggest mixing bowls you own.
The basic dough uses butter, brown sugar, whole wheat flour, oats or granola, and either ground almonds or peanut butter. After that, use your imagination. Add chocolate or butterscotch chips, chopped nuts, raisins, or another dried fruit you like.
You can freeze the dough or the baked cookies, which is handy because there will be plenty. Keep some for now and put some away for a day when everyone would be very pleased to find a cookie in the freezer.
If you are bringing these to another family, label the container clearly since the recipe includes wheat, dairy, eggs, and either almonds or peanut butter. Put a few on a postpartum snack tray and tuck the rest into the freezer.
Esther's Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 lb butter
- 4 cups brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp vanilla
- 4 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup almonds (ground in blender) or peanut butter
- 4 cups rolled oats (not instant) or granola
- optional: chocolate, butterscotch, or peanut butter chips; 1-2 cups chopped nuts; 1+ cup raisins; other dried fruits
Instructions
- Cream together the butter and sugar. Blend in the eggs and vanilla to creamed mixture. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Combine the flour mixture with the creamed mixture, then add ground almonds OR peanut butter and rolled oats (not instant!) OR granola. This is the basic cookie recipe.
- Use your imagination and add any or all of the following: 16 oz. bag of chocolate (or butterscotch or peanut butter) chips, a cup or 2 (or more!) of chopped nuts, a cup or more of raisins or other dried fruits (chopped if necessary).
- Drop about a dozen heaping teaspoons of cookie dough on each ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375° for 12 minutes until lightly brown. Cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer onto a paper bag and allow them to finish cooling.
Listen While These Bake
While the cookies are in the oven, listen to Why Control and Certainty Stop Working After You Become a Parent. It is a useful conversation about preparation, uncertainty, and learning to make room for the parts of parenthood that cannot be planned.
Learn more about Esther at esthergallagher.com, and add a few cookies to a Postpartum Snack Tray.
The content provided in this article(s) is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or other professional advice. Neither Sarah Trott nor Fourth Trimester Media Group LLC are liable for claims arising from the use of or reliance on information contained in this article.