Hello All,

Winter Storm Remus

Hope you are all enjoying the reprieve from snow we are experiencing. Steady temperatures in the 50s next week? I was almost convinced it might never come again.  But alas, we have made it through to March and spring is on the horizon.

Unfortunately, due to Winter Storm Remus this past Wednesday evening, the second installment of our Lecture Series was canceled. However, we will be rescheduling the lecture for March 19th at the Welcome Center.

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Today I thought I would share a 1940s cookie recipe I came across a few weeks ago…

The oatmeal cookie is actually a derivative of an oatcake, made by the Scots and British as early as 1,000 B.C. when oat harvesting first took over as a main source of food for the area. It is unknown when raisins or nuts were added to this particular treat, but it is known that raisins and nuts were used in many recipes during the Middle Ages. The first ‘traditional’ Oatmeal Raisin recipe first appeared in the 1896 publication of Fannie Merritt Farmer’s cookbook. She considered the cookie a health food and within ten years, the recipe could be seen on every container of Quaker Oats.

By the 1940s, Oatmeal Raisin cookies were a household name. On the home front, rationing made cookie baking, and life in general, difficult, but mothers, wives, and sisters knew their loved ones abroad needed some indulgence from home, so whenever possible, care-packages with these cookies, and other treats were sent overseas for a little taste of home for the soldiers and sailors.

Today there are probably a hundred, if not more, versions of this one famous cookie. However you, or your family, makes Oatmeal cookies I am sure the smell and tastes can always bring you back home.

Old Fashioned Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1-cup sugar

½-cup butter

1/3-cup molasses

2 eggs

2 cups oats

1 2/3 -ups flour

1-teaspoon baking soda

1-teaspoon cinnamon

¼-teaspoon salt

1-cup raisins

Preparation:

Cookies almost always turn out better when the ingredients are at room temperature. (Do not ask me why, I was a history major, not a culinary student.) However, I have tested this theory many times and it has always proven worthy. So with that being said, it is best to let the butter and eggs become room temperature before diving in. Also, many times raisins are extremely dehydrated by the time you are prepared to cook/bake with them, which makes the cookies dry. Soaking the raisins in hot water for at least 30 minutes rehydrates them enough, which puts moisture into the cookie and the cookie stays fresher longer. It is also better to mix your dry ingredients together so you do not experience dry pockets in the dough. So you would blend the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together and set aside.

The next step is to pre-heat the oven. This particular recipe calls for the oven to be set at 375°F; however, if you have a gas convection oven, I recommend turning the temperature down to 350°F.

Next, cream the sugar, butter, and molasses together. Once creamed, add the eggs one at a time.  Then add the dry ingredients.

Once everything is well blended, mix in the raisins.

Place a rounded teaspoon-sized cookie, two inches apart, on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

This recipe yields about 4-dozen cookies. 

This recipe proved to be a winner and has been added to our own family recipes book. I would highly recommend this version, or anything similar, of Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. The molasses makes the cookies deliciously chewy and moist, while the plump raisins add a delectable quality and richness.

Hope you all take the time to enjoy some homemade cookies!

Take Care,

Elizabeth