House Spouse

I think these may actually be called “Scotchies” because instead of raisins or chocolate chips, these oatmeal cookies have butterscotch morsels. Mom should really get props for these because it was a phone call from her, frantically searching for an oatmeal cookie recipe, that inspired them.

The Back Story
My mom had recently moved, and in that process has lost her go-to recipe. She called me and asked me for mine.

Until this moment, I never had a recipe for oatmeal cookies, because I had never made them. Until about a year ago, I rarely, if ever, baked.

So, I flipped through the Joy of Cooking and began reading the ingredient list aloud. She scoffed at the ratio of butter to flour, but said she’d try it anyway. About two hours later, she called me, her mouth full of cookies. “Oh. My. God. Meghan, these are the best cookies I’ve ever had.”

She was right about the OMG exclamation. These cookies are chewy in the middle and crunchy around the edges. They’re fragrant with nutmeg and cinnamon and satisfyingly sweet. Be sure to enjoy at least one fresh out of the oven with a glass of cold milk.

The Recipe
This is actually Joy’s recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, but as I don’t really like raisins (especially in cookies), I omit them or just substitute butterscotch morsels. You can also substitute chocolate chips and leave out the cinnamon and nutmeg.

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease or line two cookie sheets (I use a silpat).

Whisk together:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg (I freshly grate the nutmeg. It makes a remarkable difference!)

Beat in a large bowl until well blended:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Stir in the flour mixture. Stir in:
1 cup butterscotch morsels (or raisins or chocolate chips)
3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

Shape the dough into generous 1 1/2 balls and place about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Flatten the balls into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until the cookies are lightly browned all over, 12-14 minutes. Let stand briefly, then remove (CAREFULLY!!) to a rack to cool.

The cookies will be crazy soft when they first come out of the oven, so you really do need to wait a minute or two to remove them. As they cool on the rack, they’ll harden. If they crack or break while transferring them, gently piece them back together and they’ll be OK.

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