Can you believe that it is already 2011?!? And not only that, it's almost the end of January. This is seriously mind blowing! So, I decided I needed to add one more resolution to the couple I decided on January 1st (flossing more & working on my posture). I decided that each week I am going to make a new recipe.
By the end of last year I felt like I was making the same five or six different dishes. So...here we go 2011, bring on the new dishes! Hopefully I will have 52 new, AMAZING dishes. So far all of them have been incredible (yes, I have already started this endeavor and will catch you all up), but we shall see.
The first recipe I will be featuring is "Oatmeal Crispies" from The Pioneer Woman cookbook. Holy moly, these little guys are absolutely out of this world good! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Oatmeal Crispies:
1/2 c pecan halves (I didn't put these in mine because I don't really like pecans)
1 c shortening (I used butter)
1 c packed dark/light brown sugar
1 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 c rolled oats
Directions:
1. Finely chop the pecans, using a rocking motion with the knife. Set aside. (If you're using pecans.)
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the shortening and sugars. Beat together until combined. (And yes, even though Jake bought a pull-up bar and I'm been trying my muscles on it, I definitely busted out my mixer for this step...and all the steps for these cookies!)
3. Lightly beat the eggs and vanilla in a medium bowl.
4. Add the egg mixture to the sugar/shortening mixture, and beat to thoroughly combine.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir to combine.
6. Add the flour mixture to the egg/sugar mixture and stir until combined.
7. Dump in the oats and pecans and stir to combine.
8. Divide the dough in half. Place each half on a sheet of waxed paper and form a roll 1 1/2 inches in diameter, wrapping the waxed paper tightly around the roll.
9. Chill the rolls until ready to use, up to one week. (And the BEST part about these cookies...the rolls may be frozen for up to three months. )
10. When you're ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Unwrap the dough from the waxed paper. and slice it into rounds about 1/2 inch thick. If the dough is frozen, no need to thaw; just increase the baking time by one to two minutes.
11. Place the rounds on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Using a spatula, remove the cookies from the sheet immediately.
**Suggested variations:**
-Add died cranberries and white chocolate chips to the dough before shaping into a a ball.
- Add chocolate chips to the dough.
- Press a small scoop of cinnamon ice cream between two cooled cookies and store in the freezer for a delicious ice cream/cookies snack.
