Cooking with Auden: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

We wanted to make some simple oatmeal cookies and came across this recipe. We replaced some of the fruit with chocolate chips. They turned out yummy but very soft.


Mixed Dried Fruit Oatmeal Cookies
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten lightly
1/2 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup chopped pitted prunes
1/2 cup chocolate chips

In a large bowl cream the butter with the brown sugar




Mix the baking soda with water.


Add in the egg, the baking soda mixture, the flour, the salt, and the vanilla. Stir in the oats, the apricots, the prunes, and the chocolate chips and combine the dough well.


Stir in the oats, the apricots, the prunes, and the chocolate chips and combine the dough well.

Drop rounded tablespoons of the dough about 4 inches apart onto greased baking sheets.

Bake the cookies in batches in the middle of a preheated 375 F. oven 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are golden, transfer them with a spatula to racks, and let them cool.

Cooking with Auden: Peanut Butter Cookies

Cookies are always a great kid friendly recipe. There are always a few steps, some mixing and a yummy treat when you are all done.

We made these simple peanut butter cookies.

Peanut Butter Cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars.

Beat in eggs.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter

Put batter in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Roll into 1 inch balls and put on baking sheets. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over-bake

slice and bake

I have been known to make cookies on a whim, and of late these are in heavy rotation.

The other night I made a batch for us, but did not want to cook the whole batch (there by eating the whole bunch.)

Rather than make them all, I left half the batter and wrapped it up. Squish it into a log and drop onto a large piece of plastic wrap.


Then roll it into a log, and freeze. Then when ever you want fresh cookies...take out the frozen log, slice a few cookies of and bake to order.