Oatmeal Cookies Deserving of a Pedestal!

LOADED OATMEAL COOKIES

Even though it's only been a day since my first post in revitalizing this blog, I am motivated to write another because I made these cookies last night and they came out great! These are for Russ, my very own, grown adult Cookie Monster! He LOVES oatmeal cookies. 

If you've ever purchased the cylinder of Quaker Oats, you'll notice that under the lid is the recipe for their famous cookies. It's my favorite basic oatmeal cookie and bakes up crispy on the outer edges and soft on the inside. I make these often. So don't throw that lid away! Mine is tucked into my cabinet so any time I want to make them, it's there regardless of what brand of oats I have on hand. 

Below is my adaptation of Quaker's original recipe:

LOADED OATMEAL COOKIES

Makes approximately 4 dozen average sized cookies or 2 dozen large cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Have ungreased cookie sheets ready (or line with parchment).

Ingredients:

14 tablespoons of soft butter (I use unsalted)

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (I double the 1tsp. to 2, because I love it)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups oats - quick or old-fashioned (not steel-cut)

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I use mini)

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Directions: 

In large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, beat butter with sugars and vanilla until thoroughly incorporated, scraping the bowl as necessary. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. To this, add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well. Add oats and mix or stir in till evenly distributed. By hand, stir in raisins, dried cranberries, walnuts, chocolate chips, and coconut. This is a workout so use your heaviest wooden spoon and get in there!

I used a spring-loaded ice-cream scoop to make large cookies and fit 6 on a half-sheet baking pan. Then I squished them down a bit to level them out. If you want to make smaller cookies, you'll get a lot out of this batch using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon. (You can also half the recipe if you want. I do that all the time, less of a commitment!) With this batch, I made 16 large cookies and still had a lot of cookie dough left so I froze that for Russ's next visit.

Bake for 12 minutes (+/-) for large cookies or 8-10 minutes for smaller cookies. You want to look for brown edges but still light, moist centers. If it looks wet in the middle, give them another minute or two. Crispy brown outer edges, light, moist centers. Your individual oven will behave differently than mine, so you just have to watch it. They take as long as they take. 

Let cookies rest about 5 minutes or so, and remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

These cookies were so large they didn't fit in my cookie jar, so I put them on a pedestal!

Deserving of a pedestal!

If you'd like to see previous cookie posts from ADK baker, click here: http://adirondackbaker.blogspot.com/search?q=cookies

Back in the Saddle! With a small cheesecake recipe you'll love!

Hello my friends! 

Welcome back! It's been a long while and much has happened since I last posted. With an eye toward the future, this blog is back in action. I will be posting regularly, something I have greatly missed and look forward to! I am committing to at least once a week, on Wednesdays, if not more. 

First of all, I want to thank all of you who've followed my posts and who come back, again and again, for recipes you've grown to love. The blog has remained active even though I hadn't been posting, which warms my heart. You may notice, it's had a facelift. 

It's probably time for a re-introduction. Here are the stats:

Jeannie O'Farrell Eddy, blogger, Adirondack Baker (adirondackbaker.blogspot.com)

I am a true boomer - born in the mid-50s and grateful for growing up in the subsequent decades. As one of seven siblings, I learned the value of family as community early on. 

Still working full-time, I am looking forward to retirement next spring so I can spend more time baking, cooking, writing, and enjoying time with my favorite people! 

I am a Mom and Grandma and spend a lot of time with kids and grandkids. 

My 'boyfriend' Russ and I just marked 24 years together, long-distance! He lives in Central New York and I live in Glens Falls, New York in a 121-year old bungalow that is my Shangri-la. It's about a 4-hour drive and we see each other at least a couple of times a month. He's my guy for life. I guess 24 years is proof of that!

This blog began as part of my master's thesis. I graduated from Skidmore College as an adult in 2003 and earned my masters in 2009. My masters thesis was on relationships in the kitchen and how they've evolved with the advent and advancement of technology. It was a fascinating topic to research, starting with outdoor kitchens that moved into the home, with sinks, stoves, the first appliances, cabinets, etc. all the way to today's modern, tricked-out kitchens. I read many food anthologies and researched old catalogs. I came to learn that food is so much more than something we consume. It is relationships. It is tradition. It is community.

With that in mind, I am welcoming YOU back to my blog, and I can't wait to get started, again!

Thank you!

Jeannie

And (drum roll...) here's the first recipe for Adirondack Baker, second shift! It's a small cheesecake and goes together so easily. I think you'll love it! 

Small Cheesecake (serves 6-10)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit - Prepare 8" round springform OR regular 8-inch round cake pan (cake pan set-up directions below).

CRUST:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (if you don't have graham cracker crumbs, you can use any dry cookie. I actually used Cinnamon Life Cereal in a pinch!) 

1/4 cup sugar

4 tbsp. melted butter

CHEESECAKE FILLING:

1 lb. cream cheese (two blocks, room temperature)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

Pan set up: spray spring form pan with vegetable spray. If using 8-inch round pan, cut a circle out of cardboard, just a bit smaller than 8-inches. Cover in foil. Before placing it inside the pan, make a sling of a folded length of foil, about 3 inches wide and long enough to hang over the side of the pan. Insert sling into the bottom of the pan with ends going up the side and over, outside the pan. Then drop the foil-covered cardboard (smooth side up) into the pan and press down firmly. Spray bottom and sides with vegetable spray.

If using a spring form pan, wrap the outside and bottom tightly with foil and place on cookie sheet.

Make crust: Mix in food processor or blend with fork - graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press into bottom of pan and up the sides a bit if you have enough.

Bake crust, alone, for 10 minutes in preheated oven.

Meanwhile, mix filling:

To large mixing bowl, add soft cream cheese (must be soft or you'll have lumpy cheesecake) and sugar. Beat very well, scraping bowl as you go. Add vanilla extract and mix till incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Finally, mix in sour cream until very smooth. 

When the crust comes out of the oven, let it sit for a minute then add the filling. Smooth top with a spatula.

Place a pan of water on the floor of your oven. This provides moisture that prevents the cheesecake from cracking. I use another cake pan and fill it about half way up. Be careful - it may splash. 

Place cheesecake on center rack of oven.

Bake for one hour. Turn oven off. Crack door open (I use a pot holder)and let sit for another hour. 

Let cool and then refrigerate. 

(Is that a pretty cheesecake, or what?)

Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy the revival of ADK Baker! Please comment below and let me know what you'd like to see in the future. Coming up are baked apple cider doughnuts, pumpkin whoopee pies, key lime pie, crock pot beef stew, and kitchen sink chocolate chip cookies. And more, and more, and more! 

MORE ADK BAKER CHEESECAKE RECIPES HERE: https://adirondackbaker.blogspot.com/search?q=cheesecake