Post #83 - The tale of a sad, neglected blog and an empty cookie jar.

What, no posts in February?  We're slipping! 

Tsk, tsk.

Last year we were able to keep the blog posts coming and I was able to keep the cookie jar filled, but sadly both are lacking this year.  So to remedy that I decided to bake cookies this morning and blog about it. Aren't you excited?

This is the sad looking cookie jar that

 I found on the counter this morning.

  Poor thing.

So I grabbed my go-to cookbook and

 flipped it open to the cookie recipe section.

Don't let the name on the cover fool you. This is an 
old cookbook full of yummy old-fashioned goodness.

I spied this recipe for Oatmeal Cookies and it intrigued me.

Buttermilk?

Oh, this I've got to try!
I gathered the ingredients:

 with one change. I soaked the raisins 
in boiling water for a few minutes to plump them up. 
I didn't want them to dry up during the baking process.

Then I drained them.

Okay, here we go!
Cream the shortening, sugar and eggs...

add the Buttermilk...

 then the flour...

 oats,

 walnuts and raisins.

A few things have changed over the decades. Instead of lightly greasing a cookie sheet I use parchment paper or nonstick Silpat mats.

And instead of using tablespoons, I use a cookie scoop. It really makes the process go quickly.

Viola!

I put the tray in the oven and 
filled the sink with ice cubes and placed the cookie dough 

in the sink to chill while the cookies are baking.

Once the cookies were baked...

 

 and taken off the pan I removed the mixing bowl 

and put the baking sheet in the cooled sink 

to chill out before I put more cookie dough on it.

 These heavy making pans don't cool off as quickly as the thin ones do, so they need a little help. The Silpat mat is taken off and it cools once it is no longer in contact with the hot metal. I have two of these large pans and I rotate them, only putting one in the oven at a time.

Why bother cooling the pan? 
Because if I put the dough on a hot pan, 
the shortening will melt and it will spread out 
before it even gets in the oven.

 But these little gems held their shape...

 pan after pan.

The recipe said it made 5 dozen. I got 4.5 dozen out of it, plus 2.  
Those two were sacrificed in the name 
of blogging so I could taste test them for you.

And the result? 

They are a tender, cake-like cookie. They are good and remind me of the Oatmeal Breakfast Squares made by the famous oatmeal company that begins with a "Q".  So I guess it makes sense that I had those 2 cookies for breakfast.  
All in the name of blogging, of course.