Today We're Making Oatmeal Cookies

Actually, the cookies above are not my cookies. They were baked and photographed by Joy the Baker who has an inspirational blog. She inspired me to make my current favorite Oatmeal School Cookies from the classic cookbook Laurel's Kitchen. As you might notice from previous cookie posts, I love oatmeal cookies both for their wholegrain goodness and sweet chewy appeal.

Laurel's Kitchen, A Handbook for Vegetarian Cookery and Nutrition was written by Carol Flinders, Laurel Robertson and Bronwen Godfrey. Published in 1976, it contributed to the increasing awareness of vegetarian eating in the U.S. The second edition called The New Laurel's Kitchen came out in 1986 and is still in print. Laurels Kitchen was a little too hardcore for my taste. I gravitated toward the Vegetarian Epicure I and II by Anna Thomas. But I still browsed through Laurel's information and recipes and somehow came away with this recipe for oatmeal school cookies to add to my growing repertoire of oatmeal favorites.

My version of Oatmeal School Cookies, stored in a cookie tin

I guess I first baked these cookies in the 70's and I liked the flavor but I found them to be unpleasantly hard. Maybe I over-baked them but, for whatever reason, they never made my list of favorites nor were they included in my files. Then lately the memory of oatmeal school cookies crept into my sensory stream of consciousness. I remembered the crunch of sesame seeds and a wholegrain goodness that appeals to me now. I generally add whole wheat flour to most of my baked goods and I like the results. Of course Laurel's version would be 100% whole wheat and include wheat germ as well, so it was time to locate the recipe. No need to visit the library, the recipe showed up on the Canadian blog Ten More Bites.

The original recipe calls for pumpkin or sunflower seeds, but I remembered sesame seeds, so that is what I used. I require walnuts in my cookies and Dean requests chocolate chips, so both are included. Dean (or Mr. P as Jeanette calls him} loves them!

                                                OATMEAL SCHOOL COOKIES

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup wholewheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup raisins and chocolate chips
2/3 cups toasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Using a mixer, cream butter and brown sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, wheat germ and oats. Combine with other ingredients.
Stir in raisins and chocolate and seeds. If the mixture seems a bit crumbly, add a tablespoon of water or apple juice.
Drop Tablespoonfuls onto  baking sheets, flatten tops. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack

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