basic oatmeal cookies

Back to basics and to these simple old fashioned oatmeal cookies. I got the recipe straight from the back of the oatmeal carton. There's nothing fancy about the recipe. I just added a few extras like some golden raisins, dried cranberries and chopped walnuts. I was trying to copy our favorite brand of healthier oatmeal cookies but I lacked a few other ingredients. Next time I will try to get other dried fruits and some sliced almonds for a different taste and texture. I noticed that there are even some barley in that commercial brand. As for now, these turned out very good, chewy, with the sweetness and the texture just right for my taste. I also like to add a little [about 1/4 cup] glucose or honey to maximize the chewy factor. Just mix the glucose with a little hot water to soften it and add it when creaming the butter and sugar together. Glucose is sold in most baking supply stores. I brought my glucose supply all the way from the Philippines.

BASIC OATMEAL COOKIES

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening [Crisco]
1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup glucose or thick honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl. In another smaller bowl or cup, stir the glucose and warm water together and let the mixture stand for a few minutes to soften. Cream the butter, shortening and sugars. Add the egg, cooled water & glucose mixture and vanilla and continue beating until creamy. Stir in the flour mixture and mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto parchment paper lined baking or cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the edges appear slightly toasted or light brown.

Suggested additions: raisins or golden raisins, dried cranberries, chopped dates, chopped walnuts, sliced almonds, pepitas, barley, dark chocolate or white chocolate chips, etc. I'm sure there are many more ideas for crunchy and chewy ingredient combinations.