Figure 1 Image Source: Assorted Cookies

People have been baking cookies using breakfast items such as oatmeal since at least the 1800s and probably before. While many other ingredients have come in and out of popularity over the years it is this variety of ingredient partnerships built upon an oatmeal foundation that has given us the enormous range of flavors and styles of oatmeal cookies, which we are blessed with today.

With a US National Oatmeal Cookie Day celebrated annually on the 30th of April; which is only a few short weeks away, I think I will get a few of my more favorite oatmeal cookie variations ready so that we can all get in on the act. Today’s recipe is a truly delectable treat that includes toasted pecan nuts and Maple extract so those north of the border won’t feel left out.

Ingredients

• 3½ Cups of Oats
• 1½ Cups of Flour
• 1 Cup each of Shortening, Sugar, Packed Dark Brown Sugar and Toasted Pecan Nuts
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract
• 2 Teaspoons each of Freshly ground Sea Salt and Maple Extract
• 1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

Figure 2 Image Source: Pecans Shelled & Unshelled

Method

1. Chop the toasted pecan nuts into match head sized pieces
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, adjust oven rack to a central position and either line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, lightly grease it or use a non-stick cooking spray if you prefer
3. Start by mixing the flour baking soda and salt together and then transferring this mixture to your sifter ready for addition to the cookie mix after you have beaten and combined the wet ingredients
4. You can mix by hand if you like or use a large tall mixing bowl and a hand mixer or your food processor. Which way you go is up to you but just remember that depending upon your chosen method you may need to make the odd adjustment as you see fit.
5. Add shortening and both sugars to the mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Then add in the vanilla extract, the maple extract and the two eggs and beat well.
6. With the wet ingredients thoroughly combined, it is time to sift in the flour, baking soda and salt mixture and beat well to combine. Now add the oats and the chopped pecans and beat the mixture well to ensure that the resulting cookie batter has all ingredients more or less evenly dispersed throughout.
7. Now use a tablespoon to remove chunks of cookie batter and then simply drop them as rough balls onto your prepared cookie sheet. Do not smooth the cookie batter balls we want them to be rough and to spread as they bake. This is why we call cookies made in this way drop cookies.
8. Make sure that you do not overcrowd your baking sheet. As these portions will yield around 50 maple and pecan oatmeal cookies, you may need to cook them in batches. Place each batch of cookies into the preheated oven and bake until they become a golden color (usually takes about 10 minutes or so depending upon your oven).
9. Once cooked take the cookies out of the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for a little bit and then take them off the cookie sheet and place them on a wire rack to finish cooling

Figure 3 Image Source: Cookie Jar

You can now reload your cookie sheet with the next batch and start baking them. By the time the next batch are nearly ready the first batch will have cooled sufficiently for transfer to a cookie jar/tin. Continue this process until no cookie batter remains.

Serving

Keep cookies in an airtight jar or tin and serve with milk, coffee, tea or any other beverage of you choosing. If you want to include them with a cut lunch either put them into their own airtight cookie container or wrap with plastic cling wrap prior to including with other food items as these guys will really suck up the moisture and dry out cut sandwiches long before lunch time arrives . Enjoy!!!