Christmas Cookie #15: Oatmeal Crisps (New for '09!)

About twice a week throughout the year, the boys and I bake cookies. Sometimes, we get all creative and use M&Ms and candies and different kinds of chocolate chips and cover the kitchen in flour and sprinkles.

But, many days, the key to baking happiness for all of us is simplicity.

Sweet, sweet simplicity.

We often bake great-tasting cookies that are easy to make and easy to clean up.

These Oatmeal Crisps are one of our favorite, "easy" cookies. We make them a couple of times a month. They are a light, crisp cookie that uses ingredients we always have on hand - so we can decide to bake these at the spur of the moment. And, one batch makes about 100 cookies, so we usually bake about half of them, and then save the rest of the dough in the refrigerator for another day.

I often refer to these as "the diet cookie". They're not lowfat or any such thing. Heavens, no - I do have a reputation to maintain. But, 1/2 teaspoon of dough makes one regular-sized cookie.

1/2 teaspoon.

To put that in perspective, when we bake Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies, we use a regular-sized ice cream scoop. That's like twenty-seven 1/2 teaspoons. So, you can eat a whole boatload of these before you've eaten even one chocolate chip cookie. Yeah, man.

Crispy. Light. Delicious.

Simple.

(Today, my husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary. So, our lesson corresponds with that - just like it did last year.)

Our lesson:We are so thankful for Daddy!

Oatmeal Crisps
my own recipe...

1 cup quick oats
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place aluminum foil over baking sheets and thoroughly coat with nonstick cooking spray (or with softened butter). In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter with an electric mixer. Add the egg and vanilla extract; beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture and blend just until combined.

Drop the dough by 1/2 teaspoonfuls (about 3 inches apart) onto cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn golden brown. Allow cookies to cool, then peel the cookies from the foil with your fingers. Be sure to respray the cookie sheets between batches.

*One of my dear friends told me she used orange zest and chocolate chips in these. I think that sounds absolutely delicious!