Recipe: The Best Oatmeal Cookies from Learning to Cook with Marion Cunningham

THE BEST OATMEAL COOKIES

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose white flour
2 cups quick-cooking, 1-minute rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. To mix the dough: Be sure the butter is soft, then put it along with the sugar in a large bowl. Using the back of a spoon, vigorously mash and scrape the butter against the sides and bottom of the bowl, gradually mixing it into the sugar until it becomes smooth and pale yellow. (You can also do this with an electric mixer.)

3. Add the flour, rolled oats, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and vanilla to the bowl. Using your hands (a sturdy spoon or electric mixer will also work), blend the dry ingredients into the butter by pressing and squeezing the dough between your fingers until it becomes one solid mass with no loose flour or rolled oats in the bowl.

4. To bake the cookies: Grease two cookie sheets with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Using a small spoon, scoop up 1 teaspoon of dough, then gently roll it between the palms of your hands to form a small ball. Place the dough ball on a corner of the greased cookie sheet, about 1 inch from the sides. Form another ball of dough and put it on the cookie sheet about 2 inches from the first one. Continue until you have filled up 2 cookie sheets, with 12 evenly spaced balls of dough on each. Using the palm of your hand, press lightly on each ball to flatten it to a 1/4-inch thick round.

5. Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Put one cookie sheet in the oven at a time - this lets the cookies bake more evenly. Set the timer for 10 minutes.

6. Check the cookies. If you can see just a little golden-brown color on the outside edges of the cookies, they are done; remove pan from the oven. If not, bake for another 2 minutes and check again.

7. Put the second sheet in the oven and repeat the baking directions.

8. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets 10 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool. Re-grease the cookie sheets before using the remaining dough.

Makes about 34 cookies
Source: Learning to Cook with Marion Cunningham