My Happy List: Oatmeal Cookies! *plus* A Childhood Memory

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Good Morning, Lovelies!  Welcome to My Happy List!

Today there is only one thing on my list:  oatmeal cookies!  Believe it or not, I found the recipe in the back of an Aunt Dimity book by Nancy Atherton (the first one, actually).

You can read more about Aunt Dimity here.  I think there are around twenty books in the series!

I really enjoyed this book for several reasons.  First of all, the main character's name is Lori.  My younger cousin (by three years) is also named Lori.  Both my cousin and the fictional Lori love stuffed animals and bedtime stories.  My cousin Lori would ask my grandmother to tell us stories before bed, and she would pick at her stuffed animal.  She would pick the poor thing bald!  :D  I guess it was a nervous habit because my grandmother told us some pretty scary stories, about sack men who carried naughty children away, and a psychotic neighbor named Josey Koonz.  It's a wonder that we both don't need therapy.  After Big Mama (our grandmother) would tell us these horrible stories, Lori would always ask for more!

The fictional Lori's bedtime stories were a lot less creeptastic, and they centered around a sweet British lady named Aunt Dimity.  Soon after the death of her mother, Lori discovers that Aunt Dimity was a real person, and she has been bequeathed a task in Aunt Dimity's will: Lori must write a preface to the Lori Stories, the entire collection of the Aunt Dimity stories from her childhood.  This book has ghosts, mysteries, romance, plus a delightful Cotswold cottage surrounded by lilacs.  *le sigh*

Here are Beth's Oatmeal Cookies from the book.  (Beth is Lori's mother in the book.)

Beth's Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 jumbo eggs

2 T raisin water (see below)

2 c all-purpose flour

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup raisins

2 cups water

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In small saucepan, combine raisins with water and bring to a boil;  lower heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  When cool, reserve 5 tablespoons raisin water, then drain raisins in colander.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs ann raisin water. Mix well.  Sift dry ingredients (excluding oats) together and blend into creamed mixture.  With a wooden spoon mix oats, nuts, and raisins. Combine well.

Drop by heaping teaspoonful 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake 10 - 15 minutes, or until golden brown and firm on top when touched with your finger.  Cool on racks.

Makes around 6 dozen cookies.

NOTE:  I used a small ice cream scoop and baked 11 minutes in a convection oven.

~Adapted from recipe in Aunt Dimity's Death

This is the first time I've ever made oatmeal cookies with raisin water. Have you heard about this?  Learning new skills makes me happy!

I hope you're having a happy week so far.  

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Until next time...

Blessings!

Ricki Jill

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